Mike Simpson » Art

Interview with Ray Larabie – Font Designer

Mike — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:01:13 +0000

Early this year I interviewed Ray Larabie, a Canadian font designer (from Ottawa), who lives and works in Nagoya, Japan. Ray studied animation at Sheridan college and worked initially in the video game industry. He runs a successful company called Typodermic. I knew about Ray back in my early days of design (mid 90s) because I had on occasion searched for free fonts on the web. At that time he operated as Larabie fonts (there are still dozen of his freebies out there!). I rediscovered Ray doing some font browsing at MyFonts.com. Ray is an interesting guy and I’m pleased to announce he’s the first subject in my newly launched interview page (which will archive other interviews I’ve done as well, with a variety of artists, musicians, designers and thinkers). Check out the interview!

Do we get the General Idea? Art Exhibit arrives at AGO

Mike — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:38:26 +0000

There is a quite a buzz surrounding the arrival of a large exhibition of work by General Idea at the Art Gallery of Ontario. GI were a Toronto-based art collective, founded in 1969 and comprised of: AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal. They were renowned for their irreverance and satirical wit – playful yet antagonistic in their sometimes harsh critiques of beauty, sexuality, the art establishment and the media.

The exhibit occupies most ofthe top two floors in the general collection, which means there is no additional charge. We arrived on a rainy Wednesday evening at 6 o’clock – coincidentally the night that the gallery is free for a couple hours, and made our way straight to floor 5, with the plan to work our way down to 4. We bypassed the classics on floor 1 and headed straight to the elevator. The scale of the work exhibited is impressive. It basically occupies two entire floors (there are only 5 in the general gallery) and features impressively large works (some of which though may fatigue the eyes with their incredible saturated color schemes).

The work itself is interesting but grows a tad tiresome – there are a handful of major works involved, motifs, that are worked again and again. The AIDS logo, if we can call it that, is a fabulous reworking of the classic LOVE sculpture created by Robert Indiana. It appears in various guises, and is an incredible example of the modern art of sampling, recycling and reworking earlier design for a modern purpose. When displayed across a 5 metre by 10 metre wall though, the motif loses something and truthfully is a little disorienting and painful to look at (there is actually a physically uncomfortable component that both me and my companion noticed – was that part of the intent? I’ll guess the answer is no and that the curators are simply milking the themes for all they are worth).

I was very intrigued by “Miss General Idea” – a paraody beauty contest that was a major early work. It is genius – they created this contest, publicized it and playfully attacked the institution of the beauty contest. It’s too bad the displays consist mostly of blown-up images from their pamphlets, or a few simple props (though the props are sometimes outstanding – the venetian blind dress comes to mind!).

There are motifs that entertain and bring true giggles – the Poodles orgy images are omnipresent but beautifully designed (and the babies illustration is wickedly brilliant!). The Poodles are a welcome image that recurs throughout the exhibit and somehow have true staying power never losing steam and are ingrained in my mind.

General Idea is arguably, one of the most important artistic groups to have been generated in Toronto, and , not being an art expert, I won’t judge their significance in that way. I will give them a nod and say that I greatly admire their pioneering DIY spirit, the verve with which they threw themselves into areas like publishing (FILE magazine), and their masterly manipulations of the establishment (“Miss General Idea”) and the art industry. A great sense of humour is readily apparent, though truthfully many pieces have a dark, serious quality. The aesthetic is very punk – which is always good. Even if you don’t “get it” necessarily, you will feel the visceral quality and never ever be bored. That said, I have been lucky enough to visit a few exhibits in the last year, including “Rear View Mirror” at Power Plant, Tim Burton at TIFF, and Marian Bantjes at OCAD, and I can definitely say there is room for improvement in the layout and presentation of the General Idea group’s art.

This exhibit relies too much on the AIDS imagery, tries to blow things up to a scale which doesn’t necessarily serve the message in the medium, and unfortunately lacks proper vehicles for two important elements. The first is a proper history of the group, something to give the average gallery-goer some context, and secondly, a proper venue for the multimedia aspect. Power Plant had small mini rooms that are dark and allowed one to sit and immerse onself in a movie for a few minutes. The AGO has monitors with either shabby speakers or headphones – which is not even close to good enough. Is the multimedia worth displaying? Then put it in a dedicated room!

General Idea were a compelling group of artists with some amazing ideas. This exhibit is probably your best opportunity to engage with those ideas. I just recommend going on Wednesday when it’s rainy and there is no line-up for the AGO’s free-admission night.

