Luxemburg, 04.07.2009 – 01.11.2009
Fabrica has been invited by the cultural space CarréRotondes in Luxemburg to present Colors of Money, an exhibition exploring the approaches, uses and understandings of money. Based on the 73rd issue of Colors Magazine (Money, winter 2007/2008), Colors of Money posits that “money is an illusion,” highlighting the myriad contradictions embodied in the all-embracing role money has come to play in modern society. Read more about the exhibition here.
London, U.K.
Since 2001, the Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation ACT Responsible (Advertising Community Together), has been collecting global advertising that “promotes responsible communication on sustainability, equitable development and social responsibility” in a bid to highlight how the creativity of advertising professionals can be used to address the world’s problems.
Among its 2,500 ads from more than 40 countries and 140 award-winning agencies is a striking collection of adverts that focus on environmental and social issues: from deforestation to recycling and conserving water to climate change.
Ads, from the top: Killing trees is killing people. for Friends of the Earth, France; Travelling fruits cause pollution. (Think global. Eat local.) for Bund/Friends of the Earth, Germany; A single tin of paint can pollute millions of liters of water. for WWF Spain; Forests for Life. for WWF Thailand; Save. for WWF Hungary.
Thanks to Lauren Trimble for the link to a collection of adverts at guardian.co.uk
Winnipeg, Canada
Circle’s latest Canadian Recording Artists stamps (that launched a week ago) have garnered a fair bit of early attention, and there’s been a steady stream of feedback from both near and far. Locally, I was interviewed on 3 July by Margaux Watt on the CBC radio afternoon show, and on 4 July the Winnipeg Free Press ran an article about the stamps’ design in the Business section (view a larger JPG of the article here or read the piece online here).
The Globe And Mail ran an in-depth story (online here), CTV gave the issue quite a bit of coverage as did Radio-Canada (highlighting that this is the first time that Canadians who perform in French are being lauded by Canada Post), and the stamps and related stories have appeared on numerous websites and blogs (including Bryan Adams’ website here) and philatelic collectors’ sites such as Stamp News International.
Canada Post and the featured artists all appear to be pleased. Stompin’ Tom says he’s “delighted, humbled and overwhelmed by the ‘stamp of approval;’” Édith Butler (whose great grandfather was a postmaster and who sent us photos of the stamp launch in Paquetville, NB—where her 92-year-old cousin was the first in line at the post office to buy a souvenir sheet) called the stamps “the greatest thing that ever happened to me;” a chuffed Bryan Adams responded “It is a wonderful honour to be amongst the great men and women who have graced our Canadian stamps… I am humbled by the recognition;” and Robert Charlebois stated: “I wish my parents would be alive to see this, because when I started 40 years ago, I never thought I would land on a stamp… I probably will send all my friends postcards with my own face on it, especially to my friends in Belgium and Switzerland—they’re going to faint, they won’t believe their eyes.”
Mammoth Lakes, California
Sad news today from my long-time climbing buddy (and client) Gregor Brandt… John Bachar, a leading light among free solo climbers of our age passed on two days ago while climbing (solo) on the Dike Wall above Mammoth Lakes where he lived with his son Tyrus… ; a tribute here; an interview here; and more here, and here.
RIP… or climb on, John!
More along this line at Veterans for Peace.
Asheville, North Carolina
An ephemera interview I participated in with Marty Weil is now online here.
Thanks, Marty!
Atlanta, Georgia
I stumbled across these (and many more) inspiring graphic assemblages by Mark Weaver here. There’s certainly something to be said about the power of juxtaposition…
Pinawa, Manitoba
I’ve spent the past few days with Evelin and my entire Peters family at the Wilderness Edge resort (in Pinawa, on the Winnipeg River) participating in a get-away weekend in honour of my 89-year-old father, our patriarch John Jacob Peters. With my brother Phil and his clan here from Germany, this provided the first opportunity in several years for us all to be together in one place.
Highlights of the weekend have been an incredible audio-visual presentation my brother Jim assembled from hundreds of old family photographs he had scanned, a well-written life-history presented by Doreen, Dad’s wife (who also took care of all weekend arrangements—thanks!), a musical tribute by brother Phil et al, and the open sharing and good fellowship that takes place when a geographically dispersed family comes together for some quality time. The weather cooperated (for the most part) for the outdoor activities (a hay ride, canoeing, biking, swimming, evening camp-fires) and it seems a good time was had by all. Life is good…
Family photos (from those that surfaced on the weekend): the ship Dad came to Canada on from Russia in 1925; a hand-coloured “John the lumberjack” on Vancouver Island (serving as a Conscientious Objector during World War II); our family stuffed into a Heinkel Kabine (Frankfurt, 1957); brother Jim and I, 1958; Dad enjoying the mountain view (Swiss Alps, c. 1978); and an informal family photo here in Pinawa yesterday.
Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba
I’ve had the pleasure and privilege during the past year of collaborating on a variety of sculptural pieces (and in the process, re-discovering a long-lost sense of tactility) with the talented (and smart, and lovely :-) ceramist Evelin Richter. This is one of our latest completed co-productions, The Vamp. You can see more sculptural works at Ev’s website: www.whatclayart.com
The Vamp: Voluptuous coil-built stoneware sculpture, wood-fired to ∆ 12 (vitrified, unglazed—the coloration is natural ash and flashing), mounted on a cast iron pedestal base, with woodstove-tarnished nickel ball-chain skirt; 280mm x 280mm x 630mm high.
