Tag Archives: Jarrod Barker

Culture

Canada Uses USA Ad Agency To Snipe American Trademark In Time For 150th

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With this Saturday, July 1st marking the celebration of Canada’s 150th Anniversary, the country recently hired the renowned New York ad agency Juized (*satirical)  to rebrand the nation as “The Greatest Country On Earth”. This phrase has typically been associated with the U.S., but America let the trademark slip and Canada has scooped it up and taken it as her own.

image concept- J. Barker

Juized is actively promoting the phrase and image for Canada, while redesigning the Canadian flag and revamping the national anthem to reflect this new status.

Juized has just released this short video on the challenges of rebranding Canada in anticipation of the campaign release on Canada Day.

While the rebranding of Canada may be a marketer’s dream it is actually the imaginary creation of Media-Corps,a dual-client sales agency and the largest Canadian Media Representative in the U.S. The company created the Juized video * about Americans not getting Canada with the help of 2 top funny men — CBC’s Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring as a tribute to the Canadian milestone and to show appreciation for Canada’s unique culture.

Robert Laplante

A native Canadian, Media-Corp’s founder Robert Laplante helps American advertisers understand that for a brand to be successful beyond its own borders, it’s critical to understand the different demographics and their behaviors. For the Silo, Susan Mackasey.

Supplemental- Top Ten New York City Ad Agencies

Art

US Premiere of Small Wonders: The VR Experience At Metropolitan Museum Of Art

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“Walking through 500-year-old art…Once I put the VR headset and headphones on, it truly felt like I was transported to another world. You could walk through the levels of sculpture and detail in the bead, which was a frieze of heaven on top, purgatory in the middle, and hell below it. There were easily 20 fully carved objects – humans, demons, and animals – in the five centimeter bead, with multiple layers of objects on top of one another to create a three-dimensional image. I was astounded to be able to see, as close as I wanted to get, the bead in all its detail.”— Stefan Palios,betakit

The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab), Seneca’s School of Creative Arts and Animation, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) are pleased to announce their groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) collaboration, Small Wonders: The VR Experience. It will screen for a special four-day limited-run as part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition, Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures, February 22-27, 2017 at The Met Cloisters (99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY 10040).

From February 24 to 27 during public hours, visitors can don a VR headset and explore a 3D rendering of a miniature boxwood carving from the AGO’s collection. The experience is free with general admission, reservations required, and marks a significant first for The Met Cloisters—the integrated use of VR to enhance the exhibition experience.

The exhibition Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures, which runs through May 21st, brings together for the first time some 50 rare boxwood carvings from museums and private collections across Europe and North America. The exhibition offers new insight into the methods of production and cultural significance of these awe-inspiring works of art. Small enough to fit in the palm of the hand, these tiny masterpieces depict complex scenes with elegance and precision. Without fail, they inspire viewers to ask how a person could have possibly made them, a question that can only be answered today and a challenge perfect for VR technology.

“Much of the success of new VR will hinge upon the quality of experiences being created. Everyone is searching for that sublime encounter one can only have in VR. With the boxwood miniatures and their high-resolution scans, we have found the perfect, transcendent landscape to explore in this medium,” says Ana Serrano, Chief Digital Officer, CFC, and Producer, Small Wonders: The VR Experience.

The AGO, CFC Media Lab and Seneca’s School of Creative Arts and Animation partnered to create Small Wonders: The VR Experience. Using one of the AGO’s micro-computed topography (micro-CT) scans of the miniatures, the creative and technical team led by interactive artist and designer, Priam Givord, developed an experience specifically for the HTC Vive platform. Viewers can explore the intricate carvings of the prayer bead from various angles and in detail otherwise inaccessible to the human eye. The soundtrack, Treasures of Devotion: Spiritual Songs in Northern Europe 1500-1540, echoes the ambience of the wider show. The result: VR enriches the contemplative and immersive experience.

Barbara Drake Boehm, the Paul and Jill Ruddock Senior Curator for The Met Cloisters said: “At first glance, the VR experience might seem anomalous in the medieval ambiance of The Met Cloisters. But, thanks to the efforts of the CFC Media Lab, Seneca and the AGO, VR opens a portal through which our visitors can tumble into a tiny world, and sense the meditative power that these centuries-old works of art were intended to convey.”

Small Wonders: The VR Experience was created by Lisa Ellis, Conservator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts (AGO); VR Creative and Technical Director Priam Givord (Interactive Artist/Designer); VR Producers Ana Serrano (CFC Media Lab) and Mark Jones (Seneca College); VR Technical Team Craig Alguire, Morgan Young (Quantum Capture) and Tyrone Melkitoy (Mobius Interactive); Composer/Vocalist Anne Azema, Artistic Director (The Boston Camerata); Narrator Gillian McIntyre; and Micro-CT Scanner Andrew Nelson, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Sustainable Archaeology (Western University).

The exhibition continues at The Met Cloisters through May 21, 2017, but the VR experience will only run during public hours, February 24–27. To learn more about the Small Wonders exhibition and to plan your visit, go to: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/small-wonders

At The Met Cloisters, Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures is made possible by the Michel David-Weill Fund. It was organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

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Canadian Film Centre (CFC)
@cfccreates.com | facebook.com/cfccreates CFC Media Lab (CFC Media Lab)
@cfcmedialab | facebook.com/cfcmedialab		 Seneca College
@senecacomms | facebook.com/senecacollegeArt Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
@AGOToronto | facebook.com/AGOToronto

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
@metmuseum | facebook.com/metmuseum

About CFC

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization whose mission is to invest in and inspire the next generation of world-class Canadian content creators and entrepreneurs in the screen-based entertainment industry. A significant economic and cultural driver in Canada and beyond, CFC delivers a range of multi-disciplinary programs and initiatives in film, television, music, screen acting, and digital media, which provides industry collaborations, strategic partnerships, and business and marketplace opportunities for talent and participants. For more information, visit  cfccreates.com.

About CFC Media Lab

The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) is an internationally acclaimed digital media think tank and award-winning production facility. It provides a unique research, training and production environment for digital media content developers and practitioners, as well as acceleration programs and services for digital entertainment start-ups and related SMEs. The Silo founder and Digital Editor Jarrod Barker and contributor Arthur Maughan are graduates and fellows of the CFC Media Lab. Program participants have emerged as leaders in the world of digital media, producing groundbreaking projects and innovative, sustainable companies for the digital and virtual age. CFC Media Lab is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. For more information, visit  cfccreates.com.

