GrowOp 2017 @ the Gladstone Hotel

Fables and Shadows Martha Griffith 2017

This is the 5th year for The Gladstone Hotel’s annual Grow Op exhibition, and 2017’s selection makes the strong argument: this is one of the must see shows of the season. Curators Christine Leu and Alan Webb with Lukus Toane have put together a rich ensemble of works that address the idea of landscape, habitat and environment.

Rebecca Jane Houston

Stark Olga Klosowski

Orchestration Lindy Wilkins and Dushan Milic

The show is a delight from beginning to end. It explores the music of weather, the power of an avocado pit, hidden histories, sandbox topographies, walking on eggshells, mini ecosystems, cloud-gazing, starfruit patterns and the secret world of snails among other things. It ‘s on from the 19-23. If you missed this year’s show be sure to pencil it in for next; Toronto’s art landscape is all the richer for it.

Fables and Shadows detail

Is the Interweb making us stupid?

All knowledge is two YouTube videos away. You need to fix your garage door opener; there’s a YouTube video for that. How do I install a toilet? There’s a YouTube video for that. What’s the hero’s journey according to Joseph Campbell? YouTube. What’s the difference between an ionic and covalent bond? YouTube, YouTube, YouTube and so on. I say two YouTube videos because not all YouTube videos are created equal, as well you need the second one to confirm the findings of the first one and lastly if you’re like me you have trust issues. Who does this guy think he is explaining the laws of thermal dynamics anyways?

So why with such a rich wealth of knowledge at our fingertips are we becoming so stupid?

We really don’t have to look any further than the comment section directly underneath our lovely YouTube University. For every drop of insight there’s a sea of ignorance. Everything’s political and no one’s listening to anything that diverts their emotional base. My new pet peeve are the political videos that claim So-and-So DESTROYS So-and-So. The only thing being destroyed here is the value of words. In most cases casual viewers cherry-pick their team’s words and claim instant victory. Discourse is healthy unless it becomes a Garfield without Garfield comic where you remove your opponents ideas from influencing you in anyway. Destroys: the ball hasn’t moved an inch.

Both sides of the argument are equally guilty of demonizing the opposing team and the internet is a giant megaphone. How did so many smart people get sucked into such a stupid predicament? This sounds like a textbook example of hell: you’ll  be condemned to a circular argument with a deaf, dumb and blind troll with a bullhorn for eternity. Insert proper cliche here. Indignation has become the designer drug of the 21st century.

Maybe the potential of the internet was too good for us and we weren’t meant to have nice things. Maybe we should just stick to Aunt Petunia’s gardening blog and call it a day. Maybe politicians do have our best interests in mind. Maybe internet trolls are really doing God’s work and exposing the flimsiness of our convictions. Maybe brawn over brain is the way to go. Maybe facts don’t really matter. Maybe listening and compromise are antiquated ideals.  Maybe a world without Art is better off. Maybe we get what we deserve. Maybe… but no.

Don’t be stupid.

 

Star Wars in the Age of Social Media

One of my earliest, most vivid memories of childhood: was exiting the 7 o’clock showing of Star Wars and being astounded that it was still light out as we left the theater. It felt like I had been away for a very long time and had traveled great distances and the harsh light of reality momentarily threw me. My six year old brain experienced total immersion and I was hooked. Another vivid memory I have of my childhood is when my father mistakenly took me to see Bladerunner when I was 11; he thought it was a new Star Wars movie because of the Harrison Ford connection. That threw me as well, but in a totally exciting (what did I just watch?) way – love you dad.

I went to see Star Wars another 3 times that summer and felt transported every single time. The year was 1977 and there was nothing remotely similar to it in either tone or scope. When it was released, science fiction was a very niche market and Lucas himself believed it wouldn’t have much staying power. 2 years earlier Lucas’ friend Steven Speilberg had invented the summer blockbuster with Jaws but no one could have anticipated what Star Wars would become and that kids like me would go see this thing again and again. All said and told,over the course of my life; I’ve probably seen the film close to a 100 times, with the lion’s share occurring in my youth from an old VHS copy, taped from a television broadcast. The tape finally wore out but my fondness never did.

