Ingenius ways to save printed magazines

"There is no box."

outside the box from joseph Pelling on Vimeo.

Escapes installed, check. Taken down, check.

The short but sweet installation Escapes went really smoothly this weekend at City of Craft. It was an exhaustive joy to finish the piece and see people interact with it. The most satisfying part was talking with strangers about work and understanding that the concept makes sense to outsiders, too.

The most fun was seeing the lovely community in Toronto where art meets craft. There are insanely talented and supportive people who occupy this space and I'm happy to be a part of it in a small way. The entire experience has given me even more fuel to keep producing.

The fly by the seat of our pants strategy that Laurie and I employed throughout this process worked really well for us! I was really proud of the results and even happier with how we reached the end product without a major catastrophe throughout the collaboration. In fact, the experience has given me lots of confidence to keep on.

And, even though the idea of cutting out another fire escape silhouette makes my hands hurt, I'm fairly certain that my obsession with fire escapes has not nearly been satiated. We'll see how it all unfolds.

Here are some shots of the installation. Trying to explain how everything was situated makes my head throb, but hopefully this shows a bit of how it actually looked. I saw many people taking photos of it, so hopefully someone got at least one shot that pulls the components together.

I ♡ my projector

Reasons why I love my overhead projector:
1. It makes a loud humming noise that reminds me of a plane flying high overhead.
2. It has an on/off switch the is really large and makes me feel like I'm using a kid's toy camera with all those extra large buttons for easy use.
3. It emits warmth (I'm always cold).
4. It feels really low tech.
5. It has a compartment where the cord lives when not in use (I hate power cords).
6. It projects with a rounded frame that reminds me of photos from the 1980s.
7. It only has one basic function: to project transparencies. There's something comforting about a piece of technology that is uni-functional.
8. It was free and delivered to my door by a loved one.

Here are some shots of my lovely projector doing it's job very well onto my pink paper.

Home and Away (and In Between) show

I can't tell you how excited I am about this particular happening! A small part of me thinks that during the opening someone is going to tap me on the shoulder and explain that they are very sorry but a terrible mistake has been made and I'll be escorted quietly from the premises. But, thankfully, most of me is just happy to be able to interact with other, wonderful artists.

There's something potent about deadlines, huh? Now to get to work to produce my piece for the show.

Image by Gillian Wilson

A thematic group exhibition brought to you by City of Craft

Opening Reception:

Friday, December 4^th. 7-10pm

Exhibition runs December 3-13, 2009.

City of Craft takes place December 12-13^th at The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St. West

Location:

Cream Tangerine Café At the Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto

Artists:

Lizz Aston, Fiona Bailey, Amy Borkwood, Leah Buckareff, Marta Chudolinska, Heather Fagan, Meags Fitzgerald, Sara Guindon, Genevieve Jodoin, Serena McCarroll and Tyler Brett, Laurie McGregor, The Misanthrope Specialty Co., Jen Spinner, Gillian Wilson and more.

The Exhibition:

Craft processes and acts of making have a way of rooting people to their surroundings. People make or purchase craft items to enhance their domestic spaces and make themselves “at home.” Alternately, people take comfort in craft and art making when they find themselves in unfamiliar territory or when situated in transitional spaces such as on planes and buses and in waiting rooms. Home and Away (and In-Between) is an exhibition that strives to explore how the act of making enables us to relate to where we are.

Home and Away (and In-Between) is a thematic group exhibition of selected vendors, organizers and installation artists involved with this year’s City of Craft event. The exhibition also includes a few invited special guests artists. Home and Away will serve as a pre-fair party as well as a public preview of the wares in store at this year’s City of Craft. Please join us in celebrating our third awesome year!

About City of Craft:

City of Craft is a collective of craft-engaged locals who aim to build community in the Toronto craftscape, support independent craft businesses, and encourage the larger community to get involved with crafty happenings in the city. City of Craft is also a community-based craft culture event where community-arts groups, craft based initiatives/projects, studios, and other organizations are invited to do outreach to the public alongside a curated craft fair and craft-based installations. City of Craft is a place to buy, observe, experience, chat about, share and re-imagine all things handmade. This year’s City of Craft event takes place December 12-13^th at the Theatre Centre. Don’t miss it!

My first interview!

My friend Laurie and I were recently interviewed about our upcoming installation at City of Craft. You can read it here.

Laurie and I wrote our answers in two parts and I think they reflect our voices really well. It's strange to tell people about all of this, but I figure that no one else is going to do it for me.

A part of me wishes that we'd sat down with an old tape deck and pressed record for an hour, then handing in the transcript, though what a verbose product that would be! You know when you read those rambling interviews between artists who are also friends? I love them because I always feel a part of their multi-layered relationship. I read one between the musician Bjork, and a creative director of Interview Magazine, Mathias Augustyniak. They discuss collaborations between Bjork, creative directors Michaël Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak, and photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin to produce any and all imagery related to Bjork's musical career, including album covers. Check it out here.

Do you remember this album? When it was first released I was enthralled by the cover and the alien-like music.

Bjork, Homogenic, 1997

More

Here's another...

Feeling the snap

Up until this weekend, I was feeling a bit bogged down and was not really making an effort to be inspired. I constantly view websites that showcase the work of many, many talented artists that often motivate me to keep working. But, there's no substitute for the authentic snap I feel when I find something wicked in the flesh.

I treated myself to these promotional booklets for an offset printer from the 1960s because they reminded me why I keep doing what I do. Even though the designs are bit dated, there's something precious about how much thought and care when into a promotional item such as this. Compared to present day where one can digitally print any old thing for a nominal fee, these booklets are works of art unto themselves.

Oh, and I like the pretty paper.



Man is a designer.

He designs for the betterment of his lot in the universe. He may design well or ill, feebly or powerfully. What he makes of his life depends on his vitality, his reason, his good will, his sense of responsibility to the whole and his individual integrity, his imagination and his spirit of adventure. The good designer, whether in art or architecture, engineering or advertising, will not be satistfied with the old moulds. He will be alive to all the discoveries and inventions, all the drives and ideals, of the contemporary world. Using the materials and methods of today, he will serve the needs of the world today, and he will lead the way tomorrow.

Understanding the past, serving the present, he will strive to see the patterns he creates as part of a larger greater pattern, the desing for living, the greater democracy, the richer, fuller life toward which all intelligent, responsible men are striving.

Pink escapes

I stumbled on fushcia craft paper on the weekend and completed my first large(r) scale cut out. I'm enamoured and also ready to roll up my sleeves and start cutting many more.

Received: one, much needed, kick in pants

After cutting out countless mini paper cutouts of escapes, hemming and hawwing over colour and size and talking incessantly about what I want to do, I finally starting cutting the larger escapes for City of Craft. (Side note: I'm in love with overhead projectors. Who knew projecting imagery onto a wall would make me giddy?)

As per usual, I'm way more interested in the other space. Consequently, the negative shapes created by the fire escape silhoettes are being carefully saved. For what? I think I know, but I'll have to see. Planning too much is just...lame.