About Seneca

With campuses in Toronto, York Region and Peterborough, Seneca offers degrees, diplomas, certificates and graduate programs renowned for their quality and respected by employers. It is one of the largest comprehensive colleges in Canada, offering nearly 300 full-time, part-time and online programs. Combining the highest academic standards with work-integrated and applied learning, expert teaching faculty and the latest technology ensure Seneca graduates are career-ready. Find out more at  senecacollege.ca.

About AGO

With a collection of more than 90,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul Rubens’s masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. In 2002, Ken Thomson’s generous gift of 2,000 remarkable works of Canadian and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an innovative architectural expansion by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry that in 2008 resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed architectural achievements in North America. Highlights include Galleria Italia, a gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the length of an entire city block, and the often-photographed spiral staircase, beckoning visitors to explore. The AGO has an active membership program offering great value, and the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre offers engaging art and creative programs for children, families, youth and adults. Visit ago.net to learn more.

About The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City— The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City— The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

Art

Light Informs Art In Ways That Cannot Be Disentangled

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We sit in the grip of deep winter, snow reflecting the moonlight at last. At this time of the year, the earth slows down and so too can we. It is time for us to reflect as well, upon the year that has been and the year ahead. During these dark months, light becomes a precious thing. Something to celebrate and embrace as we pass the days. Everything we see is light and light informs art in a way that cannot be disentangled.

ak-dolven-painting-detail

“Light is also about…the passage of time,” says Norwegian artist A K Dolven. Living on an island in Norway above the Arctic Circle has given her a unique perspective about the interplay of art and light. Her work examines intimacy and large social groups, the relationships of nationality, population, space, and how this changes the work she does. In her village of nine people, a piece of art takes on a very different character than it does in a large city such as Brussels or London. Dolven incorporates balance in its many forms in the world we live in. Political balance, social balance, life balance, and other delicate equilibriums contribute to the nature of her art.

Milovan Destil Markovic recently participated in a Belgrade-based exhibition titled “The Pleasure of Love in a Time of Hate.” His work for the exhibition was in the form of barcode paintings that touched on sexual intimacy. Markovic also uses his barcode paintings in a series titled “The Abduction of Europe” in which he takes a hard look at economic power struggles within the European community.

milovan-destil-markovic-barcode-paintings

The paintings resemble street graffiti with economically and politically charged statements spray painted within the confines of a barcode structure. Markovic also creates what he calls Transfigurative Paintings. These works employ a medium that reflects the subject in some way.
Additional interviews include: Karl Haendel and Paul McDevitt

Winter can be a time for personal reflection. We can create a space where it is safe for our minds to explore new horizons through literature. What are you reading to pass the cold days and dark nights? Click here to add your books. User Carla Cruz has been immersed in The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir, while M Chevska seeks winter solitude in Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.

An example of Jarrod Barker's graffiti inspired landscape painting.
An example of Jarrod Barker’s graffiti inspired landscape painting.

Those interested in the opportunity to create a piece of permanent, public art can submit to Seattle’s Central City Connector Project. An artist or team of artists will be chosen to create artwork that defines the aesthetic of the Central City Connector Streetcar Line. Alte Schule Hohenstein has an open call to artists interested in a residency at their school in Germany.

As we run down the days until the world is reborn and spring returns, let us not forget to enjoy the respite of winter darkness. Invite light in when it presents itself and wrap your mind in the stillness of midwinter.For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard  is currently giving free webinars on how to write a better Artist bio and statement and how to get a show in a gallery – you can register for that live webinar and ask questions live by clicking here.

Spotlight image courtesy of urbanchristiannews.com

Supplemental– The History and Creation of the Barcode.

Art

Across The Arts Vulnerability Prevails And Here’s Why It’s An Asset

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Just for a moment, think about all of the many career fields in the world. Now think about those that require a personal emotional investment as a matter of course.

How many bankers make a regular practice of exposing their deepest insecurities to the world through their work? How many veterinarians routinely put on display the most precious and personal aspects of their hearts and minds? Probably not that many. As an artist, you are literally doing this all the time. Whether the emotional investment is major or minor, and whether you are exposing personal joys or defeats, the fact remains that careers in the arts by their very nature involve a whole lot of very personal investment. Unfortunately, some artists view this as a liability and allow the idea that they don’t possess the right self-esteem to affect their ability to work. It is important to find ways to lay these insecurities to rest and accept that by its very nature, art puts us in a vulnerable space. Embrace this rather than allowing it to overwhelm you, consider it an asset going forward.

Across the arts fields, vulnerability prevails. It is what often informs some of the most beautiful work. Whether we are talking about a performer or a visual artist, human nature dictates that when we put ourselves out into the world in the way that an artist does, there is a certain measure of vulnerability built in to the equation. It is a rare thing indeed to find a performer who doesn’t experience the butterflies of stage fright however subtly, no matter how seasoned he or she may be. And it is equally unlikely to find an artist who operates from a place of pure confidence free of the weight of uncertainty.

Jarrod Barker After the Rain 2016
Jarrod Barker After the Rain 2016

The world of art, not to mention the world at large, would be a very different place if insecurity did not exist. If everyone walked around with stiff confidence all the time there would be no room for tenderness, bravery, courage, and the bonding commonality of vulnerability that we all experience which is often the key to connecting an audience to a work of art. Every human alive understands what it is like to feel overwhelmed and uncertain and it is often this understanding that leads people to seek out art as a means of connecting to others through this shared human emotion.

Self-esteem has become a buzz word without a strong definition to back it up. We allow it to inform us as though it is some sentient entity that can make or break our resolve as artists. The fact is, self-esteem is merely a label for the way we view ourselves. It is us, and us alone, who decide how we approach the world. Allowing a vague concept like self-esteem to stand in the way of creating something that speaks to the very soul of who you are makes as much sense as allowing a phobia of flying stop you from seeing the world. You must conquer these self-made fears and come out on the other side.