A few years went by after the initial rush and along came The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and they did not disappoint. A few more years went by and Episodes 1-3 happened and they did disappoint. People were really upset; blaming George Lucas for ruining their childhoods. They criticized that the characters were one dimensional, the acting wooden and the dialogue -just terrible. On that last point, all dialogue in Star Wars movies is terrible, it’s kind of part of their appeal. Lucas would be the first to admit that. He revealed recently that he actually constructed them more like silent films; where the visuals heavily out-way the spoken words. Another huge sticking point with fans was; gone were the practical effects and in was the CGI. Episodes 1-3 didn’t feel real enough. I personally missed puppet Yoda (from Empire not Phantom Menace).

Episodes 1-3 had no other course but to disappoint. The movie landscape had changed drastically since 1983 and nothing could live up to the hype. This was also pre-Facebook, pre-Youtube, pre-Twitter hype. The original trilogy worked best because it looked lived in. Things looked beaten up. Luke said it best in the original film when he first lays eyes on the Millenium Falcon: “What a piece of junk!” As a kid I was confused by this statement, because in my brain I was thinking that’s the coolest thing I’d ever seen. In Episode 1 everything was way too shiny. The other thing that really let people down was the design; the original three are full of really original cool looking things and characters. Stormtroopers just look good, the spacecraft look like hot rods, Darth Vader is iconic menace and so on. The newer films got a few things right like Darth Maul and the two sided lightsaber but all those CGI droids and  alien races -just lame. Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 had proven CGI could work in a film when used strategically but when the band is more focused on the the fireworks than the music, things start to breakdown. Lucas was too in love with the technology. All these things didn’t prevent these movies from making a ton of money and introducing a whole new generation to Star Wars.

Fast forward to this past Thursday and the 2nd Force Awakens trailer hits the internet. Three days later and it has been viewed over 40 million times, tweeted countless times and added roughly 2 billion dollars to Disney stock value. Hey no pressure. Reading all the content that has been generated over these 119 seconds and two things are certain: people are excited and people are optimistic but nervous they’ll get burned again. Star Wars in the age of social media is an all together different beast than all its predecessors. We are eight months away from its release and the demand is relentless. We live in an instant gratification society where super heroes rule the cinema and our news cycle is 24 hours of instantaneous updates. We consume so much content on a daily basis from multiple sources that our tolerance for cultural pollution has eroded our critical filter. We’re so supersaturated, that things no longer move us. The sentiment that I’m picking up online is that people want to be moved again, feel like a kid again and feel the shock of the new again.  The funny thing is that the shock of the new will come by returning to the old: familiar characters, practical effects and hopefully an emotional core at the heart of it. No real information about the story has surfaced but so far they got the design right, things look cool again. Part of the movie going experience in the age of social media is the power of anticipation and conjecture. Entertaining theories and predictions is just as much fun as consuming the actual artifact. We get to participate in the process in a very minor way and in our hearts we hope our voices have some effect. The Force Awakens has been molded by the sins of our fathers. JJ Abrams is well aware of the tidal wave of fan criticism that was levied on Episodes 1-3 and that helped inform his vision for the new film. Is this how social media really works? Can it help preserve and alter our cultural sacred cows?

One thing’s for sure, social media will dissect everything surrounding this film up to and after its release. Some will love it and some will be disappointed. Can it possibly live up to the nostalgia machine, or can it evolve and become something new again? I know personally I can’t wait for the lights to go down and hear that familiar John Williams score. Will it transport me back to my youth? Hard to say, my pre-internet brain says possibly, and my post-internet brain says -it’s not the destination, but the getting there, that’s half the fun.

Binge Watch: Black Mirror

People in the UK must get a real kick out North Americans exclaiming “I’ve found this great new show!” when they’ve been in fact watching it for ages. It’s not like we’ve been sleeping on these things, it’s just that there is definitely a pop-culture trickle down effect at work; especially with some of the more ‘how you say’ off the beaten path creations. Even with the internet, something needs to take foot locally before it can go global. Every new show needs to take some time to establish itself and find its audience, but hopefully like all good things, the cream will rise to the top and eventually find its way to the ones who will appreciate it. Sometimes this can take many years, like in the case of Joss Whedon’s Firefly. The trickle down effect can be slow, but is actually perfect for the binge watcher (like myself); because by the time something comes across your radar, you have multiple seasons to sink your teeth into. This is almost a necessity in the case of some British programs whose seasons consist of very short runs of sometimes 3 to 6 shows. Enter Netflix or Youtube and there goes hours of your life.

