Go Fish! Restaurant, backsplash detail, c/o Igloodgn
The Vancouver Convention Centre recently hosted another successful year of Interior Design Show West. This four-day event allowed consumers and retailers to come together and display fresh design concepts, initiate forward-thinking conversation and seek design inspiration for renovation projects. Anna Abbruzzo and Alain Courchesne of Igloodgn, a branding and interior design firm from Montreal, caught my attention with what they are calling the new Canadian aesthetic.
As a proud Canadian and local Vancouverite, I was thrilled to hear about the buzz we are causing in the international design world. This new style—termed maximal minimalism— Abbruzo and Courchesne explain as a reduced space with clean lines, a muted colour palette and one focal piece that catches the eye and draws you into the space. Imagine a beige room with a vibrant red sofa, a grand fireplace or an outrageously wacky backsplash behind your kitchen counter. Generating drama in one area means balancing the remainder of the room with minimal ornamentation. Together the two components create a look and feel of serene perfection.
To some, the idea of pairing a loud patterned carpet with a simple black table may seem too daring. But Igloodgn reassured hesitant audience members that maximal minimalism is the future for design in Canada. After viewing past residential, hotel and restaurant design projects I must admit I was convinced.
This sudden attention to Canadian design is cause for celebration because it means that Canadians, well known for our demure and unassertive character, are no longer afraid to make a statement. According to Igloodgn, interior design has come a long way since the late 90s, when the Canadian aesthetic was “humble, honest, and safe”. Today major cities including Vancouver and Toronto are hosting design shows such as IDSwest showcasing Canada’s newly-gained reputation as assertive, trendsetting and inclusive.
the goliath table goes from powerful tiny...
So how are Vancouver demographics determining the direction of interior design? One of my biggest concerns was space and functionality in small apartments in downtown Vancouver. Amanda Forrest of Amanda Forrest Interior Design recommends Resource Furniture, a company that specializes in convertible pieces and solve the problem of oversized furniture. IDSwest featured the Goliath table at the event. This unique table utilizes space by expanding from a dining table set for two up to its full size which seats six comfortably.
Living in Vancouver, life can get hectic. Not everyone has time to shop for the perfect new addition to their
to dinner-party ready! check out resource furniture's website to watch a video of the table in action!
home, office, or workplace. Forrest recommends online shopping as more designers are turning to the internet to find those quirky fun pieces. Websites such as etsy are perfect for accommodating busy lifestyles in Vancouver.
Interior design trends are constantly changing depending on what’s hot, affordable and in style: how can we keep up? The good news, Abbruzzo explained, is that “trends are a result of economic circumstances.” If we are able to understand what sparked a current trend we can begin to predict what’s coming in the future. Look out for these trends continuing into 2014. Bright technicolor, brass detailing, and handmade products that personalize spaces.
Quietly confident, Vancouver musician Selina Koop gives Sad Mag the scoop on how she got her start in the Vancouver music scene, what tunes she’s digging, and the genre she’s accidentally found herself defining locally with her band, Selina Koop and the Blank.
Photo by Matty Jeronimo, Fuji FP100C.
Sad Mag: Who are you?
Selina Koop: I am Selina Koop. I live off of Wall St. along the train tracks by the water, down in the East Village/Hastings Sunrise area. I like being by the water. I’m a piano teacher; I teach out of a studio and go to people’s houses. I also have a small gardening business, which is a nice offset to the piano. I’m trying to be a more articulate person so I’ve recently started writing about music for Weird Canada. The band [Selina Koop and the Blank] formed from meeting at VCC. We’re a bunch of folks that like dark music.
SM: How did you get your start in the Vancouver music scene?
SK: I moved to Vancouver about 10 years ago and rented a small bunk at the Butchershop Floor. It’s now known as Little Mountain Gallery. It was a meat shop renovated into gallery space. You could still see the meat hooks hanging from the ceiling. It was kind of a crazy time. It was awesome though because I met so many great musicians and artists that hung out there on a daily basis, there were always shows going on in our living room and art openings in the lobby. Pretty fun. I met a lot of people through that scene when I first moved here. I made some really good connections right off the bat. I also went to Capilano College and took a year of Classical Voice and later switched over to VCC and did my music diploma in piano, so a lot of connections were born there too.
