I Can't Stop This Feeling: Crisis, Comfort and Craft at MKG 127

I realize this exhibition ended over a week ago, but I finished writing this last night (on a plane!) and thought it was still worth posting. Sorry if it gets a little ramble-y towards the middle...evidently I take pleasure in discussing my various childhood traumas...!

*****

Fittingly, I finished reading the book The Ice Storm the morning I went to see I Can’t Stop This Feeling: Crisis, Comfort and Craft by Hamilton artist’s collective Shake-N-Make at MKG127 Gallery.  Both the book and the exhibition examine the culture of the early-to-mid 70s, in which the horrors of Vietnam, the political turmoil of Watergate and Summer of Love fallout spawned a culture of mass-confusion, compromised values and blatant escapism.  More specifically, while the book alludes to the subliminal effects of economic and social collapse on children and young adults, the exhibition explores the aesthetics of the period with reference to both pop culture and domestic realms.

Crisis, Comfort and Craft indulges us in all the comforts of one of history’s most uncomfortable decades.  Itchy-soft macramé plant holders, tasseled velour soft sculptures and smolderingly sensuous images of rich comfort foods greet one upon entering the exhibition.  In Family Time, images of T.V. families are embroidered in bright primaries, making everyone from Laverne and Shirley to Rerun from What’s Happening look like Ronald McDonald, or like angular connect-the-dots depictions done in bright Laurentian pencil crayons.  Similarly, the portraits of VIP Gallery pay tribute to T.V. idols of the day (Hawkeye!  Farrah!) while juxtaposing them with prominent figures from the political frontlines.  Angela Davis, Pierre Trudeau, and even “Tricky Dick” Nixon himself makes an appearance. In the centre of the room, minimal wedge-shaped soft sculptures look like a cross between kitchen appliance cozies and sad little ghosts drained of their spook, decorated with tacky tassels and trim.  Displayed prominently on the rear wall of the gallery are Search and Destroy I and II, emblazoned with the iconic silhouettes of Charlie’s Angels and KISS, which upon closer inspection betrays exactly how much work and patience must have gone into their decorative details.

Amidst all of the celluloid heroes, plush objects and eye candy in this exhibition, one might ask themselves “ok…I see craft, but where is said crisis?”  In one recent review on AKIMBO, one critic penned his subtly dismissive take on the work featured (almost understandably, considering the plethora of local artists who have built careers riffing on 70s pop culture…), claiming to “reject such icons with the ire of a lapsed Catholic.” In asking this question, I am reminded of a detail from my own childhood that has stayed with me for then last twenty years.  During the last recession in the early 90s, I was of elementary school age.  Like The Ice Storm’s Wendy Hood, I too immersed myself from 4pm after school in the T.V. shows of the day- solitary viewings of Who’s the Boss, Married with Children and Growing Pains were all on my nightly prime time agenda.  I was an anxious kid (and still am), and because of this suffered with bouts of insomnia around this time.  A related symptom of this insomnia was at seven-o-clock each weeknight I would be stricken with waves of nausea that would coincide with certain commercials, each of which all featured incredibly catchy, syrupy-sweet jingles.  Molly McButter, Gillette (“The best a man can get!” sung in an assured baritone) and “bubbly, bubbly bubbly Eno!” are three that I remember as though I heard them yesterday.  Such jingles signaled the last leg of prime-time programming, impending bedtime, and dreaded solitude.  The piercing silence that comes after nightly prayers, the sound of emptiness save for the clicking of the alarm clock after midnight.  Darkness.  The aggressive cheeriness of an antacid commercial couldn’t help the knowledge that night was approaching like it couldn’t help my parents with the mortgage payments or stop them from fighting, it wouldn’t make school bearable, silence CNN’s deafening coverage of the Gulf War, or end the war for that matter.  The works in Comfort, Crisis and Craft, like the saccharine advertisements of my childhood, aren’t so much icons of an era as they are accessories of futile escape.  After the T.V. and radio are turned off, the world keeps on turning…nothing can stop it.

Outside of the fact that the early 70s was the heyday of the arts and crafts revival, the key to the role of crafts and crafting, and their relationship to “crisis” lies in the piece TM (Transcendental Meditation), included in the exhibition.  This work alludes to the inherently transcendental, meditative nature of craft such as macramé, crochet, string art and other processes that involve repetitive actions.  These sorts of activities result in a similarly engrossing (and possibly longer lasting) type of hypnotic state/anesthesia often associated with television.  TM, with it’s white on white string pattern resembling a spyrograph or astrological chart, evoking both baroque pattern and empty space, reminds us of the proactive nature of craft as a vehicle for many things- escape, enjoyment, adornment, potentially social, and most certainly personal change.