Jackson Pollock Number 1 1950 Lavender Mist
Jackson Pollock Number 1 1950 Lavender Mist

The fact is, there is no way around baring your very soul as an artist. Whether it is only a glimpse or whether you let it all hang out for the world to see, in every work you create there is, inherently, a very personal piece of you. Without this, your work would lack meaning and depth. People view art expecting the spectacle of human emotion. To deny this because of some feeling of low self-esteem is to deny an opportunity to yourself and your audience.

There are no guarantees in life, everything we do carries a risk. Every career has its risks and benefits, though these vary wildly across the spectrum depending on what field we look at. Art is no different. There are no guarantees. Sometimes you will expose your most private self and receive less than gentle feedback. Under no circumstances should this give you anything more than a moment’s pause. Brush off, stand up, and get back to it. Use these experiences to further inform your work. Explore the feeling of exposure and the insecurities of this concept of self-esteem. Look fear in the eye and let it look right back.

Ultimately it is up to you how you choose to face the very real challenges of so-called self-esteem in your work as an artist. Only you can know your own limits, and only you can be brave enough to step beyond them. No one ever achieved very much who didn’t expose their inner selves to total annihilation. While this may sound like a terrifying prospect, consider why you are sitting here reading this blog in the first place. If you’re an artist, by simply declaring to the world that you are an artist, you have already chosen the path of courage. You have willingly stepped into the ring with your heart on your sleeve. There’s no turning back now. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Supplemental- The start of abstract expressionism challenged “safe, established painting styles”

Art

Boston Based Artist Jeannie Motherwell Draws Structures From Uncertainty

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Dear Artist, Aristotle differentiated humans from their animal counterparts by dint of logos, the power of rational speech. Napoleon was attributed the quote, “four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” Human civilization was founded on the exercise of this divine faculty, and is destroyed by it in equal measure. Speech, in its complexity and weight, is the only world capable of rivaling nature.

This week, in view of two ponderous interviews, I ask you to summon to mind those rare and revelatory conversations that have left an indelible imprint on your life. What intimate discussion would you revisit and savor, if you were aware of the contents beforehand? What words of the past would be left unsaid or better spoken with the retrospective guidance of age?

Abstract acrylic painter Jeannie Motherwell refuses to grow cold in the artistic shadow of her father and stepmother, Robert Motherwell and Helen Frankenthaler. As a stable ecosystem quells its wrestling constituents, Motherwell’s refined intuition hushes the spontaneous boundaries of dilating paint on clay board and canvas. Over a soberly spoken interview, the New York artist now based in Boston, admits in her work the faint pursuit of a faded horizon: the shifting waters from the view of an old home, replaced, in time, by a windowless studio. The methodology of Motherwell’s art – to draw a structure from an uncertainty – eerily echoes a ritual from her upbringing: discerning, with the right words, to the joy of her guardians, the spiritual essences behind their cascades of paint.

Jeannie Motherwell in her Joy Street Studios, Somerville, MA
Jeannie Motherwell in her Joy Street Studios, Somerville, MA Click image to visit her studio website.

Inexhaustible curator and researcher Ele Carpenter maintains that the lasting footprint of humanity will not be a monument or an idea, but a radioactive glare. Radioactive isotopes of a unique breed first entered the Earth’s atmosphere with the testing of the earliest nuclear bomb, signaling the beginning of a geological period known as the nuclear anthropocene. Dedicated to disseminating information about the irreversible changes to the environment caused by human hand, Carpenter organizes discourse and collaboration on a global scale, uniting scientists, activists, and visionaries in the depiction of a haunting reality that eludes the senses.

the nuclear culture sourcebook by ele carpenter

Additional interviews include: Barbara Wilks, Nate Page, Frans van Lent, and Katya Gardea Brown.

Looking for new additions to your reading list? Rachel Wolfe, one of our users, is deconstructing and rebuilding her fundamental conceptions of nature and mind. Sensitive Chaos, by Theodor Schwenk, vacillates between rigorous and metaphorical depictions of the underlying systems of movement that govern aeolian and liquid dynamics, from the furious dance of a hurricane to the soft aria of a developing child. Strange Tools, by Alva Noe, is a philosophical text that sees artmaking as a faculty for reflection, a primordial instinct that consciously and unconsciously takes stock of the external conditions that govern our identities and worldview.

Occupy Museums is seizing the means of cultural production with Debtfair, an exhibition dedicated to the overworked and underfunded. Creators, performers, and thinkers with financial weights on their shoulders have until December 9th to see their arduous narrative showcased in the 2017 Whitney Biennial. Debtfair serves to expose the aggressive business models that permeate leading art institutions, while encouraging solidarity amongst all encumbered populations of the economically segmented social landscape. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but no artist needs to bear the burden of Atlas.

The great American poet Wallace Stevens, envisioning life’s origins with a brain that thought without words, once instructed, “Begin, ephebe, by perceiving the idea / Of this invention, this invented world, / The inconceivable idea of the sun.”

As always, here are the links to interview archive and free resources page. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

*Highlight image: Absolute by Jeannie Motherwell. Visit Jeannie’s Boston Studio by clicking here.

 

 

Sci-Tech

A Quest To Lost Arts In Chicago To Build My First Hyve Touch Synthesizer

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I started out creating sound experiments while in high school, circa 1980 with circuit bent hardware and a cheap Casio keyboard.

I then entered the working world and forgot all about making music. Fast forward 30+ years, and the itch to make experimental music overtook me again, but now technology had changed drastically. I no longer needed hardware. I discovered apps on my iPhone, and music platforms like SoundCloud and Bandcamp were all that I needed. I was immediately obsessed.

Within a couple years, I had filled over seven free SoundCloud accounts, and two Bandcamp albums  as well as an artist page  with experimental music, and having a great time doing it. But, I started to grow tired of using the same software.

stylophone synthI yearned to use hardware/instruments again, but not being able to play an instrument is a definite hindrance 🙂 I searched for cheap keyboards on the net. I soon discovered the “Stylophone” and ordered one ‘sight unseen’. It was unique, inexpensive and fun, but quite limited in sound variety. I started mixing the Stylophone with app produced sounds/music, as well as other “found sounds”. (I really appreciate the functionality of software based mixing apps, which are almost essential to my creations these days). I then stumbled upon a couple of user videos of the Hyve synthesizer, and knew I had to have it. It was clearly non-musician friendly (and looked so different, cool and fun).

