Jacquie Severs: November 2011

my dad and me in front of the new Coupland sculpture

I recently submitted an article to a new, local, grassroots publication called SlowCity Magazine.

Here's the magazine's facebook fan page. It just launched although the magazine is heading into its third issue.

I was asked by the publisher to write about the new Douglas Coupland sculpture, which I've posted about before here but I thought I'd share the article below. At left is a photo of my dad and I in front of the work on the day Mr. Coupland was in Oshawa to unveil it. It was a really exciting day for me as I'm a big Coupland fan-girl and I was so happy so many people came out and supported public art in this area. It was a standing-room-only event and had a fantastic vibe. And of course Mr. Coupland had the whole place laughing. My dad and sister came and though I see them both as really creative people I think they were both surprised at how much they enjoyed the art gallery that day and felt like they could understand the work and how it relates the the cultural heritage here. They left Oshawa after the talk and I headed up to Orillia after I finished work a few hours later and we all met up for dinner. It was really cool to sit around the dinner table, with the kids (no, not me, my sister's little ones) not able to get a peep in as my Dad and Sister buzzed about the event. Public art and artists like Douglas Coupland make art accessible and interesting and raises curiosity. It is good stuff any way you slice it.

Here's my article for SlowCity. The next one launches in December. If you're a writer, artist, photographer, musician or other creative type that wants to get involved join the fan page and submit work.

Douglas Coupland in Oshawa

Civic pride and culture go hand in hand. When people speak of cities that they want to visit or live in, they are usually speaking about cities that are cool, interesting and fun. Those cities are that way because they have great music, great art, great scenes to check out; culture is part of all of these things. Oshawa has some civic pride, but residents have disparate sources. Some have taken pride in our work ethic, some our gritty punk rock scene, some our green spaces. We all have something new to be proud of; our new Douglas Coupland sculpture.

Douglas Coupland is no slacker. One of Canada’s most internationally renowned authors, he’s also a practicing artist. Here in Canada collaborations with Roots, interviews on the CBC and installations in major parks and cities nationwide have made him one of the top cultural household names. And now, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery has brought him to Oshawa.

Oshawa, the city perceived as a nitty-gritty working class town is in transition, becoming a cultural centre. Oshawa, a city stuck between the big smoke and wide open spaces now becoming a cool destination, an interesting and fun place to live and work.

A visit from the artist himself got people excited; it got them interested in where we are headed, but better still where we could go as a community. The installation at the RMG relates to our cultural history too – the sculpture is inspired by the works of Painters Eleven, an important abstract art collective whose modernist works are collected across the country and internationally. The largest collection of these works is here in Oshawa at the RMG because one of the members, Alexandra Luke, resided here and helped keep that culture here. Her legacy, and those of her peers, is transmitted through the work of a new work of art, Group Portrait 1957 by Douglas Coupland.

Coupland’s work brings together residents, brings art to the masses (as it sits outside the gallery walls) and brings attention to our city. People are wondering, what is going on here? We’re honouring our history while we propel ourselves forward into the future, one drenched in circular waves of colour. Our civic pride and our culture are coming together, we’re becoming more cool, more interesting, more fun. That’s where our pride connects, no matter what your priority.

I recently fell in love with a chair in a decor store. It is the perfect mix of future and retro and it is surprisingly comfortable.

This is it - a Eero Aarnio bubble chair. Aarnio is a Finnish designer who was very popular in the 60's. This chair, designed in 1968 is one of his signature designs and has become a symbol of futurist furniture. I tried it out expecting it to be an odd feeling, better for looking at than sitting in. But I was wrong. It felt like a warm little cocoon and I could have curled up and lived in the thing.

I considered it, and my budget, for quite some time because it so happened I spotted one in a end-of-line decor shop at a ridiculously good price. Ultimately I decided I didn't know how I would actually get it into my condo and that I'd have to take some measurements. The next time I returned, it was gone. Snooze = Lose.

I recently came across these amazing illuminated bubble chairs by Rousseau commissioned for private project. Rousseau is a design studio in London England that manufactures luxury products, interiors, props and works on bespoke events. This project included a redesign of the bubble chair infusing illustrative artwork and LED lighting to create a piece that could be viewed as art or enjoyed as furniture.

The bubble chair "Information Lounge" at Frankfurt Airport

Considered an industrial design classic, the bubble chair is elegant and simple, but it also is brash and daring. I think that's what appeals to me most, is the way that a simple, colourless geometric design has such impact.

It is comfortable and has an interesting rocking sensation, not at all like any other rocking chair I've spent time in. It's also oddly quiet in the chair, like all outside noise is lessened. People were talking to me while I was in the chair and I zoned out. In my place with the bright west sunsets, I think I'd probably curl up in this chair on a sunny winter afternoon and fall asleep in a few minutes. I like thinking about that already.

There are many knock offs on the market and I know the one I saw was not an original. It's possible that it wouldn't hold up, the acrylic would crack, or the hardware wouldn't be of good quality. Which would be unfortunate, because even the knock-offs aren't exactly cheap. Research tells me an authentic chair will set you back about six thousand dollars, including shipping and taxes.