SM: What music inspires you?
SK: At the current moment, I’ve been listening to a lot of Chelsea Wolfe. I’m getting more into some RnB; I love Frank Ocean. I like classical music too, but I mostly listen to the heavier, dark classical stuff. Experimental music as well, I’ve been listening to Matmos. I’ve really been digging Chelsea Wolfe though.
SM: I notice that experimental/jazz sound in your songs. Are you consciously doing a jazz/indie fusion?
SK: No, no, not at all. It’s just happening. I never really played jazz, I played classical piano. I guess I just like the sound of it—the harmonies, the more extended chords—that jazz provides. I write what I like and it just ends up sounding like that.
SM: What are you most excited about right now?
SK: Honestly, I’m really happy with these recordings we did at The Hive. That’s the thing I’m the most proud of right now. I’m also super excited for this show at Chapel Arts.
SM: Tell me about the Chapel Arts show.
SK: We’re playing with this band Jessicka, they have some really incredible players. It’s their release show, as well as the release of a fashion video Andrea Demers made for Sailov. It’s just going to be a big party – a lot of different groups coming together. Chapel has projectors in every single room; the video is going to be projected on every wall in the building!
Head to Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy) on October 10th to hear sets from Selina Koop and the Blank, Jessicka, and Ben Rogers, as well as see the video premiere of the latest Sailov designs. More details, including ticket information, can be found online.
Vancouver Notablesis the ongoing interview series where “No Fun City” shows off. More like burlesque than a talent show, Vancouver Notables wants you doing what you do best, but with sequins on your nipples. Tell us who you are, what you’re doing that’s of note and why, oh why, are you rocking that boat?
Sean Cranbury is an ardent supporter of Vancouver’s writing community. As the creator of Books on the Radio in 2009, and founder of the Real Vancouver Writers Seriesin 2010, Cranbury makes it his business to showcase writers both local and international. Books on the Radio returns with new episodes this October, and if you’re looking for some literary conversation in the meantime, Cranbury can be found mixing nerd-culture inspired cocktails at the decidedly awesome Storm Crow Tavern.
Sad Mag: Who are you?
Sean Cranbury: My name is Sean Cranbury. I work as a bartender, writer, and web strategy consultant. I live in east Vancouver. I also am Executive Editor of something called Books on the Radio which is a radio show podcast and blog about books and writers. BOTR has been on hiatus for about a year and will relaunch in early October. I am also founder and Artistic Director for the Real Vancouver Writers Series.
SM: When did you discover your passion for books and writing?
SC: I can’t remember that far back. My mom took a photo of me when I was very young. I am wearing Winnie the Pooh overalls and clutching a book while falling forward with a goofy grin on my face. I can still remember my first bookshelf. It was in the closet of the room that I shared with my older brother. That’s where I kept my prized collection of Frog and Toad books.
Writing was always something that I have done well with. I’ve always tried to challenge my vocabulary and been fascinated by how words sound and how they work together.
SM: How did you get involved in the writing scene in Vancouver?
SC: I worked for several great independent bookstores in the city. Duthie Books, Sophia Books, Albion Books, and I ran the books department at Virgin Megastore for the final few years of its existence. That put me in touch with the local publishing and writing communities.
I’ve stayed in touch with the writing scene as best I can over the years. Books on the Radio and Real Vancouver are examples of me and some friends taking matters into our own hands in order to contribute more directly to the community.
SM: What led you to begin broadcasting “Books on the Radio”?
SC: It was 2009 and I had just been dismissed from my job managing inventory and loss prevention teams for a multinational consumer electronics company. It was a short but instructive foray into the world of corporate boxes.
I basically took my severance cheque and said “screw all of this noise, it’s time to take some control of the situation.” We were experiencing the deepest pockets of the economy’s smoking crater at that time and it seemed like the best possible time to invest in myself and to pursue my own vision for bringing something into the world that hadn’t existed before.