Then came the disappointment … You can’t buy one! (BUT I HAD TO HAVE ONE!!!) Turns out, the engineer/designer guru behind this awesome device (Skot Wiedmann), has work shops in the Chicago area, and you can go build your own, ( very inexpensively ). I knew what I had to do. I looked at a map, saw that Chicago was about 8 hours away, and realized that I had to go build it. I started to plan the trip. I knew that a fellow SoundCloud musician and Facebook friend (Leslie Rollins) lived in Berrien Springs, Michigan, about 2 hours outside of Chicago.

This presented a twofold opportunity. I could hopefully, meet Leslie face to face, and hopefully have a place to spend the night. I contacted Les and everything was A-OK! I purchased a ticket to build my Hyve, and started to plan my road trip. The workshop was going to be from Noon to 3pm, Saturday Sept.24 in a cool space called Lost Arts in Chicago.

I had the whole week off from work, because I was overseeing a contractor doing extensive yard work at my house all week, and I was hoping to leave Friday so as to arrive at Leslie’s place in the late afternoon or early evening, spend the night, and leave for the workshop Saturday morning. Alas, plans rarely work as hoped.

The contractor wasn’t finished until Friday afternoon, and Les wasn’t getting home from a business trip until late Friday night.
New plan! Early to bed Friday. Early to rise Saturday (2:30 am), and depart for Leslie’s place in Michigan. It was an easy drive, and I got to Berrien Springs (a beautiful sleepy little university village) around 8:30 am. Met Leslie, and got to trade stories over a great breakfast in a local cafe. Then, I quickly admired Leslie’s impressive modular synth racks at his home studio “Convolution Atelier” and then left for “Lost Arts” in Chicago.

Lost Arts is located in a cool old industrial complex. The workshop provided everyone with a surface mount board with the touchpad on one side, and components layout on the back. A sheet listing components and placement was also handed out, along with tiny plastic tweezers. Everyone then had their component side “pasted” with a solder paste applied through a pierced template, in a process similar to silk screening. Everyone then started to receive their very tiny components from the parts list. Following the placement locations, the components (chips, capacitors, resistors, etc) were set into their pasted areas with the tweezers (magnification and extra lighting was a must). Once all the components were placed, they were carefully “soldered” into place by simply holding a heat gun over each component until the solder on the board had adhered it. Once this was done, everyone had their 9v battery and line-out jacks hand soldered into place by Skot , and then … the moment of truth, Skot tested each one for proper operation.

It was a fascinating process and great experience. I met a lot of cool people at the workshop, both builders and staff/helpers! I can’t say enough what a fantastic experience this was, and what an awesome, diverse and versatile device the Hyve is. I doubted my sanity when planning this trip, but it turned out to be very rewarding!

Leslie and I then went back to Michigan, stopped at a local brewery in Berrien Springs (Cultivate) and sampled a few of their excellent brews, and then proceeded to Convolution Atelier to play with Leslie’s modular system. (I’m a newbie to all things modular, and I received a great crash course from Leslie on his very cool array!) Then it was out to dinner with Leslie and his wonderful wife Lisa, and finally back to their house where I stayed for the night, and finally hit the road towards home the next morning. It truly was a great adventure! For the Silo, Mike Fuchs.

Sci-Tech

Why You’ll Be Wearing Your Next Computer

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Imagine looking in your glasses to see updates from your friends on social media. The future is coming sooner than you think and yes, you will be wearing your next computer- check out this future ready infographic from our friends at Frames Direct. 

Click Me to see more interesting Infographics by visual.ly
Click Me to see more interesting Infographics by visual.ly

Supplemental- Building the World of Tomorrow, 1939 New York World’s Fair

The first published concept of Virtual Reality: Pygmalion’s Spectales (short story) by Stanley G. Weinbaum   ‘You drink,’ said the elfin, bearded face, ‘to make real a dream. Is it not so? Either to dream that what you seek is yours, or else to dream that what you hate is conquered. You drink to escape reality, and the irony is that even reality is a dream.’ Published June 1935 ~ Wonder Stories

Click me for Music designed for Futurists!
Click me for Music designed for Futurists!
Culture

Ciroc Presented ‘King Of The Dancehall’ Premiere Screening Party in Toronto

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A gala premiere screening party for King of the Dancehall was well attended on Sunday, September 11th at the Toronto Film Festival.

Star watchers noticed Film star and director Nick Cannon in attendance as well as additional talent from the film including Busta Rhymes, Kreesha Turner and Kimberly Patterson. Adding to the excitement, Kardinal Offishall, Extra’s A.J. Calloway, professional boxers Lennox Lewis and Adonis Stevenson, Drew Dazzle, Louis Gossett Jr. and more, also stopped by EFS for CIROC cocktails and to congratulate the cast.

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: Actress Kreesha Turner attends the "King of the Dancehall" premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 11: Actress Kreesha Turner attends the “King of the Dancehall” premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: An interior view inside the "King of the Dancehall" premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 11: An interior view inside the “King of the Dancehall” premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: Professional boxerrs Adonis Stevenson (L) and Lennox Lewis attend the "King of the Dancehall" premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 11: Professional boxers Adonis Stevenson (L) and Lennox Lewis attend the “King of the Dancehall” premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )

ciroc recipe the diddy

*Main Photo credit:  Matt Winkelmeyer / Wireimage

Music from the Future. Click me.
Music from the Future. Click me.

 

 

Art

Poetic Grace Gesture Is Needed In All Art Work

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Dear Reader, it is difficult to deny that a side of art making is fatally concerned with the poetic grace of the gesture – it is expected that a work should exude a cosmic and ineffable air.

Metropolitan Museum Of Art Curator Denise LeidyRegardless of your medium, I hope this glance into the minds of two established poets from very different walks of life can help dissipate the intimidating mist between process and product, as well as remind you that the transcendent and the familiar are often one in the same.

Meena Alexander PoetGlobal spectator Meena Alexander recognizes that even in the grand art of poetry is a desire to express what cannot be said through its own means. After eight books of poems and a lifetime of travel, Alexander continues to defend her craft as the most ordinary of entities, no more inexplicable than a child’s obvious and impossible sense of language or rhythm.

New York-based Eileen Myles approaches poetry from a reserved and humble perspective, with the intent of striking a tasteful balance between metaphysical grandeur and the habitual rhythm of the everyday.