So I’ve found this great new show, 2011 new. It’s called Black Mirror and to say it’s a little off the beaten path would be an understatement. The best way I’ve heard it described would be a modern day Twilight Zone exploring the perils of the digital age. There are currently 7 episodes in total over 3 seasons. Each episode is a stand alone story clocking in around 50 minutes. The black mirror refers to any blank monitor we encounter on a daily basis and the deep dark ramifications our relationship with it can conjure up. Each episode plays with different aspects of what the future may hold if we took current technologies to their ultimate endgames. The power of Social media is explored to great and disturbing effect in the series opener The National Anthem. At this point I’d like to point out that some episodes are stronger than others, but at least every one offers a ‘what if’ scenario that both engages and gives you chills in equal measures. A good example would be the episode, The Entire History of You at the end of season 1 which deals with the premise of: what if we all had little devices implanted in our skulls that recorded everything we experienced and could replay them at anytime we liked? How would that effect our relationships with others? Black Mirror has a way of pulling back the curtain of innovation and revealing the potential dark consequences. Season 2 continues along the same lines and devilishly explores the themes of reality, voyeurism and identity to great effect.

 Season 3 starts with Jon Hamm guest starring in the episode White Christmas (which just aired this past December, so I guess that means we have 2 more episodes of season 3 to look forward to.) Two men are stranded in a snowy cabin on Christmas day and slowly reveal to one another how they got there. As the name suggests Black Mirror is dark reflective stuff that feels like no other show on at the moment. If you are currently looking for your next binge; that black mirror you’re currently gazing at is just waiting for the trickle down. It could be your new favourite show.

Lists the Season: The Almost But Not Quite of 2014

It’s that time of the year again: lists, lists and more lists. Everyone’s counting down the best and worst 2014 had to offer in movies, TV, music, art and media and I’m no exception. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, who doesn’t like making lists? There were some great offerings this past year and as far as movies go; Boyhood, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel were all brilliant. Television brought us great new shows like Fargo, True Detective and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. But for every delight like Louie’s violin duet we were also subjected to dreck like Oh Shenandoah. It was an unfortunate year for some really good shows that kind of lost their way, as well as some really dreadful things that got way too much traction. I’m going to focus this list on the Almost But Not Quites: things that didn’t quite gel, sometimes because their execution was a little off and others because they were just plain awful.

8. U2’s free album. I do feel the state of music is at an all time low right at the moment, but I was surprised by the vitriol unleashed by the internet when the biggest band on the planet tried to give them something for free. People were truly offended by this act. They felt violated; like someone had come into their homes uninvited, stayed too long and told a bunch of really boring stories. U2’s album suffered more from being hum-drum than being outright bad, and that I guess is the most unforgivable act of all.

7. American Horror Story: Freakshow. It pains me to write this, but our little horror soap-opera has gone off the rails. This season has no real cohesion, emotional center or satisfying endgame in sight. It feels like they’re making it up as they go. Unfortunately, AHS suffers from the same problem U2 does; their past accomplishments make their new ones feel sloppy and substandard. What happened to Twisty or Life on Mars? It started with promise and then just faltered. The only thing that could possibly redeem this season for me is if the final scene was literally the fat lady singing and then we would all know that it was mercifully over.

6.  Gone Girl. This movie made it onto a number of best-of lists and I’m a little confused as to why.This is probably the best example of Almost But Not Quite on this list. I reviewed the audio-book  a little earlier and came away with a lot of problems, none of which the movie solved.  The film did have some great ingredients like Rosamund Pike and David Fincher but didn’t wring out any real coherent insight. In the end, the premise is silly and the results too unbelievable.