*****

Images, from top:

Angela 5 1/2 x 6 1/2", detail from VIP Gallery, framed Shrinky Dinks on velvet, 2009

Soft Sculptures, upholstery velour, decorative trim and tassles, 2009  Clockwise from front, 2-Slice Toaster Cozy, Mixer Cozy, Blender Cozy, 4-Slice Toaster Cozy, Coffee Maker Cozy

Search and Destroy I, reverse appliqué and beading on felt, 37 1/2 x 44 1/2", 2009

TM (Transcendental Meditation), string, nails and paint on wood, 48 1/2 x 48 1/2", 2009

The Portable Library Project in Vancouver

I'm leaving for Vancouver this Thursday!  The Portable Library Project's first public showing, at lowercase gallery in Vancouver, opens this Saturday at 4pm.  Read the following for all the details, and check out this weekend's other festivities brought to you by the ladies of the Regional Assembly of Text!

The Portable Library Project is a multi-dimensional mail-art/bookmaking project involving the creation of small works exploring ideas surrounding archiving, ephemera, journalling, libraries and incorporating an art practice into everyday life. The 18 participating artists span several artistic disciplines, from performance art to fibre-based art; from photo-based art to craft to sculpture and installation. Artists involved in the project are based across Canada, and are from as far away as Seoul, Korea.

Invited artists were sent/delivered an empty cigar box, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Over the course of one week, participants were expected to create a 'book' a day, reflective of each person's day-to-day activities and artistic process. Books were ideally made while on the go; boxes were intended to be carried with the participant, where books were to be added and collected each day for seven days. 

Participating artists:
Aimee Lee (Seoul, Korea)
Amber Landgraff (Toronto)
Becky Johnson (Toronto)
Cara Spooner (Toronto)
Daphne Gerou (Toronto)
Debbie Danelley (Winnipeg, MB)
Deborah Margo (Ottawa, ON)
Fiona Bailey (Toronto)
Jen Pilles (Oakville, ON)
Laura Calvi (Halifax, NS)
Laurie Kang (Toronto)
Margaret Flood (Guelph, ON)
Margaret Legue (Forest, ON)
Morag Schonken (Winnipeg, MB)

Sheila Jonah (Toronto)

Simon Rabyniuk (Toronto)

Stephanie Cormier (Toronto)
Stephanie Vegh (Hamilton, ON)
Sylvia Ziemann (Regina, SK)

The Portable Library Project is organized and curated by Tara Bursey.

July 4-31, 2009
Opens Saturday, July 4th, 4 pm (BBQ at 6pm)
lowercase gallery
at the Regional Assembly of Text
3934 Main Street
Vancouver

http://theportablelibraryproject.blogspot.com

Poster design:  Jo Cook

Garden Party Trunk Show

Here are some photos of my table from the Garden Party Trunk Show at the Workroom last Sunday.  My dad-crafts were a pretty big hit, and I had a really great time chatting with all the awesome vendors all afternoon.  Special thanks go out to Roisin of Bespoke Uprising, Tanya from Snap and Tumble and Clare of the Brit Boutique for the awesome trades and Kalpna and Karen for putting on the show and inviting me!

Photos:  Karen Valino

Po.lar.i.ty

Here are some photographs from the Po.lar.i.ty exhibition which opened last week.  It is up for another week at Launch Projects, so try to go and take a peek before it closes.  

Images, from top:

Leanne Eisen, untitled from the series Play, c-prints

Alexandra Mainella, discharge, bronze, 2006

Kim Stanford, untitled, steel wool, 2009

Alexandra Mainella, Pang, aluminum, 2007

Kim Stanford, untitled, steel wool, 2009

Emma Gerard, Beat the Odds, collaboration with Clayton Haigh, 2008

All photos by Leanne Eisen.

Garden Party Trunk Show

This Sunday, I'll be tabling at the Garden Party Trunk Show, hosted by City of Craft and the Workroom in scenic Parkdale!  I'll be peddling all my usual wares- zines, pins, vintage books, art, multiples, as well as some special handmade items for hip daddies in honour of Father's Day.  Other vendors include:

Old Weston

Lunar Craft

Snap and Tumble

Tara Bursey

Willow Dawson

Brit Boutique

Krystal Speck

Pleasurecraft

Keri Rounding

Resurrection Fern

Operation Sock Monkey

Bespoke Uprising

Kid Icarus

Should be a blast!  Hope to see you there!

the workroom

1340 Queen Street West

Parkdale, Toronto

theworkroom.ca

http://www.cityofcraft.com/2009/gardenparty/index.html

Po.lar.i.ty at Launch Projects

I am co-curating the following exhibition (with friend and incredible photo-based artist, Stephanie Cormier), which opens next week at Launch Projects.