Eileen MylesMyles, a breathing artistic currency, treats poetry as an extension of the self with the potency of a movement and the collective memory of a civilization. Myles proves that common experience and abstract phenomena are synonymous when we step back to look.

If the weight of the world seems so immense that the few strands of creativity cannot unravel, the Mayer Foundation offers emergency funding for New York artists facing economic, residential or medical turbulence. Proposals may be submitted at any time, with over two thousand dollars granted to those with concrete objectives and a levelheaded art plan.

It is easy to forget that behind the polished mirror of history is a messy and cumulative reality. There is little difference between the intelligentsia of years past and the friends sitting at your dining room table. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.  

Supplemental-

Culture

Celebrate 20th Century Fox Alien Day On April 26 With Re-Issued Reebok Shoes

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Alien Day Poster 20th Century Fox Is the Alien(s) franchise overdue for an official day of recognition and fan celebration? I think so.  Fans of the original 1979 movie and the sequels and prequel that followed are a loyal bunch. They spend money on toys, posters, t-shirts, Blue-ray box sets and some like me, shelled out big bucks in 1987 for a pair of Reebok’s Bugstomper shoes. That’s dedicated fandom.

1987 All Black Reebok Bugstompers
1987 All Black Reebok Bugstompers

#AlienDay426

This week’s big announcement of #AlienDay has coincided with reports in the media of ‘new’ Reebok Aliens shoes. I have serious doubts that any of those writers responsible for the reports are hard core fans of the franchise. If they were, they would know that the Reebok shoes being written about were actually available almost 30 years ago.

Perhaps I’m splitting hairs here. There’s a good chance that the re-issue shoes might be slightly different than the original Bugstompers. Images and an official 20th century fox poster being used to promote the re-issues show the Alien character Ripley in a pair of very noticeable “high top” Reebok Bugstompers. Back in the day, only “mid top” shoes were available.

Reebok Aliens Shoes Movie Size Ripley Newt

What else besides shoes?

Beginning at midnight and lasting 24 hours, 4/26 (an homage to the planet LV-426) will be filled with product launches, nationwide screenings and a Twitter trivia contest that will give away ALIEN merch every 42.6 minutes. Now you know what that twitter hashtag #AlienDay426 is all about: make April 26 the de-facto fan day for the Alien franchise. CP

Did you know?

The most sought after Alien collectible is the 1979 Kenner 18″ Alien doll– a fine likeness of H.R. Giger’s design. Originally pulled from toy store shelves due to frightening parents and children alike.

UPDATED- Aliens | July 2016 Comic Con Full Panel (James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton)

Click me! New Music created from early sci-fi soundtracks.
Click me! New Music created from early sci-fi soundtracks.
Earth

Almost 200,000 Canadian homes have Dangerous levels of Radon

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November is Lung Month and also Radon Action Month, and health officials are urging Canadians to test their homes for radon.

It is estimated that 3,000 Canadians die each year from lung cancer caused by exposure to radon. Yet only about 4% of Canadian homes have been tested for radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. As a result, most Canadians are unaware of the deadly gas that may be present in their homes.

How Radon Enters A House

What is radon?
Radon is a naturally forming, radioactive, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. It is found in almost all soil, and is produced by a natural process as uranium breaks down into radium and then into radon gas. Radon in turn breaks down into solid radioactive elements known as “radon progeny” (such as polonium – 218) that attach to airborne particles. Radon enters a home through cracks in the floor or walls of the basement or foundation.

Radon and your health
Because they are radioactive, radon and radon progeny emit alpha particles, a high-energy radiation that damages DNA in human cells and causes lung cancer. When radon is inhaled, particles become lodged in the lungs where they continue to emit alpha particles. Some studies have also suggested a link between radon and leukemia, though it can’t be definitely determined and more research is needed.

What you can do
Here are a few simple steps you can take to control radon levels in your home and help protect those you love:

1) Test for Radon. The first step in managing the risk of radon is to have your home tested. Every home is unique, and a home with dangerous radon levels can be next door to a home with virtually no radon. Any radon level higher than 200 becquerels per cubic metre (200 Bq/m³) is considered by health authorities to be unsafe. Testing should always be conducted by a qualified contractor, and should include both short-term and long-term testing. Look for a radon mitigation professional who is C-NRPP certified online.

2) Mitigate Radon. A qualified radon mitigation contractor will help you determine the most effective way to reduce radon in your home. These techniques include:

a) Sealing cracks. Since radon enters your home through cracks in the floor and the foundation, sealing cracks and leaks is an important first step. However, sealing cracks will limit but not completely stop the flow of radon into a home.

b) Suction. On effective method of eliminating radon includes inserted pipes into or below the foundation slab. These pipes are then connected to a vent fan that pulls radon from below the house and releases it out into the open air.

c) Depressurization. This generally involves drilling a hole in the basement floor and extending a pipe beneath the slab of the house. The pipe runs up through the home and then vents outward with the help of an inline fan.

d) Ventilation. Installing a heat recovery ventilator increases ventilation by drawing outside air into the house and expelling radon-contaminated air. Air is warmed or cooled as needed, and air filtration can be added to filter the outdoor air coming in.

e) Filtration. While filtration is not the only method by which radon can be reduced, research has shown that even standard HEPA filters can reduce radon by as much as 85%. And while air cleaning is not recommended to control radon because most filtration systems, even HEPA filters, are incapable of stopping the tiniest particles to which radon progeny adhere. IQAir’s HyperHEPA filtration, on the other hand, filters particles down to 0.003 microns – the smallest particles that exist.

IQAir Air Purification SystemsGiven that November is Lung Month and Radon Action Month in Canada, now is as good a time as any to test your home for radon. The sooner you have your home tested, the sooner you will be on your way to ensuring yours is a healthy home for you and your family.

This article is brought to you by our friends at IQAir North America, Inc., a member of the Swiss-based IQAir Group that develops, manufactures and markets innovative air purifiers and air quality products for indoor environments around the globe. IQAir is the exclusive educational partner of the American Lung Association for the air purifier industry. Jarrod Barker

UPDATE- From Futurism: “Say goodbye to ‘cracks’, self-healing concrete has arrived.” Concrete that is mixed with Bacteria to self-heal and last for two hundred years. https://www.facebook.com/futurism.co/videos/496701823842355/

Fashion

PRINT ALL OVER ME co-creates collection with WORKING NOT WORKING

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WORKING NOT WORKING is an obsessively curated network of the world’s best creative talent. With so many incredible artists in their arsenal, it seemed obvious that PAOM (PRINT ALL OVER ME) and WNW should create a collection!