5. House of Cards Season 2. Speaking of silly and unbelievable, enough said.

4. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Fallon is supposedly killing it right now as the new king of late night. I’ll hand it to him, he knows how to create social media buzz with short celebrity filled memes that have a life after 11:35, but I realized the other day; the reason he does so much game playing with his guests is because he’s a terrible interviewer. The games are there to fill the gaping hole that has been created. He talks as much about himself as he tries to create conversation. He seems nice enough, but when Colbert shows up next year, Jimmy’s in trouble.

3. The Strain. What started out compelling soon turned into well… a strain.

2. The Newsroom. I am going to miss this show. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more pretentious and condescending, they really outdid themselves on their final kick at the cat, and when I say cat – I mean social media and when I say kick -I mean whine incessantly at. Throw in a whole lot of sexism and romantic subplots that had the fizzling tension of a Who’s the Boss? episode and you have the show you love to hate.

1. The art of James Franco. I think the most obnoxious thing of 2014 was the ill conceived re-imagining of Cindy Sherman’s untitled film stills (see top of  post) by Mr. James Franco. There are no words. In 2015, please leave the art making to the real artists.   

Harry Potter and the Crimson Cloak

“It’s bigger on the inside!” Ron exclaimed as he and Harry crossed the threshold of the most ordinary cabin you ever laid eyes on. Ordinary in the sense that it was 200 miles from nowhere, in the middle of the Arctic tundra and painted a bright Cobalt blue.

Up until a very short while ago Ron and Harry had been hot on the trail of an unknown object of extraordinary magical power. Their job as Aurors had taken on a new role: to track down and investigate objects of exceptional magic. (Normally this kind of task would have been handled by a different department of the Ministry of Magic, but still five years after the vanquish of Voldemort, many dark wizards had rightly decided to return to the path of the straight and narrow and Aurors were being  utilized for other things.) Their job of finding extraordinary magical objects was made that much easier with the help of the enchantoscope. The enchantoscope was an invention of Ron’s father Arthur Weasley who had made some alterations to a regular sneakoscope so it could now detect all types of magic, rather than just the dark ones. The enchantoscope had led them to a curious looking jingle bell in an antique shop in the town of Cokeworth.

Harry and Ron’s over anxiousness and slight competitiveness had them reaching for the bell at the same time. Turns out that it was no ordinary bell, but rather a portkey. The shock of being transported from the cozy warmth of a quaint antique shop to the frigid temperatures of an Arctic wasteland tends to knock the wind out of a person. Harry smiled as he cast a warming spell to help unfreeze the look of surprise on Ron’s face. They certainly weren’t dressed for the elements and needed to get out of the cold as quickly as possible. The enchantosope was going wild in Harry’s pocket urging them towards the blue building in the distance.

The door was unlocked when they tried the latch. It opened up to a long corridor leading to another door. The walls of the hallway were lined with hundreds of hooks over top of low sitting benches. The hooks were all waist high. It appeared to be a coatroom for house elves or maybe worse – goblins.  The room smelled of gingerbread. Ron and Harry exchanged glances and then took out their wands to be on the safe side and shed some light on the far away door.

The second door too was unlocked and opened up to an enormous hall filled with workbenches and machinery. Tools covered every surface. Everything was scaled for tiny hands except for a massive desk and wardrobe off to the left of the hall situated under a massive stain glassed mural of a map of the earth. Light filtered through the coloured panes, casting the map onto the floor. Harry noticed a difference between the window and the image it cast. The cast image not only showed the continents and countries of the muggle world but also the concealed and secret places of the wizarding world. Hogwarts and Diagon Alley were clearly marked as well as countless places all over the globe. There were far more of these than even Ron realized. You could also touch the light and enlarge any aspect of the map you liked. The enchantoscope was going mental.

“Blimey!” Ron exclaimed as his gaze found an enormous shelf at the end of the hall that looked like it contained every toy he had ever wished for as a child. Harry watched him as he bee-lined for a wizarding chess board that appeared to be carved from dragon’s teeth. Harry meanwhile made his way over to the desk. It was littered with parchments written in every language imaginable. The enchantoscope motioned towards the wardrobe. Harry proceeded with caution and gingerly opened the door. Inside he found an enormous crimson cloak trimmed with white fur and jingle bells for buttons. This was the object that had led them here. The cloak gave off a warm intoxicating feeling not unlike when Harry had taken Felix Felicius or when you’ve had too many butterbeers.  Harry was about to call Ron over when he caught the reflection of a figure on the surface of the brass bells. Standing behind him was a wizard with a great flowing white beard.