“Haute Culture – General Idea” runs from July 30, 2011 to January 1, 2012 at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

Links:

Toronto Star article – provides an introduction and overview
http://www.thestar.com/article/1032194–general-idea-haute-culture-at-the-ago

Art Gallery of Ontario website

http://www.ago.net/haute-culture-general-idea

Cinemagraphs – Magic animated GIFs bridge photography and film

Mike — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:37:13 +0000

Cinemagraph by Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg - http://cinemagraphs.com

I found an absolutely stunning bit of photography and animation on the web today. I went to google and searched for “sophisticated GIF” and found some work that blew me away. Each shot is like a time capsule, a magical micro-moment – and they’re animated GIFS!

There’s a good chance you associate the concept of an animated GIF with something like a garish early nineties website along the lines of a Geocities homepage. Remember Borat? His original tongue in cheek website is no longer online but has been preserved by the good folks at the Internet Archive, and you should read my post on his insane animated GIF strewn website here: http://iam.strongandfree.ca/blog/the-internet-is-forever-wayback-machine-retrieves-borat

Above you’ll see an example of this amazing visual art. It’s like a throwback to the original days of cinema, when even the most primitive frames could spark delight and capture the imagination. Mind you, the duo of Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg are operating in modern NYC and their spin on the “cinemagraph” is very sophisticated in its execution. I going to encourage you to check out two websites for dozens of examples of the incredible imagery, before I ask you to analyze the image at the top of this post (you’ll see some teensy tiny flaws in the crosswalk area at right).

So be sure to spend a few minutes at the main page, and the blog by Jamie Beck (each site has different content)

Cinemagraph site: http://cinemagraphs.com/

Blog by Jamie: http://fromme-toyou.tumblr.com/tagged/cinemagraph

Iconic Canadian Graphic Artist Marian Bantjes Exhibit at OCAD

Mike — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:59:14 +0000

"I want it all" - Marian Bantjes

If you get a chance you must head to the Onsite gallery at OCADU and catch the Marian Bantjes exhibit. Marian recently published, “I Wonder,” a beautifully printed and design “illuminated manuscript” (as design guru Steven Heller has described it). She is definitely one of Canada’s hottest designers. She is a graphic artist who brings passion and personality to her intricate crafty work. Specializing in highly detailed illustration and beautiful typographic work, Bantjes captivates with a variety of works, from magazine covers to posters to laser-cut valentine cards. The detail is phenomenal and the approach highly original. A little bonus is the sound recording of her reading one of her “love letter” pieces aloud, which you’ll find in the main room. This show is here for another two weeks – so be sure to check it out.

Read Steven Heller’s review of “I Wonder” in the NY Times (with slideshow of book spreads):
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/graphic-content-marian-bantjes-illuminated/

Visit the Onsite gallery is on the second floor of the main OCAD building at 100 McCaul St. in downtown Toronto (beside the AGO). The exhibit is on from March 2 – June 5, 2011
http://www.ocad.ca/onsite.htm

Essential Docs – Mike’s Favorite Documentary Films

Mike — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:14:40 +0000

Mike has been an earnest student of film since he studied the “History of Cinema” and “Italian Cinema” at university. Mike is an aspiring filmmaker with a few short videos under his belt. Currently he is working on “City Symphony” – a hybrid documentary / music video that includes music by his alter-ego “Mikooshka.”

Here are some of my favourite docs – in alphabetical order. After you read this please feel free to comment or use the share button to send this on to your colleagues, friends and family.

* Canadian movie, director, or content

*9 Blocks, 6 Months – Dir. Christopher Romeike – Poignant interwoven stories in Toronto’s working class Parkdale neighbourhood. A sensitive and quiet movie that is emotionally rich and beautifully shot.

Barbarians at the Gate – Dir. Spike Jonze – Fun cross-America skateboard tour with Foundation/Blind teams. Frames the hi-jinx and skate action with the “American Vacation” style narrative and visuals.

Watch scenes from this movie via my playlist at YouTube
Barbarians at the Gate – Dir. Spike Jonze

Big River Man - Dir. John Maringouin – Follows Martin Strel, a burly hard-drinking Eastern European, who swims the longest rivers of the world, and in this feature, attempts to swim the length of the Amazon. Incredible mix of drama, humour, and scenery.

DC Movie – Dir. Greg Hunt – DC Shoe Co. + skateboard superstars = amazing production value. One of the most incredible “action sports” videos of the last ten years. Danny Way’s record-setting airs off the big ramps set to Metallica are easily the highlight.

Food Inc – Dir. Robert Kenner – A highly professional documentary that utilizes some slick motion graphics and cinematography in its production, while illuminating the current crisis in American/global agricultural practices (co-produced by Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation”).