So I decided to build Books on the Radio. I forced myself to learn WordPress, podcasting, audio and video editing, and etc… in order create and control my own content and message. I got in touch with CJSF 90.1 FM (SFU) who agreed to play the show on Wednesdays and thus it was born.
I also turned the enthusiasm and momentum gathered from BOTR into events. I flew to Toronto to speak at the first Bookcamp Toronto, helped to organize the first two Bookcamp Vancouver’s, built the Advent Book Blog with the help of my good friend Julie Wilson (seenreading.com, bookmadam.com), among many other projects during those initial few years. Real Vancouver was born out of that same creative flurry.
The past year has been a time of renewal and re-visioning for BOTR and I’m looking forward to putting in the hard work necessary to make it a success.
SM: How were you involved with Sad Mag’s Fantasy Issue?
SC: I interviewed David Sedaris by phone when he was on tour for his newest book, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. I mentioned the interview to [Sad Mag’s Creative Director] Katie Stewart who thought that it might be fun to include in the next issue. I agreed.
SM: You’ve been involved in a number of projects promoting local writers and local writing. How do you feel about the state of Vancouver’s writing scene?
SC: Vancouver as a literary city is like a fantastic floating airship in a Miyazaki movie. Tentatively tethered to the ground of common sense and cultural tradition but always straining against it, threatening to break free. It’s a fascinating scene to watch because there’s so much going on and so much of it is experimental and challenging.
SM: Where are you as you answer these questions?
SC: Sitting at my desk in my kitchen office. To my right a rusting Motobecane. To my left my Zoom H4n handheld audio recorder.
SM: You tend bar at a self-professed ‘nerd bar.’ What’s it like working at a place where guests can roll a twenty sided die and save a dollar on a Vulcan Mind Meld shot?
SC: The Storm Crow Tavern is a great place to work. It is a restaurant that has no prefabricated idea for what it is or what it will become. It’s always in a state of creative genesis even if that creativity is often in the service of extreme nerdiness. I work with a lot of great, very creative and talented people at the Storm Crow.
I have been a bartender for as long as I have been a bookseller and it’s a lot of fun to work in a place that values books and literature and giant bas-reliefs of dead dreaming Elder Gods from beyond time and space as much as they value the mixological possibilities of Creme de Cacao.
SM: Last album you listened to?
SC: Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine) by Weldon Irvine, 1974.
SM: What are you most excited about right now?
SC: I’m excited that Books on the Radio is about to relaunch. Real Vancouver Writers’ Series is now officially a non-profit society and we’re busy making ambitious and slightly ridiculous plans for 2014. And I’m also excited to work on a few writing projects over the next year. Rubber, meet road.
Support Vancouver’s literary community, learn about the city’s literary history and hear more from Sean Cranbury by visiting Sad Mag at Word on the Street! Tomorrow!
This Must Be The Place:
The Evolution of Vancouver’s Cultural Landscape Speakers’ forum
Location Vancouver Public Library Square, Magazine Life Tent
Date Sunday, September 29th Time 1-2pm Presenters & Readers Michael de Courcy, Jesse Donaldson, Caroline Adderson, mediated by Sean Cranbury
Sad Mag is really excited to be a part of WORD on the Street in Vancouver this year! WORD Vancouver is Western Canada’s largest celebration of literacy and reading held on the last weekend of September at Library Square in beautiful downtown Vancouver. The festival promotes books and authors with free exhibits, performances, and hands-on activities for a wide range of ages and interests.
We’ll be teaming up with some Vancouver notables who made an appearance in our Mad Mad World issue, including the talented Michael de Courcy, Jesse Donaldson, and Caroline Adderson to chat about making art and writing novels in Vancouver. Mediated by Books On The Radio founder, Sean Cranbury, each speaker will be recounting stories and experiences of Vancouver and how the city has changed since they first started tromping around.
Sad Mag would like to invite you to a special photo exhibition next weekend as part of the Word on the Street festival. Word on the Street is one of the biggest literary festivals in Vancouver, that also incorporates local art! Sad Mag has the honor to show off some of our images from the Mad Mad World issue at the Moat Gallery, which is a stunning little gallery hidden on the bottom floor of the VPL.