Po.lar.i.ty

An group exhibition of sculpture/installation, glass, photography and multiples by:

Leanne Eisen

Emma Gerard

Alexandra Mainella

Kim Stanford

Curated by Stephanie Cormier and Tara Bursey

Runs June 17-28, 2009

Reception:  Thursday, June 18th, 6-9pm

at Launch Projects

404 Adelaide Street West

Toronto

Po-lar-i-ty is an exhibition which explores ideas surrounding polarity and dichotomy, specifically with regard to traditional  women’s roles, activities and rituals.  Leanne Eisen projects representations of the sex industry onto the medium of the conventional dollhouse, juxtaposing the equally constricted and restrictive roles of  homemaker and sexworker within detailed dioramas.  Emma Gerard’s hot sculpted glass breast implant multiples use material and process to present a playful yet striking visual pun. Similarly, Alexandra Mainella uses multiple representations of lipsticks and pedicure tools cast in bronze and aluminum, transforming them into bullet shells and brass knuckles, while Kim Stanford uses steel wool to create a giant steel wool spool of yarn, commenting on the nature of repetitive domestic tasks and activities.

For more information, contact Stephanie Cormier:

stephanie@tsa-art.ca

Image credit:  Emma Gerard

Remember Who's Emma?

Remember Who's Emma?  I certainly do.  For those of you who don't, Who's Emma was an anarchist space/infoshop in Toronto's Kensington Market which existed from 1996-2000.  It served as a centre for grassroots political activity, and was also a gathering place for local punk rockers. Who's Emma was completely volunteer-run, sold punk records, zines, subversive/radical books, coffee, vegan empanadas and pamphlets to make the rent, while hosting punk rock shows, workshops, meetings, and benefits.  

For the past year, my pal Lyndall Musselman has been gathering info and ephemera, as well as conducting interviews and shooting footage for a documentary project called Remember Who's Emma: Punk, Politics and Place, which maps out the rise and fall of WE. Through a series of interviews with former volunteers, the documentary weaves through Kensington Market's subversive early history and individual accounts (from approximately 10 former collective members- my estimate is there were upwards from 50 or 60 in total...) of Who's Emma's beginnings, how it operated and the purpose the space served to both activists and punk rockers.  The film ends with perspectives on the space's eventual demise on the heels of two devastating break-ins, and alludes to the lack of interest which ultimately closed the space in September of 2000.

I was involved with the space as a volunteer collective member from July of 1999 until Who's Emma closed.  My love of zines brought me to the space as a volunteer collective member- I had just turned 17 years old.  Looking back, my time at Who's Emma taught me a great deal. For one, it taught me how to take initiative and take matters into my own hands socially and creatively.   I met a couple of people during my time there that I keep in touch with to this day and who's friendship/acquaintance I value immensely.  Among my favourite memories of Who's Emma involve meeting younger girls from the Who's Emma community years after the fact, and having them tell me that zines I did back then and my presence as a collective member inspired them to make things, get involved, and find their personal voice through zines.  As trite as it may sound, they looked up to me and were like the little sisters I never had; similarly, I looked up to and was inspired by the older women in the collective. (One of my few criticisms about the finished documentary (film) is this "interpersonal" aspect of Who's Emma is rarely addressed in the film...personal analogies such as this are largely absent from the film, curious considering it aims to depict the "social dynamics" of the space) Thinking about those relationships for me represents the best that Who's Emma had to offer someone like me who was marginally interested in the theoretical/capital "P" politics side of Who's Emma- it provided me with a great deal of personal empowerment through positive relationships, collaboration, and it served as a venue for free, informal learning.