*Gambling, Gods and LSD – Dir. Peter Mettler – a psycho-geographical journey into the modern day world via beautifully filmed scenes in North American casinos, evangelical churches and contrasted with scenes from exotic locations like India.

Grizzly Man – Dir. Werner Herzog – A story about a man who lived and died with grizzly bears in the Alaskan frontier – absolutely essential viewing from the quintessential documentarian. Also recommended is the more recent ”Encounters At the End of the World” (about his travels to Antarctica).

*Manufactured Landscapes – Dir. Jennifer Baichwal – Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscape due to industrial work and manufacturing. Some of the most striking scenes demonstrate the awesome scale of development in China.

*Mayor of Tent City – Dir. Rosalie Bellefontaine - Gritty urban tale of hope and redemption for homeless in Toronto’s “Tent City” shanty town. You may be only able to find a copy of this in the library system.

*McLuhan’s Wake – Dir. Kevin McMahon – Excellent overview of the life, career, and work of Marshall McLuhan within a narrative framework that centres on “The Laws of Media,” his last scholarly work. Also look for Kevin’s newest work, Waterlife – a doc focused on the ecology and issues of the Great Lakes.

My Architect – Dir. Nathaniel Kahn – Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.

*Souvenir of Canada – Dir. Robin Neinstein – Explores Doug Coupland’s life story, “Souvenir” photography-based books of iconic Canadian products, his family, and artistic life (his preparations for an art show called “Canada House”). One of my all-time favorites. Compelling, profound, and funny.

That is my list – I’d welcome yours! It’s an interesting exercise to do this. What do our favorites say about us? I know for one thing, that at this moment it’s even easier for me to concoct a list of docs than regular flicks. These days I am ravenous for documentary film and there is a mountain of great material out there. I get my movies in equal number from my local video shop – the amazing “Big Daddy’s” on Dundas St West – and the Toronto Public Library, which has an extensive catalogue.

Related Note 1: Read my book review of Douglas Coupland’s “Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall McLuhan”

Related Note 2: When I was googling these movies to confirm the director info I found my own page at the top of the Google results for “Barbarians at the Gate” (#1 of 353 listings for “Spike Jonze Barbarians at the Gate”). Spike Jonze is a famous Hollywood director these days, but he got his start in more humble skateboarding industry productions.

My original “review” page with stills from Barbarians at the Gate is here:

http://strongandfree.ca/skateontario/video/classics.htm

Iconic Canadian Connections – Coupland’s McLuhan Book Reviewed

Mike — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:41:31 +0000

It was with great excitement that one day early this summer a search for “Douglas Coupland” at the Toronto Public Library website yielded an amazing find: “Extraordinary Canadians – Marshall McLuhan.” This is a book by Coupland which explores the life and ideas of a most iconic Canadian. And if you are familiar with Douglas and like his quirky style, then you might agree it’s a perfect match.

John Ralston Saul, notable Canadian author, essayist, head of PEN International, and the head of the “Extraordinary Canadians” series in 2005, thought as much too. Coupland was approached a few times to do this and finally relented. Some critics have charged that he sourced too much info from Wikipedia and Google searches, but truth be told, the book offers some insights and is related in an affectionate style. Coupland and McLuhan are kindred spirits, separated by a few generations, but definitely on the same wavelength. I know they both have some similarities in style and the odd peculiarity: quiet introspective thinkers who have embraced the media as promotional tool, finding it difficult to fall asleep without the aid of ear plugs (both of which are something I can relate to). Perhaps the most public and iconic element are the catchphrases, from Coupland’s “Generation X,” to McLuhan’s “Global Village.”

In the end, I throughly enjoyed the book, found the biographical elements substantial enough, and the quirky Internet trivia stuff entertaining. Please check out my links to an interview with Douglas Coupland, an excerpt from the book and my full review of Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall Mcluhan.

Art exhibits explore Toronto/Ontario urban and wilderness spaces

Mike — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:24:57 +0000

Two art show / exhibitions open this Friday that explore the geography of Ontario, one focusing on the man-made spit at the foot of Leslie St. in Toronto, and the other on the remote wilds of northern Ontario, north of Thunder Bay by and reached via Highway 11.

I don’t really frequent art openings and I’m a marginal participant, but in the last year I attended Contact Photography Festival, the Gladstone on an occasion or two, and a handful of cool shows involving friends (including the amazing YYZ shopping mall at 401 Richmond that my friend Ulysses participated in). I was really stoked to get emails from two gallery spaces early this week. This weekend two shows open which document explorations of urban/wilderness spaces and concepts at the geographic extremes of Toronto and northern Ontario (easily 24 hours driving north of the megacity).