The photography exhibit will only be up for 2 days, so we’d love for you to join us next weekend! (September 28/29). This special exhibition will feature the works of young photographers from the Red Fox Society, the Writer’s Exchange and Tracey Ayton, and of course, some of the images from the issue by Rommy Ghaly and Michael De Courcy.
This Must Be The Place:
The Evolution of Vancouver’s Cultural Landscape Speakers’ forumLocation Vancouver Public Library Square, Magazine Life Tent
Date Sunday, September 29th Time 1-2pm Presenters & Readers Michael de Courcy, Jesse Donaldson, Caroline Adderson, mediated by Sean Cranbury
Sad Mag is thrilled that Project Space will be presenting the second annual Vancouver Art/Book Fair! A two-day festival of artists’ publishing, the VA/BF features nearly one hundred local, national and international publishers of books, magazines, zines, printed ephemera and digital or other experimental forms of publication, as well as on-site programs, performances and installations!
Free and open to the public, VA/BF is the only international art book fair in Canada and one of only two on the West Coast.
Launching with a Reception at Project Space at 8pm on Friday, October 4, VA/BF will take place from 12pm to 5pm on October 5 and 6 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Heels can help you reach high shelves AND feel empowered.
What is happiness? Have you ever have an accidental orgasm in the shoe department? These questions are asked in the one-woman play, My High-Heeled Life: Or, How I Learned to Keep Worrying and Love My Stilettos, by creator and performer Katharine McLeod. During this play, you’re taken on a journey into an optimistic woman’s mind. This comedy discusses the relationship between high-heels and life in a way you’ve never thought of before—suggesting shoes can create happiness, euphoric experiences, and best of all, can be a great cleaning tool.
The moment I walked into the auditorium, I noticed a sleek blonde woman sitting on a bar stool, doing her makeup, dressed in a tight, little black dress and a pair of black pumps. Every couple of moments, she glanced at the audience with a sly smile on her face. At that moment, I know it wasn’t going to be an ordinary play.
This beautiful young woman says exactly what’s on her mind, but out loud. She’s easy to relate to and honest, capturing every woman’s heart (and innermost thoughts). Throughout the piece, I realized her rationale between shoes and life actually makes sense. High-heeled shoes can be a physical manifestation of empowerment and sexiness, which can trickle down to a sense of happiness. She uses an example of walking in front of a construction site every morning, to feel desirable, gaining confidence after every strut.
She also mentions that high-heels are great for cleaning those hard to reach shelves.
My favorite part of the play was when the bubbly McLeod decides to take off her heels, and in doing so, loses all self-esteem and confidence. She goes into deep thoughts about life that women of all ages can relate to. She makes you think of the negative things in your life and however bad they are, things could always be worse. You could have urine spilt on you instead of water while trying to strut your stuff in front of construction men.
Displaying both vulnerability and confidence, McLeod shines in this solo play; her acting was flawless. The play was well written, and a great comedic confessional into a woman’s mind.
More information about this play and other works by McLeod can be found on her website.
Meet Gloria Bernal, a co-founder of Glitz Entertainment. Hosting the second annual Lab Art Show, Glitz is a marketing firm with big goals and a flair for the unique. They customize and design programs and events tailored to each client, committing to creating a memorable experience.
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico and now living in Vancouver, Bernal is both an art appreciator and an art creator. She plays the violin, upcycles old furniture, and has a knack for creating special events.
Currently, Bernal is working on the Lab Art Show. In its second year, the multidisciplinary event is a showcase of some of the best local artists in town. From dancers to musicians, painters to fashion designers, the Lab Art Show has it all. This year, the Lab Art Show is supporting a charity in Mexico called the Huichol Home, an institution that supports the health and well-being of aborigional Huichol people.
Interested? Get your tickets for the Lab Art Show on September 21st at the West 7 Studios ASAP. Sad Mag subscribers are entitled to 50% off their ticket price – email creative@sadmag.ca to have your name added to the list.
Sad Mag: Who are you?
Gloria Bernal: I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Since I was 8-years-old, I started painting, using different techniques. From there, I slowly fell in love with different types of art, like music and dance and I started playing the flute and violin in the following years. I decided to study in Vancouver at Vancouver Film School (VFS) to learn more about different styles of art and culture.