Eight amazing illustrators and designers from around the world were chosen to be a part of the first WNW X PAOM collection. They are Tatiana Arocha, Laura Callaghan, Annu Kilpeläinen, Uli Knoezer, David McLeod, Karan Singh, Brian Vu and Shawna X.

On Thursday, November 12th we hosted a party at Rivington Design House in NYC.

Tote bag by Tatiana Arocha, $28USD
Tote bag by Tatiana Arocha, $28USD

 

Sweatshirt by Uli Knoezer, $85USD
Sweatshirt by Uli Knoezer, $85USD
Raincoat by Annu Kilpeläinen, $145USD
Raincoat by Annu Kilpeläinen, $145USD
Backpack by Karan Singh, $65USD
Backpack by Karan Singh, $65USD
Twill jacket by Brian Vu, $120USD
Twill jacket by Brian Vu, $120USD
Midi skirt by Shawna X, $80USD
Midi skirt by Shawna X, $80USD
Kimono by Laura Callaghan, $72USD
Kimono by Laura Callaghan, $72USD

 

Workshirt by David McLeod, $89USD
Workshirt by David McLeod, $89USD

For more from Working Not Working, check out their website and follow them on Twitter & Instagram. Shop the entire WNW x PAOM collection here.
All above photographs by Michael Burk, model Olu Alege.

Shining Hoodie by Jarrod Barker. Click me!
Shining Hoodie by Jarrod Barker. Click me!
Art

LIFE SPORT Is Athens Sweatpants Shop And Art Space

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LIFE SPORT (est. 2014) is both a sweatpants shop and an art space. Based in Athens, we aim to become a fully functioning shop with the intent to generate alternative arts funding in a time and place where there is none. Hosting presentations, spoken word and services, LIFE SPORT is invested in the experiment of the invention of life as sport, whilst encouraging collaborations with artists that share our ambition to reclaim independence and self-empowerment.

LIFE SPORT sweatpants are critical wearables made of 70% cotton and 30% polyester and are entirely produced in Athens. This product is the result of a year-long research and observation of Athenian lifestyles, taking sweatpants and their wearers as the starting point for a portrait of a city. Sweatpants are everywhere, they defy notions of social stratification, gender and age. Sweatpants unite contradiction, they are a symbol of defeat or paralysis for some, a statement of ultimate resistance and emancipation for others. At the very least, they are really comfortable, fit everyone and wash at 40 degrees.

Lifesport Black Sweatpants
Black on black
LIFE SPORT at Swimming Pool, Sofia
as part of the exhibition us
 
Click me! Art sound- listen in your Joggers
Click me! Art sound- listen in your Joggers
Culture

Electronic Jazz Collective Hits SOMA FM charts

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The inimitable Rik Ganju
The inimitable Rik Ganju

The music collective GANFUNKEL released the 5-song-EP Fighting Music with Music following the successful 2013 release of Machine Coincident Jazz.  The former album produced one song that reached #1 on jazz radio charts, 2 songs that reached #2, and one song that reached #3.

Ganfunkel listing on SOMA FM charts.
Ganfunkel listing on SOMA FM charts.

Ganfunkel is California-based and led by Simcoe native Rik Ganju.  Personnel on Fighting Music with Music have recorded and toured with Esperanza Spalding, the Kronos Quartet, John McLaughlin, Terry Riley, Bela Fleck, Wayne Shorter and Zakir Hussain.

Ganfunkel’s sound is influenced by rock, jazz, funk and Indian classical music.   Standing out on the new album is Stars Fell on Daniel featuring tabla maestro Salar Nader, and the legendary George Brooks on saxophone.

“The success of Machine Coincident Jazz validated our belief that multi-genre music has an audience that doesn’t want to be confined by traditional categories, “ says Ganju. “People are open to many styles of music depending on their mood.  And just as film music evolves from minute to minute, our sound changes texture as the mood of the tune allows.”

Ganfunkel albums are available today on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and most major music download sites, and music videos can be found by searching on Ganfunkel at Vimeo.com

Ganju’s experiments with multi-genre music stretch back to the mid-2000s when he collaborated with Jarrod Barker  on many avant-garde experiments.

Also hailing from Norfolk County- Jarrod Barker, friend of Rik. Both have collaborated in the past on new musical forms and sounds.
Jarrod Barker

The track listing for Fighting Music with Music:

  1. Chunky Town (featuring Kai Eckhardt and Dana Hawkins)
  2. Shot in a Gambling House
  3. Stars Fell on Daniel (featuring Salar Nader and George Brooks)
  4. That Feel on Flesh (featuring Kai Eckhardt and Dana Hawkins)
  5. Venezia

All songs are composed by Rik Ganju.

Video for Stars Fell on Daniel: http://vimeo.com/94441271

Sci-Tech

Brampton’s Skylink offers home app for mobile- allows phones to control home devices

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Ahhh Jane Jetson- you really know how to take advantage of technology.
Ahhh Jane Jetson- you really know how to take advantage of technology.

 

We know they let you watch TV on the go, surf online, send emails and, oh yeah, make phone calls. But an innovative new tool now also gives you the power to use your mobile device to switch on any light in your home, open your garage door or turn on any other piece of electronic equipment, no matter where you’re located.

Ontario Technology firm: The Skylink Group – which previously introduced Skylink HomeControl, an affordable and easy-to-use system to wirelessly control your entire house – recently launched a mobile application, Skylink HomeControl App, that effectively turns your smartphone, tablet or PC into a remote control.

The handy app allows users to control just about anything in their home with the touch of a couple buttons on a virtual keypad, which can be customized to the specific devices they want to be able to access remotely.