This is not to say that all was peaches, cream and sunshine at Who's Emma.  For me, the above photograph of two girls, taken early on in Who's Emma's history, speaks volumes.  The following piece of writing was found online, written after watching a rough cut of the doc by a friend of Lyndall's which reflects on a conflict caught on video, included in the documentary:

"It begins with a Drop Dead show in which someone brought their dog down with them to the show space. The band, hardcore vegans that they are, started shouting down the guy for being cruel to his dog...I mean the guy who brought his dog to the venue was clearly a jerk, no argument, but that the band took it upon themselves to humiliate and make an example of this guy in front of his friends was such a classic example of this overbearing and shitty nature of political hardcore punk of that era. I saw shit like that at Submission Hold shows where teenage punks would be too loud while they describe their songs and rather than deal with the situation diplomatically they decided to make a public example of the people and then, in a sick way, brought their politics into it saying that it was misogyny (not the booze apparently) that made them talk over Jen and Andy. "Some people" Jen said, "get really uncomfortable when they hear a woman speaking their mind." Never mind that it was a guy and a woman making all that noise. That's kind of fucked up and oppressive in it's own way isn't it?"

YES!

Something rarely discussed openly is the political/punk divide that existed within Who's Emma volunteers.  Frequent and worse yet were situations similar to the one described above, which- if I may be so bold- is an (argueably) typical result the destructive power of combining radical politics with an often confrontational punk subculture.  Disagreements happened...disagreements that were hurtful, unhealthy and ill-managed.  Passive aggressive guilt tripping, exclusion and shutting-out, feelings of superiority projected themselves, and negative vibe-ing were even more commonplace at Who's Emma, during a time (the 1990s) where political posturing within punk attempted to hide the (perceived) illness beneath it's surface- jealousy, anger, and competitiveness.  All qualities which are perfectly natural, and perfectly (or shall I say imperfectly) human.  

Is it any wonder that Toronto punk rock took a turn towards the vaguely nihilistic and pointedly apolitical after Who's Emma's closure- like clockwork- in the year 2000?

Time and time again, I come across people who have negative feelings or experiences tied to Who's Emma.  One woman's sentiment echoed my own feelings about Who's Emma at it's worst- she claimed Who's Emma made her "feel stupid."  This was largely due to some collective members' heavy-handed, academic, theory-heavy approach to radical politics and activism.  Another woman who I spoke with unexpectedly yesterday initially about Lyndall's project claimed that something that happened to her at Who's Emma made her more or less lose faith in punk, and caused her to disengage herself with the local punk community.  Will these telling, and incredibly valid feelings be represented in Lyndall's documentary?  Likely not...which is nobody's fault, really.  

On that note, forget what I've said here...do Lyndall the justice of seeing her thought-provoking tribute to an essentially "failed revolution."  Like the many failed revolutions which came before Who's Emma, it is well worth the documentation.

For more information on the film screening and satellite programming, see the Remember Who's Emma blog.

I Can't Stop This Feeling: Crisis, Comfort and Craft at MKG 127

This is a great sounding/looking exhibition currently up at MKG 127 Gallery, which I plan checking out within the next few days.  If you're in town, why not take a jog down our fine city's recently maligned Ossington Avenue and check it out too?

I Can’t Stop This Feeling: Crisis, Comfort, and Craft, an exhibition of new work from Toronto/Hamilton based collective, SHAKE -n- MAKE.

Opening Saturday May 30 2-5 PM 

"We grew up in the 70s, in the midst of turmoil and social upheaval. Planes were hijacked, gas was in short supply, the traditional family was in flux, and an American president resigned in disgrace. Through the lens of Afterschool Specials, we saw the world as a crisis waiting to happen; we learned that trauma was just beyond the wood paneled walls of our Rec room. Not surprisingly, we sought comfort in all things homey and homemade. Collectively, an entire culture tried to craft its way back to the 50s, only the tools, and rules, had changed. Try as we may, Betty Crocker’s canned concoctions, macramé and string art, shrinky dinks and felt banners, embroidery and toaster cozies, didn’t make life any simpler or safer. But still we persist."

SHAKE -n- MAKE is a collective that was inspired by the discovery of vintage Betty Crocker recipe cards. On the heels of a personal loss, the unearthing of these retro recipes culminated into a desire to craft a way out. SHAKE -n- MAKE is motivated by a shared experience of growing up in the 1970s, where survival, crafting, and popular culture defined not only an era but also our childhoods.

Claudia Manley is a writer and crafter who is interested in almost everything. She is currently obsessed with sewing and hunting and recently was awarded a Writers’ Reserve grant from Coach House Press. Claudia is interested in navigating the tension between the rustic and the refined.

Liss Platt is a multimedia artist who works at the intersections of digital arts and craft. Liss is interested in using ‘hobbyist materials’ to re-envision high modernist traditions. While exploring compulsion and repetition, Liss retains connections to nostalgia. She is currently an Associate Professor in Multimedia at McMaster University.