“Great Dumbledore’s ghost!” Harry thought to himself.

“Hello Harry.” came a familiar voice.

 

There’s two things that I’m a total sucker for: Harry Potter and Christmas. I came late to the world of J.K. Rowling but was soon smitten. I started with the third film: The Prisoner of Azkaban (in my opinion the best film in the series) and was intrigued to see how the story played out. The first book I read was the next in the series: The Goblet of Fire and after that I was thoroughly hooked. I loved how each book matured in its writing style corresponding with the age of Harry. I caught up right in time for the release of The Half-Blood Prince (in my opinion the best book in the series) and experienced the crazy anticipation for the final chapter of the tale of Harry Potter. That same anticipation I would equate to waiting for Christmas morning as a kid.

In my mind Harry Potter and Christmas are linked. Every book touches on the holiday in some form or fashion. Even the darkest book in the series The Deathly Hallows has Harry and Hermione in Godric’s Hollow on Christmas Eve. There’s a quiet moment of beauty and hope that follows that fact; even though it takes place in a graveyard.

Christmas has come early this year for Harry Potter fans in the form of a series of new stories from J.K. Rowling published on the website Pottermore. You have to sign-up to access the new content but it’s free. The site will also sort you into one of the four houses if you like. Apparently I’m Ravenclaw – who knew?

Related: 6 Degrees of Harry Potter

                6 Degrees of Harry Potter II

                6 Degrees of Harry Potter III

Stubborn Jar of Pickles

People always say "they'd climb the highest mountain" or "swim the deepest sea", just open that stubborn jar of pickles; that's #love.

— Holditnow (@holditnow200) December 12, 2014

Tara Donovan and teamLab @ Pace

August can be a hard month for art lovers. This is traditionally the month that galleries like to take off, close their doors for a while and generally start to prepare for the fall. Every city is the same but no more so than NYC. It feels like the whole of Chelsea has collectively packed their bags and headed for the Hamptons, but even in this sea of ‘see you in September”  notifications was a must see show at Pace Gallery. Split between two spaces; Tara Donovan and teamLab offered two very startling viewing experiences that  both juxtaposed and complimented one another.

Flower and Corpse Glitch 2012 Digital Work

We started with the Japanese artist collective teamLab. The collective is made up of artists, designers, engineers, animators  and so on. Their installation consisted of various monitors and screens displaying short looped animations. They were meant to act as slow kinetic paintings. TeamLab appropriates traditional Japanese subjects and techniques but gives them a modern twist. Virtual ink danced across the surface,trees slowly blossomed, abstract waves swelled and disappeared, birds took flight and a waterfall perpetually rained. The rooms were very dark and the light of the screens bathed the room in a cool and detached glow.

Ever Blossoming Life – Gold 2014 Digital Work

Universe of Water Particles 2013 Digital Work

The works give off a definite futuristic vibe and would not be out of place in the office of some notorious sci-fi villian when Hollywood comes calling. At their best; they were mesmerizing exercises in colour and motion and at their worst veered into the dangerous territory of cheesy decoration. The future is now, but like most futures; there’s still a few kinks to work out.

Tara Donovan untitled 2014 acrylic and adhesive

Just up the street from teamLab’s experiment with the near future were two monumental sculptures by New York based artist Tara Donovan. Donovan works with everyday materials in exciting and unexpected ways. Her sculptures seem to grow from a single element into organic forms that both mimic and negate nature in equal measures.

untitled detail

untitled detail

She has a wonderful sense of texture. From afar, her work looks soft and inviting but as you approach you slowly make out the sharp corners and stiff materials. The transformation she achieves, makes you want to embrace it even more. Each piece is installed specifically in the space it will inhabit. In this way the work can change and adapt to its surroundings. She also doesn’t like to title her work. She feels naming them would manipulate the viewing experience too much and would rather have the viewer draw their own associations.

untitled 2014 styrene index cards metal wood paint

The summer is slowly drawing to a close but as Pace has proven; some shows are worth leaving the beach for.