 

 

 

You might be surprised to learn that home automation has been around for a long time and since the earliest days of electricity in the home, inventors and entrepreneurs have scrambled to find a useful and profitable way of harvesting radio waves and electricity. Tesla was one such visionary and among his many accomplishments is perhaps the first use of control by remote- considered at the time, an important form of automation. In 1898 he constructed and demonstrated this remote control model boat in New York. image: kerryr.net
You might be surprised to learn that home automation has been around for a long time and since the earliest days of electricity in the home, inventors and entrepreneurs have scrambled to find a useful and profitable way of harvesting radio waves and electricity.
Tesla was one such visionary and among his many accomplishments is perhaps the first use of control by remote- considered at the time, an important form of automation. In 1898 he constructed and demonstrated this remote control model boat in New York. image: kerryr.net

 

 

 

“Anyone who already understands how to use a mobile device or a computer tablet will be able to use this app easily. That’s the key to getting the
greatest benefit from new technologies – making them easy to understand and user friendly,” says Philip Tsui, CEO and the Chairman of Skylink Group.

The Skylink HomeControl System is designed for do-it-yourselfers and uses control modules which can be wired out of sight and wireless receivers plugged into wall outlets or lamp sockets, even wall switches and dimmers which replace your existing wall switches. For professionals, the Skylinkhome Wireless Control System has modules with three wires that can be installed almost anywhere.

The Wireless Control System can be used to control anything electronic, including:

.         Lamps

.         Coffee makers

.         Fans

.         Stereos

.         Fire places

.         Ceiling fans

.         Indoor and outdoor lighting

.         Garage doors

.         Security systems

.         Countless other electronic devices and appliances

Often cited as the "McDonald's of Home Automation" X-10 modules were considered a major breakthrough when they entered the consumer market in the 1970's. A central control unit (here seen in lovely 70's woodgrain) controlled separate modules that were plugged directly into a home power outlet. An appliance requiring automation such as a lamp, was plugged into the module and controlled via wired or wireless control from the X-10 'brain'. CP
Often cited as the “McDonald’s of Home Automation” X-10 modules were considered a major breakthrough when they entered the consumer market in the 1970’s. A central control unit (here seen in lovely 70’s woodgrain) controlled separate modules that were plugged directly into a home power outlet. An appliance requiring automation such as a lamp, was plugged into the module and controlled via wired or wireless control from the X-10 ‘brain’. CP

 

For those who may not have a smartphone or computer tablet, Skylink also has a remote control – the credit card-sized SkylinkPad – which can be used to wirelessly control devices in your house.

 

In addition to convenience, the Skylink HomeControl System helps users realize significant energy savings. With the touch of a button, you can shut off all of your lights or set up motion sensors to work with the system. The wireless system also uses timers to ensure that lights and electronic equipment can be shut off when they’re not needed. Dimmers also reduce energy usage, contributing to a greener environment and lower electricity bills.

 

About Skylink Group:

The Skylink Group understands the needs and concerns of the homeowner in providing a safe and comfortable environment for their family whether they are at home or away. Established in 1990, Skylink Group operates out of Brampton, Ontario. On
Twitter at @skylinkhome.

Supplemental– The Genius of Nikola Tesla http://www.teslasociety.com/radio.htm

The History of Home Automation http://www.eddriscoll.com/timeline.html

Art

Ceramic Food Art Inspired By Cultural Differences

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Jack Nicholson, playing The Joker in the 1989 Tim Burton film Batman, said “I don’t know if it’s art, but I LIKE IT!” Looking at artist Sarah Smith’s ersatz ceramic food sculptures  I am convinced this work is incredibly effective art. And I like that. A lot.

Part of Smith’s inspiration comes from the cultural differences found when it comes to food preparation and presentation. From her experiences, European’s tend to favor and appreciate food that not only tastes good but looks just as good to match. In the discipline known as culinary arts, the appearance of food is intrinsically linked with the skill of the chef and also with the intended effect on the consumer. In other words, form effects function. Strong components in any art form, Sarah Smith has applied this notion to fake food, emphasizing and reminding the viewer that strong physical reactions can be manipulated through visual presentation.

Throughout time, food has been linked with human emotion and health. Consider this: Apples are associated with our health and death. The “perfect” apple and the “poison” apple. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Symbiosis of food and the human body. Cucumber slices and orange slices are a remedy for tired eyes and worry lines. Black eyes are healed with a raw steak. Aromatherapy consisting on some level as ‘concentrated scents of food’ (coconut, vanilla, bananas….attempts to create a strong physical reaction such as calming through an associated mental- visual representation.  But why is that and is this what Smith is asking us with her food? How do we feel when we see a raw pork chop?

So it’s connections like this that demand we consider Smith’s artistic motivation. Her work exists on many levels. Is it hyper-realism? Surrealism? Pop-art? I believe it is all of those things and more. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker. 

Art

Picasso Exhibit At AGO Was Invigorating

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Time flies. Seven years ago, The Silo visited the AGO’s Picasso exhibition. We were not disappointed. Approximately ¼ of the entire second floor was dedicated for displaying works from Picasso’s private collection. That’s right- these are the pieces that Pablo himself deemed specially significant for archiving and for his personal reflection. We were not disappointed.

Blowup and detail from Portait de Dora Maar (Portrait of Dora Maar), 1937. Oil on canvas, 92x65cm

Organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Musee National Picasso , Paris- the exhibition is chronologically organized with each period having its own dedicated gallery space and covers the following phases of Picasso’s VASTLY productive lifetime: From Spain to Paris 1900-1905 Ancient, African and Oceanic Inspirations 1906-1909 Cubism, Collage and Constructions 1909-1915 Classicism, Marriage and Family 1914-1924 Surreal Anxiety and Desire 1924-1934 War Paintings 1936-1951 and lastly The Joy of Life and Last Years 1950-1972


According to the Picasso’s Picassos (Picasso’s Early Life and Art) on pg 2 of the AGO’s exhibition catalog, Pablo Picasso was recognized as “an artistic prodigy and began…formal artistic training when he was only seven years old” with his father, who was a painter and an art teacher. For the next 85 (!) years Picasso would go on to not only change the art world, but would leave behind a vast legacy that is as fresh and relevant today as it ever was. Strolling around this fine exhibition and noticing how the other visitors were dressed is proof enough for this writer that Picasso’s influence on society is far from over. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker. 

Picasso at 73years of age in 1954. “When I paint I feel that all artists of the past are behind me.”
Culture

Protest at Marineland, Niagara Falls Gains Momentum

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On Saturday August 18th- hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the main entrance gates of Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario. At stake was the ethical treatment of animals used for performances and entertainment. Over the past three years there have been increased reports by the media regarding the attacking of trainers by killer whales and other performing animals.