During my studies at VFS, I realized that Vancouver has so many talented people who needed to get together and showcase their work in a fun environment, so Etel Bernal [Glitz Entertainment’s co-founder] and I decided to develop the Lab Art Show.
SM: How did Glitz Entertainment pair up Sad Mag?
GB: I got involved by searching for local Vancouver Art magazines because I was looking for artists to perform at Lab Art Show as well to learn about other Vancouver editorials. I met with Katie [Sad Mag’s Creative Director] and since the first Lab Art Show in 2012, we’ve been working together to support local artists.
SM: What kind of marketing does Glitz Entertainment provide?
GB: We try to be creative with our marketing without wasting paper, money, and people’s time, so we came with the idea of creating flash mobs, film exhibitions and videos of artist from the last year’s [Lab Art Show], as our goal is to create awareness of Vancouver’s local artist community.
The first flash mob was a secret fashion show for designer Tamara Montes Claros, who is inspired by bicycles and uses recycled materials to create each new piece.
SM: What inspired the creation of Glitz Entertainment?
GB: Etel and I were inspired by Cirque du Soleil because we loved the experience of attending one of their amazing shows. We decided to start a company to create unique events full of creativity and new experiences for our customers – from the moment they are part of the show to the moment the show is over.
SM: Why did you want the Lab Art Show to be a multidisciplinary show?
GB: The big reason is because we wanted to create a community of different types of artists, a network where they can share their knowledge with each other, as well a place for them to get inspired by seeing other people’s work. We wanted the Lab Art Show to be an incubator for creative minds.
SM: Why is the Huichol Home charity important to you?
GB: The Huichol Aboriginal House has been my inspiration for a long time. I always want to help them because they create wearable and non-wearable pieces of art by using a variety of coloured beads.
The mission of the Huichol House is to provide accommodation to the Huichol community when they the need to visit the city, as they live quite far away at an aboriginal reserve in mountains north of the province. The majority of aboriginals also speak a different dialect than what is spoken in the city.
I want to share their work with Canadians and the passion they put in every piece of art that they make.
SM: What other project(s) are you working on right now?
GB: Along with the upcoming Lab Art Show, I am working on creating a short film exhibition in the city, with the mission to showcase local Vancouver short films.
SM: What you most excited about right now?
GB: I am very excited to host our upcoming Lab Art Show on September 21th (at West 7 Studio) as we are showcasing over 100 artists in one night!
SM: What do you love most about what you do?
GB: I love to see other people’s inspirations and creativity. Every time I create a blog or open a new artist portfolio for the show, I feel that I will never stop being surprised and that encourages me to continue to motivate myself to produce new events in this magical city.
I always get inspired by this quote: “Life is about the people that you meet and the things you create with them, so go out and start to be creative.”
For more information about Glitz Entertainment and the Lab Art Show, visit their website. You can also visit them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Steven Larkin's N.O.N.C.E. shows how poetry can be both transformational and hilarious.
N.O.N.C.E. (Not On Normal Courtyard Exercise) has no right to be as enjoyable as it is. A one-man, spoken-word piece about life as a poet-in-residence at Grendon Prison, Britain’s only “therapeutic prison,” N.O.N.C.E. interweaves slam poetry and pieces of the narrator’s failing engagement with a darkly hilarious account of prisoners learning to express themselves through verse.
Steve Larkin is a powerful performer, storyteller, and mimic. The material has the potential to be lurid, but Larkin generally avoids the temptation of shock value, with the exception of a couple of uproariously filthy stories. Instead, Larkin is empathetic towards the lives and poems of the men in the poetry group he creates. He finds a way to relate to them, even those that are imprisoned for sex offenses, who he notes, are the only people more despised than poets. Looking for new material, Larkin is candid about the reasoning behind the group’s creation. Though he initially is seeking out new content, the prisoners start to take on a life of their own through Larkin’s portrayals – something he never expected. In the group, each man is given the name of one of his favourite artists – Michaelangelo shares his poetry with 50 Cent and Bertolt Brecht – adding a comical element to this work.
