Posts tagged with Toronto
November 5, 2009 | New Art | by Gerry Mak 
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Toronto-based painter Andre Ethier combines traditional painting techniques with flowing, textured brushwork to lend his psychedelic paintings a brooding moodiness that is reminiscent of the work of Ivan Albright as well as that of the Surrealists. Unlike other artists working with similar themes, Ethier’s images are more somber than they are giddily hallucinatory, and the horror he portrays is more nuanced, with vague references to ancient mythology and pop culture Read more
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October 7, 2009 | New Film | 
by Zolton |
This beautiful documentary charts the journey of a loggerhead turtle from its traumatic hatching on a Floridian beach and its frantic scramble to make it to the sea, to its battles with the currents as it makes its way on its genetically programmed path of discovery through the temperamental oceans. Partly fictionalized to allow for the many years over which the ‘journey’ takes place, the cinematography is stunning and the storyline engrossing, making this one of the standout screenings at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.
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September 25, 2009 | New Film | by Zolton |
Directed by Jordan Scott, the daughter of Ridley Scott, and starring the sensual Eva Green, Cracks is an unsettling, yet tragically beautiful movie set in the lush surrounds of the English countryside and featuring a Lord of the Flies-ish storyline in which a group of English boarding school students turn on a new Spanish-born classmate when they feel threatened by her evident exotic-ness and worldliness. With a dark subtext in which boundaries between teacher and student and the students themselves are increasingly blurred, and beguiling cinematography, this film, which I saw at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, provides plenty of talking points, not the least of being the stunning performance of Green as the teacher whose fantasises about a life that she had never had the opportunity to live ultimately lead to a calamitous outcome. Read more
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September 18, 2009 | New Film | by Zolton |
Whilst in Toronto last weekend for the International Film Festival, I caught a screening of Dorian Gray, the superbly realised adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic which first appeared nearly 100 years ago in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine and now stars the unheralded Ben Barnes and the meticulously brilliant Colin Firth. Directed by Oliver Parker, the film is a dark, dangerous, yet stunningly shot expose on the trappings of beauty and the inherent temptations that its combination with youth and curiosity can bring. The costume design, in particular, is wonderful, not just for the aspirational seduction of the draping and the romanticisim of the accessories, but for its shaping of an alluring but frightening world where darkness and light go hand in hand and the descent into madness is both sudden and expected. This is a compelling film, though not without its flaws. Mind you, the best of them rarely are.
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September 1, 2009 | New Music | by Gerry Mak |
Toronoto-based guitarist and vocalist Adam Cooper explained to me that he wants to make people sick with his band, Orn, much the way French shock films such as Irreversible do. When the trio hit the stage at the Smiling Buddha in Toronto, I understood exactly what he meant. Read more
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August 18, 2009 | New Events | by Erin Letson |
Paintings from Nicholas Aoki’s new solo exhibition, Goodnight; Sweet, Hearts blur two worlds — one of mortals and one of Gods, skeletons and creature spirits. The Toronto-based Aoki uses watercolors and acrylics to create rich landscapes that he layers with the characters in this journey to death. And while the paintings contain a dark subject matter, they also contain flashes of light — a glowing full moon, say, or lamp posts helping guide the way.
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August 12, 2009 | New Photography | by Alison Zavos |
These shots of drag queens by Toronto photographer Liam Sharp were taken backstage at various clubs in the village. Of the series, Sharp says: ‘I’m afraid to send them out. I don’t want to be known as the drag queen photographer. The dilemma of a commercial photographer’s struggle, especially in Canada, is that Canadians are so literal. Internationally, the depth and range of what is accepted is so much greater. It’s understood that it’s not me that these pictures represent. Rather, an interesting plot that is graphic and photographic’. Read more
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July 24, 2009 | New Music | 
by Zolton |
Toronto-based producer, and co-founder of the awesome Suction Records label, Jason Amm (aka Solvent) creates ‘robot music too complex and contemporary to sound like it was recorded in 1981, and too seeped in the time-honoured traditions of melody, songwriting and hands-on synthesis to be lost in the overcrowded world of IDM’. This uplifting, propulsive track, My Radio, is simply massive.
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July 22, 2009 | New Music | by Erin Letson |
Toronto-based Timber Timbre’s third self-titled studio release keeps a soft and moody vibe with eight simply structured songs that seem meant for listening to in the dark. Taylor Kirk, the man behind the project, has a singing voice that’s both folky and restrained. He calls on other artists to fill in strings, banjo and accompanying vocals, while his percussive backdrops anchor the low-key tunes.