Messages on protest signs were simple, bold and clear. photos:The Silo/Mith Media

Many researchers believe that this sort of behavior is inevitable because killer whales are adversely affected by forcible confinement and pavlovian conditioning and that in turn has many questioning whether theme parks such as Marineland and Seaworld are capitalizing on animal cruelty. It’s not a new topic- zoo’s and circuses are not strangers to demonstration and protest and the relationship between humans and animals is a theme often employed by conscientious artists.

[Warning- the following video contains disturbing images. Viewer discretion is advised CP]

Segment from Umwelt (2010) exhibition catalogue- Jarrod Barker’s installation at the Norfolk Arts Centre explored the connectedness or non-connectedness (ie: the umwelt) of humans and animals. image:courtesy of the artist

Marineland denied our request (along with the Toronto Star’s request) for an interview and requested that the media respect “private [their] property”. That sort of reaction makes it difficult to investigate a story of this magnitude- and many questions remain unanswered. For example, earlier this year an infant beluga whale was attacked repeatedly by two adult belugas until it was killed. Media leaks reveal that the baby whale may have been ill and that the other animals acted out of fear since they may have detected signs of a contagious disease.

image: The Silo

Although no date has been set, The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is planning on bringing independent Sea Mammal experts and Marine Biologists into Marineland for an inspection according to an online report at www.thestar.com CP

image: The Silo
Art

Ontario Beach Zoomorph Profiled In Mexico City University Of Art Publication

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Artist Jarrod Barker, was recently invited to take part in MUCA-Roma’s Ala Afuera project. Based in the Roma district of Mexico City, MUCA is a University Museum of science and art. What made this project doubly exciting was the opportunity to show case a part of Barker’s home internationally.

The curators asked for a submission of 3 images and accompanying explanatory write-ups that “from your perspective, show a form of relationship between humans and the rest of nature.” This topic aka- Umwelt is not foreign to Barker who installed an exhibition of that name in 2010 at the Norfolk (nee Lynnwood) Arts Center in Simcoe,Ontario.

 

Long Point Seal Tamer Concept- J. Barker
Location: Long Point, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada
Long Point is a world biosphere. I know this because the United Nations has told me so. But for several months of the year Long Point is transformed. Under certain winter conditions, Long Point looks less like a marshy, swampy bird watchers paradise and more like an arctic shore. At least on the South West side. When I visit Long Point during these times, I react to the environmental changes. I see things differently. I feel things differently. A sun bleached tree stump becomes a seal. A marsh reed becomes a baton. A flint pebble becomes a ball. Natural transformation through the changes of the seasons is a holistic experience.

 

After the selection process, if successful- one of the artist submitted images and write-ups was selected for transformation into a postcard and incorporated with the other artist submissions. The goal was for the Ala Afuera team to mail out the postcards to other international Museums of art and science and Contemporary Art institutions as a connective gesture to highlight MUCA and the work of the artists involved in this project and to bring awareness to our human/nature relationships.

 

“The objective of the project Allá Afuera (Out There) is to gather a mosaic of images that represent
ways of understanding the relationship we humans have with the rest of nature. From bucolic or
passionate points of view to other more threatening myths and taboos, amazement, fear, the absurd,
and maybe even indifference. We do not intend to cover all possibilities, but through images as a direct
reading form, show that there are multiple ways of looking at this Bond.

Three times a year we will present a collection of postcards, with 18 images each, gathered in a
biombo format. After two years we will complete the edition of six collections, with a total of 108 ways
of understanding, 108 points of view, and 108 forms of defining our relationship with what is out there. “

Ala Afuera which translated mean’s “Out there” began mailing out the works a few weeks ago.  For the Silo, Stephanie Bordega. 

For more information and to request postcards please contact-
Allá Afuera (Out there) project Gonzalo Ortega and Jeronimo Hagerman
MUCA ROMA MUSEUM (University museum of science and art, Roma district, Mexico City)
allaafueramucaroma@gmail.com

Click me!
Art

AyrSpace Gallery Men in Business Painting Exhibition

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AYR, Ontario — In 2011 when AyrSpace held Canada’s only one hundred-woman art show for the
100th anniversary of International Women’s Day https://www.thesilo.ca/international-women-join-forces-through-art/ , the men took note. The idea of the painting exhibition “Men in Business 2012” was born.

“The idea came to me to encourage the hidden talents among us,” said John Redfern, a Customs
Brokerage executive at The Farrow Group just north of Ayr. Redfern helped realize last year’s effort.
“Jill said to me in an email -15 men would be a perfect number for an exhibition,” referring to Jill Yuzwa, Gallerist at AyrSpace, gallery of visual and functional art. And in similar style to the year prior, a call for collaborators went out through social networks. Men from all economic sectors were encouraged to respond – whether their works be an extension of their day to day or their alter-artistic ego.

Cosmonaut painting (far left) by Jarrod Barker.

And they did respond: a Vancouver architect, a celebrated Canadian documentary film maker, a custom furniture craftsman, educators and leaders of education, independent businessmen, lawyers and a specialized medical technician. The artworks are as varied as the gentlemen themselves. And coincidentally there are 15 collaborators. North Dumfries Mayor Rob Deutschmann will be on hand to welcome the collaborators and open the event on Friday February 3, 2012. “Men in Business 2012” will run through Sunday February 26, 2012.

The exhibition is dedicated to Ayr resident Stephen Gross who is currently undergoing cancer treatment. Mr. Gross is perhaps best known in the Region of Waterloo for his excellent work at the Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre.

The 15 collaborators of Men in Business 2012 invite the community and collectors to this exhibition and have initiated that partial proceeds of their artworks be allocated to NewmanBoysTrustFund.ca in fond memory of Katherine (Bunny) Newman the Gallerist’s cousin.
AyrSpace, gallery of visual and functional art, is located at 44 Stanley Street in downtown Ayr. The gallery opened in October 2008 as a socially innovative collaborative and now represents a range of Canadian artists. www.ayrspace.ca   For the Silo, Jill Yuzwa.

Media contact:
Jill Yuzwa
AyrSpace
519.632.9030
art@ayrspace.ca