 

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

These days, Jerry Seinfeld can basically do anything he pleases. The pressure of staying in the public eye is no longer a worry or a concern for him. This is one of the perks of having one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. He gets to do what he feels like doing, and because he’s Jerry Seinfeld we’ll tag along when we feel so inclined. At the moment, he feels like going for coffee with his friends. The thing is, his friends are some of the funniest people on  the planet and lucky for us we’re invited along for the ride.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is currently in its third season. The web series always follows the same formula. Jerry starts by introducing the car that will be featured in this week’s episode. Every car is chosen to reflect his guest’s personality. I’m not much of a car guy, but his choices are both exotic and eclectic enough to keep you engaged in this aspect of the show. What’s nice is,you can see the sheer delight on his face as he zips around Manhattan or Los Angeles in one of the automobile hall of fame’s who’s who. You can also see that not all of his guests share his enthusiasm. Next up, the canned phone call to make arrangements to go for coffee. Jerry comes and picks up his guest and then they’re off to get coffee.

What makes this web series so watchable, is its fly on the wall approach to filming. The audience gets to come along as two comedians get to let their guard down and have a casual conversation. It could be the best interview method on the planet. No studio audience, no desk, no house band and no project to shill or promote; just two guys trying to make each other laugh.

And laugh you do. Watching Mel Brooks sitting behind a TV tray delivering 40 year old punchlines is funny. Chris Rock has you laughing the minute he steps into the car. Think what you will of Alec Baldwin, but the man can tell a story. My personal favourite would be the episode with David Letterman. Only Jerry Seinfeld could get the notoriously reclusive talk show host to be so candid. I’m a huge Letterman fan and seeing another side to him is just tremendous. And at the end of the day, who wouldn’t want to go to lunch with Don Rickles or Tina Fey? Well now you can – sort of.

Thanks Jerry.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

New episodes are available on Thursdays at noon EDT.

Related: Rochelle Rochelle poster

                  Louis CK

Come Up To My Room 11

Saturday afternoon we decided to check out the Gladstone Hotel‘s annual art and design show Come Up to My Room. If you are unfamiliar with the concept: artists transform various rooms into unique installations. They range from simple projections to immersive environments. This was the show’s 11th year and it’s still going strong. We decided to show up early and found the crowds both manageable and the rooms not too crowded. As we were leaving you could feel the claustrophobia start to creep in. This is a popular show and people will definitely brave the minus 20 temperatures to come experience it.

Shannon Scanlan Gut Feelings

The Torontonians Mammalian Diving Reflex               get out of my room

Shannon Scanlan’s Gut Feelings had a nice visceral feeling combining foam and fabric to give off that slight Fantastic Voyage vibe. Get out of my Room covered its walls with less than stellar homework assignments and came replete with video game playing teenagers. Christine Kim and Vanathy Ganesharajah’s Confessional broke up the space with intricately patterned screens seperating you from your sins. Andrew Foerster combined diorama type sculptures with an animated film to explore the world of blue-grass in Tin Canyon. A highlight for me would be Kathleen Wicks’ nuanced meditation on the impact of wool on our lives with her installation Common Thread. 

Confessional

Tin Canyon

Common Thread

Hanging Matters by Jordan Evans, Ryla Jakelski, Evan Jerry and Louis Weinthal enticed viewers with dangling pull strings only to reward them with raining condoms and breath mints. Fall of the Walled Garden by Azero (AO) Also Collective + Mason Collective just made me nostalgic for chill-out rooms from the early nineties.

Hanging Matters

Fall of the Walled Garden

We then made our way up to the 3rd and fourth floors to check out Hard Twist: a textile based show. All in all, there were some nice works but the show stopper was definitely Marie De Sousa’s Depends which consisted of a pair of boxing gloves made from adult diapers.

Susan Avishai Shirtz

Joanna Schleimer Slip detail

Marie De Sousa Depends

I don’t think we found the next Pipilotti Rist at the Gladstone this time around, but we did find something worth coming back to on a cold winter’s eve.