The conflicts and triumphs of the poetry group are entrancing, whether Larkin is fumbling over giving feedback on incomprehensible writing or responding to a poem named “Crying and Wanking Over You.” When his colleague complains the poetry is dark, twisted, and hateful, Larkin replies that his job is to help the inmate create this type of verse.
As Larkin’s relationship collapses, the prison group becomes a refuge, and he admits he’d rather talk to some of the inmates about the breakup than to any therapist. It is a surprising and moving moment of human nature.
Less successful are Larkin’s musings about the connection between pornography use, sex offences, and misogyny, which shy away from presenting a firm point of view and instead present a variety of overheard opinions and anecdotes. The narrative also leaves the prison setting just at the point when a resolution seems close. Instead, he fills this moment with material about doing Fringe Festivals across Canada, diluting a possible denouement. At one point, Larkin shares a slam piece he performed at a feminist fundraiser called “She Said,” a ferocious account of a couple’s fight that rips patriarchy a new one. The poem was spellbinding, but I wish the entire piece was as focused. Still, N.O.N.C.E provides its audience with a chance to experience an intimidating world and leaves them inspired, and smiling.
For more information on N.O.N.C.E., including ticked information and show times, visit the show’s specific website. More details about the Vancouver Fringe Festival, which runs until September 15, can be found online.
$9 with all proceeds (before 10:30pm) going towards printing the FANTASY issue. Buy a subscription to Sad Mag before Oct 5th and get 2 free tix to the event!
**WANNA COMPETE? Email creative@sadmag.ca to reserve your song!!
Rebecca Steele's "Braced" plays at the Vancouver Fringe Festival until September 15, 2013.
Braced, a one-woman show written and preformed by Rebecca Steele, is a rendering of our formative years, when figuring out our passions seemed as difficult as figuring out who to sit with at lunch. But for Lauren Royal, the main character who’s dealing with scoliosis, development during these years was more obvious than most teens, represented by a hard, plastic, back brace that she wore for most of high school.
Steele makes the physical object around Lauren’s body – one that she awkwardly touches and adjusts while simultaneously trying to ignore throughout the show – something the audience can relate to emotionally. It is the embarrassment and frustration she experiences dealing with the back brace that reminds us of our own “braces” – characteristics or impediments that have defined us all.
Lauren is one of over a dozen characters Steele plays throughout the show. Steele’s theatrical skill is such that she can transform an empty stage into a waiting room full of bodies and commotion. Lauren slouches in her waiting chair, dreading an appointment with her doctor, while her fidgety mother, an unwell old man, an overly interested woman, and anxious mother with a child, and a nurse who excessively enunciates her words appear around her. All of these multifaceted characters are preformed distinctly and comically by Steele.
I was completely engrossed in her command over such a crowded scene until she, unfortunately, fumbled over a word and repeated part of the phrase before continuing. No performer wants to get caught on a work, but for me, this small error was a reminder of the endurance and skill needed for this kind of demanding performance.
The range within the character Lauren is also captivating. Based on Steele’s own struggles with scoliosis in her teenage years, the character has an interest in drama and a talent for impressions. From musical performances to impressions of Audrey Hepburn, it is no wonder that the character on stage is deeply engrained in Steele herself, who landed a place at the renowned Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City.
Following her graduation from Circle in the Square Theatre School, Steele went on to produce and preform her show Braced at the Midtown International Theatre Festival 2012 in New York City. It was nominated for four awards at the festival, including “Outstanding Production of a Play,” “Outstanding New Script for a Full Production,” “Outstanding Costume Design for a Full Production,” and “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play (Full Production).”
Steele has toured the show through Canadian schools and has now brought it to her hometown for the Vancouver Fringe Festival 2013.
The wide recognition Steele has received for her story is a testament to the abandon with which she preforms it. She is able to transform her performance from tender to hilarious in a breath. A convincing example of reconciling our troubles with comedy, this performance will definitely move you.
For more information on Braced, including ticked information and show times, visit the show’s specific website. More details about the Vancouver Fringe Festival, which runs until September 15, can be found online.