I guess I'm putting this one in the dream file for now.

Links:

Where to buy the authentic designer chair internationally

Learn more about Eero Aarnio's furniture designs

I've been very busy lately. I know I've been saying that a lot on this blog but it is the truth. I do want to have some more time to blog but I love being busy (best kind of problem to have) and with so many birthdays, events and social occasions in October, it is no surprise that I've not had a lot of time for my writing here.
November keeps rolling until mid month when things slow down ever-so-slightly. At that time I think I'll blog a bit about some creative projects I'm hoping to work on in the coming weeks as Christmas gifts.

Meanwhile, here's a few things I've been up to lately.

I filmed an interview recently talking about what the Art of Transition means to me, and what creative community building is all about.

Here it is

It's weird to watch yourself on camera! I don't think I'm this serious in real life. I don't seem like the goofy gal that lives inside my head. Being involved in the Art of Transition project has been a lot of fun and has introduced me to loads of interesting people. The video speaks for itself, but if you want the quick answer to what I'm talking about, come to the Durham Tourism Summit & Creative Awards, November 25th. It's all day and there's going to be all sorts of interesting people there, from speakers to craftspeople, dancers to food samples to arts orgs and other interesting things.

As a little side writing project I published a piece about Douglas Coupland's new sculpture in Oshawa in a new grassroots publication called SlowCity. Here's an event page for the launch of the issue.

My newest column in the Oshawa Express is out, and it's about supporting your cultural community by participating in art classes and getting to know your peers. It's not only important for beginners, but also for emerging artists, people who want to network, or even people that want to get involved but are shy and don't know how.

Speaking of being creative, I've just come through my favourite time of year, Halloween. Costume parties are the best things ever! I also enjoy the few days following the holiday when everyone posts their costume pictures online, and I also make a point of checking out the celebrity costumes. Celebs have much bigger budgets than us, so I think expectations should be much higher.

My favourite celebrity halloween costume this year is from Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and his girlfriend who went as Axl Rose and Stephanie Seymour, a nod to her dress in the November Rain video.

I think it's a funny costume because it's a pop culture costume in the genre of Amy Winehouse (the pop culture costume that just won't go away) but relevant to pop culture more than ten years ago. Hilarious!

This year I needed three costumes, and had a very limited budget. For the first event, I dressed as the new Douglas Coupland sculpture at the RMG. For the second event, I was a lawn gnome. For the third event, my own party, I dressed as the paper bag princess! Grand total expenditures on these costumes was under ten dollars.

This is the Paperbag Princess. She's very angry in the book so I tried to look angry in photos...though I'm not much of an actor and have a very hard time holding an "angry" face...I think I'm half angry in this photo and half laughing.

The Paperbag Princess is a character in a children's book of the same name by author Robert Munsch. I loved the story as a child and have loved reading it to my niece as an adult. I think it tells a much more positive story to little girls than most of those horrid misogynist Disney princess stories.

Here's the synopsis:
Princess Elizabeth plans on marrying Prince Ronald, who is practically perfect. However, a dragon arrives who destroys her kingdom, kidnaps Ronald, and burns all her clothes so that she has no choice but to wear a paper bag. Elizabeth follows the dragon and Ronald, and seeking to rescue her fiancé, challenges the dragon to burn forests with fire and to fly around the world. The dragon completes the tasks but after flying around the world a second time becomes tired and falls asleep. Elizabeth rescues Ronald, who is ungrateful and tells her to return when she looks more like a princess. Elizabeth realizes that she is better off without Ronald and sets off into the sunset to live her own life.

I also had a pretty great idea for my costume for next year. Since I normally have a good costume idea this time of year and then forget it when I need to think of one a year later, I'm going against my personal rules of keeping costumes a secret and posting it here.

Wouldn't it be fun to be Red from Fraggle Rock?

Red is another strong female character. She's exuberant and athletic, she's cynical and teases her friends and wants to be in control. Yep, this sounds like a perfect costume for me! Also, it gives me an excuse to shop for a cute little red dress...just 11.75 months to go!

I like stronger female characters, I really feel like there is a lack of them in children's (and adult's) entertainment and media. So often strong female characters have negative portrayals. I've been wanting to catch a screening of the documentary Miss Representation.

There's one this week but I'll have to miss it due to a prior commitment. It is a documentary film about women and how they are portrayed in media. From their own website, "American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths. Miss Representation.org believes that all people should be equally represented in our media, that our voices should be heard and that we should all be valued for our talents, capacity as leaders, and ability to contribute to the world at large."

The org behind the film created a great tumblr featuring positive, strong female halloween costumes. You can check them out here.

There's a serious problem in our culture when teenaged girls and children are buying their costumes at sex shops. I like lingerie and ridiculous outfits as much as the next gal (heck, I even blog about it) but I don't think it's appropriate for halloween. On my old blog I spent a lot more time talking about feminist issues and more personal things, which I think I'd like to find a way to infuse more on this blog as well, though I've hesitated so far. Maybe I'll find that voice again soon.
So that's what's been burning up my time this month. Bring on November!

Jacquie Severs

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