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July 17, 2009 | New Art | by Ben Keys |
The creatures of Nicholas Di Genova’s imagination occupy a strange space between the petting zoo and the apocalypse. The Toronto illustrator develops entire structured communities of twisted beasts that often blur the lines between animal and machine, yet somehow even his hound of Hades ends up looking cuddly (possibly because it’s half chicken). Recent projects have included painstakingly detailed ballpoint studies of everything from tortoises to flowers to vampire bats. In an upcoming exhibition, another piece will feature a grid of 20,000 butterflies. Hey, the man likes details. Read more
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July 15, 2009 | New & Cool Architecture | by Zolton |
Designed by — and named after – the iconic architect Frank Gehry, Toronto’s FRANK is a tasty complement to the Art Gallery of Ontario, located, as it is, within the building’s beautiful surrounds. The interior design is stunning: modern, chic, and urbane, it’s a work of art in its own right, featuring modern Danish furnishings and an installation of Frank Stella’s work. And the restaurant itself benefits from the oversight of executive chef Anne Yarymowich, who has created a small but delightful menu, showcasing local wines and seasonal ingredients. Read more
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July 10, 2009 | New Food and Packaging | by Zolton |
Walking down Toronto’s Queen Street West a few weeks back, we were momentarily distracted (if an hour or two counts as momentarily) by the cake-y delicacies that adorned the store window of The Red Tea Box. Oh boy! This place is like that scene out of Hansel and Gretel where they stumble upon the Gingerbread House, only the treats here are Tea Cakes and the decorations on them should probably be hanging on the walls of a local gallery. These cakes are stunning. Almost too good to eat. Mind you, that didn’t stop us. [photos by Alison Zavos] Read more
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July 9, 2009 | New Photography | by Alison Zavos |
Born in the Canadian prairies, Liz Wolfe studied photography at Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts in Toronto. We asked her how much of her work evolves from experimentation and how much is carefully thought out from the beginning?
‘I only experiment in the pre-production stage, never during shooting. Occasional scenarios have arisen in which I’ve altered elements of the photograph slightly during shooting, but these situations are extremely rare. Typically, everything is sketched out, color-coded, planned in advance. I know exactly what the final photograph is going to look like before I start shooting. And I mean exactly!’ Read more
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July 6, 2009 | Cool Travel | by Zolton |
One of the best designed restaurants I’ve eaten at, Ultra Supper Club, located in Toronto’s bustling downtown area, offers a fun and playful ambiance and a beautifully conceptualized menu that fits neatly into that burgeoning culinary category of ‘modern fusion’. Which means, exactly? A bit of this, a bit of that, all elegantly presented and rounded off with a sparkling wine selection which complements the variable dining options. Read more
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July 3, 2009 | New Illustration | by Gerry Mak |
Toronto-based illustrator Jessica Fortner creates really elaborate 3D scenes that she photographs to make final images that resemble stills from a claymation movie. Read more
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Of his photo series — Tales From The island — New York photographer Jiri Makovec says: ‘Within the city’s rigid grid, moments of mystery and terror unveil, and are captured as a series of encounters and events. Whether the viewer is facing truth or fiction, this body of work shows the photographers’ relationship to the city’. Read more
Too beautiful to simply pass by, this is the Ring House by young Japanese architectural firm, TNA. Read more
We used to depend on sundials back in the day, but now there are multiple ways to tell the time. And Tokyo Flash has just invented another one. Based on LED technology, these watches are not only stylish but futuristic and wildly innovative. They even have a watch from minimalist designer Naoto Fukasawa that is more than just your basic timepiece. The Tokyo Flash site says that their watches are supposed to ‘resemble the various moods of a human’, and they’re definitely an attention grabber. These are watches to take us right through to the 22nd century.
If you like what we do at Lost At E Minor — and the talented, creative people that we give props to — then we’d love to hear how you can help us get the word out to more people about the site. Read more
This website hosts a nice collection of quirky, sometimes mind-boggling, sculptures from around the world. There’s a certain Dali-esque feel to a lot of them – those surreal, dreamy hallucinations turned into a warped reality. I’ve always been a sucker for art that really catches you out for a few seconds, and these certainly do that.
I don’t get Flight of The Concords. I just don’t find it funny. I also don’t get most comedy these days. It’s so derivative and clichéd. Everyone wants the same laughs. I like comedy that pushes the boundaries in strange ways. Fonejack is one underground unit that have had me rolling around on the floor with their real life skits. Read more
Despite their over-the-top rockisms (ridiculously monstrous rigs, smoke machines, and high-wattage light show), Jucifer backs the bombast up with some colon-bursting heaviness. The duo from Athens, Gergia, take 90s-era grrl rawk and combines it with slow, plodding, sludge metal like High on Fire on Vicodin.
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With the recession still biting, it may be time to whip out the glue and the cardboard and make your next pair of cool kicks. Don’t know how they’d manage in the rain though? Read more
Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
Baltimore company Charm City Cakes produces the most innovative wedding and party cakes on the market. Inspiration for these creative bakers comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, and music, and each cake is individually designed to match your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating. Don’t miss these cakey engineering masterpieces. Read more
I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.
Creative advertising packaging
Despite the intentions of many, it’s not so often that advertising — as an industry — truly thinks outside the box. Yet, when executed well, clever eye-catching advertising actually works. It does. As these examples will attest to. Read more
Check out Mike Stimpson’s Lego reinterpretations of classic photographs. Stimpson’s version of Malcolm Browne’s iconic 1963 photograph of the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc is particularly twisted. Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
Warning at Work is a silkscreen mini-print from Sussex based illustrator Andy Smith which comes in a limited edition of just 50. Dimensions are 20cm x 15cm. We have them available through the Lost At E Minor store.
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