Steph Rogerson is a crafter, artist, curator, and academic who believes there is critical power in television. Long-term interests include semiotics, photography, and queer theory. Current interests are Gordon Ramsey, Adam Lambert, and embroidery.

SHAKE -n- MAKE would like to thank Shasti O’Leary Soudant, Ian Manley, Karen Valino, Cecila Berkovic, Liz Abram, and Vesta-la.

The exhibition continues until June 27.

MKG127 is located in Toronto at 127 Ossington Avenue between Queen and Dundas Streets at the NE corner of Ossington Avenue and Argyle Street.

Hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 12 to 6 PM or by appointment.
For more information call 647-435-7682.

Barb Hunt Interview

I recently conducted the following interview for Toronto Craft Alert, a contemporary craft blog and excellent local art and craft resource. Barb Hunt is a Newfoundland-based artist and educator, whose work I was lucky enough to be introduced to by a beloved teacher in art school a few years ago. Her political and often poignant work employs craft processes to explore rituals of mourning and address the devastation of war.  

For more on Barb and her work, seek out the excellent book By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art edited by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro, or check out Barb's website: http://www.barbhunt.com

http://torontocraftalert.ca/2009/05/29/question-for-crafters-barb-hunt/

Pictured:  The Old Lie, seams from used army fatigues, 3.5 X 8 m (2007) Installation at Stride Gallery, Calgary

Photo credit: Hutch Hutchinson

Alice and Dali

A pretty damn great picture of rock god Vincent Furnier a.k.a. Alice Cooper with father of surrealism Salvador Dali during a 1973 performance.  Cooper, quoted in Spin Magazine:

"Dali was our rock star; he was our patron saint.  By 1971 or 1972, Alice Cooper and Bowie were the only artistic things going on (in rock'n'roll), so he looked at what we did as surrealism.  But I was nowhere near his league.  He made me the straight man.  So there's a three-day shoot for the hologram and finally a small press conference where he says, "This is the Alice Cooper brain," and pulls out a ceramic brain with a chocolate eclair stuck to it and covered with ants that spell out ALICE AND DALI.  I asked him if I could have it and he said 'Of course not- it's worth millions.'  And he made it the night before.  Stayed up all night making the Alice Cooper Brain."

"That's definitely in the top five things that ever happened to me.  And by the way, no one knows where the brain is.  It's my holy grail, so if you find it let me know."

Half Cat, Half Raccoon

Here is a illustration I stayed up finishing late last night for a my pal/co-worker Mark's forthcoming children's book of prose...there will be at least a few more where this came from.  I'll be sure to post them as they materialise...

PS:  Marion Street is off of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Lookit, Lookit, Lookit at Harbourfront Centre

It's a little late to be posting about this seeing as the opening happened already, but Lookit, Lookit, Lookit is up and is going on until June 21st in York Quay Centre's South Vitrines.  See the following for more information...

Lookit, Lookit, Lookit

Curated by Melanie Egan

May 9th-June 21st, 2009

York Quay Centre, Harbourfront 

Eight Canadian artists muse on perception in this exhibition that asks what it is that captures our interest long enough to formulate opinion, describe a viewpoint, or gain insight. So many things are not what they seem – a mere glance is just not enough. Curated by Melanie Egan. Exhibition works include:

Chet Domanski - In remote areas of the Alberta wilderness, oil and gas wells keep the province’s economy moving. These wells are given new prominence through the creation of stunning bracelets that are machined from worn production tubing used at the wells. Each bracelet has a tag with a geographic reference point to allow the owner to find the location of the well.

Tara Bursey – Onion and garlic skins are employed to create a series of women’s gloves. Common food waste such as corn silk and garlic stems serve as embellishments while evoking anatomical details, skin conditions and cosmetic flaws. The gloves, while serving as an attractive foil, allude to the fragility and strength of the human body and the temporal nature of all living things.

Candice Ring - Functional porcelain vessels are influenced by nature, figure and history. Voluminous forms, rich surfaces and reference to 18th century English earthenware all play a part in the objects. Ring’s processes are similar to that of a tailor; cutting, darting, altering and mending fine porcelain are techniques used to give character and grace to each piece.

Also featuring works by Nadia Li Chai, Barb Hunt, Sarah Troper, Rachael Wong, and Arounna Khounnoraj.

For more information, and information about other shows happening at York Quay Centre this month, consult the Harbourfront Centre website.