The first email came from Ranko Pavic, who operates Gallery Out / Aut on St. Clair Ave West. I first met him about two years ago. He was preparing an exhibit with punky/graffiti-inspired manipulations of found materials, and I got stoked on his originality and bright quirky works. He hosts a number of other artists at the gallery throughout the year. On Friday the photography exhibition “As Far North in Ontario as the Road Goes,” by Noah Cole, opens for a one month run.

The second email I received was from Laura and John, who operate the innovative Labspace Studio at 2a Pape Ave. in the city’s east-end. Two years ago I did a DJ-Live performance there as Mikooshka, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and eclectic acts and art. John and Laura strive to present interesting evenings of music and performance, with a backdrop of funky edgy art, and it looks like they are going to be stretching novel concepts to the limit with their new and future projects. I think the description below should pique your interest (and be sure to keep your eye out for a future “Toronto explorations through art” event called “Rumblings from the Rouge”). Labspace’s event is just over the weekend so you have a brief window to catch it! (Performances Friday night and exhibit Saturday.)

Here are descriptions and links for the shows and artists:

As Far North in Ontario as the Road Goes

“Inspired by stories of northern travels; bears, beautiful lakes, remote hiking trails, historic canoe routes, logging roads, and the potential promise of seeing caribou, I headed on a journey along Highway 11, past Kapuskasing, and Thunder Bay, as far north as the road travels in Ontario. I drove to a remote community, and drove 300 kilometers north of it, where there are no cell phone towers, or gas stations – at the end of the road there is only wilderness, and the result of the impact people have made on the lands. I had the chance to see big rivers, blue sky, expansive lakes, pickerel, remote villages, mountains, ancient forests, and the stars in the northern sky. Along my journeys I enjoyed blueberries, fresh fish, and along the many miles of open road and wilderness, I enjoyed my own company, as well as the company of loons, a fox, and the campfire. On my journey, I hiked along many ancient trails, and I stood on the shores of lakes where voyageurs, and ancient first nations people stood, enjoying the landscape that brings peace of mind in an otherwise busy world.”

Noah Cole

A Night with Leslie
Adventure 2 – led by Laura Mendes and John Loerchner

Nine adventurers set out on a two-day expedition to explore and research the strange and beguiling landscape of the Leslie St. Spit; a 5km man-made peninsula, wildlife sanctuary and active construction dumpsite.

Join them as they present their research and “Spit”
inspired works: Performance, Dance, Sound, Installation & Found Sculpture.”

Labspace Studio

Links:

Noah Cole

greenravenphotography.com

Labspace Studio

labspacestudio.com

Toronto Summer Festivals – A Glimpse of the World at Home

Mike — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:21:48 +0000

I am a huge proponent of the multiculture. It informs my design and my world outlook. I also teach English and through my teaching have met students from literally every corner of the globe. In my artistic life, as Mikooshka (my musical alter-ego), I craft music which crosses over from genres like reggae, rock and hip-hop to Latin, African, and Brazilian.

For many Torontonians, summer in the city means getting an opportunity to catch a little of the flavor that the world brings here via Toronto’s immigrant communities. The major festivals are a great place to start and I will outline some here and offer a few quieter “year-round” activities you might consider as well.

Caribana: Note: Parade is tomorrow – Aug 1st. Happening annually and drawing as many foreign visitors as Pride, this is perhaps the most significant cultural festival in the city. A long time ago I attended the parade and was blown away by the color and energy. Caribana has been unfairly associated with violence (which has usually only occurred in the wee hours on weekends), and overall the parade and larger events can be considered safe and welcoming (a positive joyful atmosphere pervades). At other times of the year you can try jerk chicken, oxtail, and rotis at any of the fine Caribbean restuarants that dot the city, and we have some amazing reggae and island musicians in this city.
Try: Ackee Tree restaurant at Queen and Spadina, and one of the many reggae gigs in town – perhaps a good one would be the classic Canadian reggae outfit The Satellites, playing at the Orbit Room on College (every Tuesday night for “Roots Rock Reggae”).

Turkish Festival – Aug 7-8, 2010: Last year I happened upon a neat Ukrainian festival in Bloor St. Village, and this year I’ve just seen a promo for the Toronto Turkish Festival. It looks just as exotic and authentic, with music, food, and traditional costume and dance on the program. You can check out the official website and for a low-key around the year food experience you could try Champion Turkish restaurant, located near Pape and Donlands subway stations. Try the Donar! (It’s also known in these parts by the Arabic name Shawarma).

Hot and Spicy Food Festival – Aug 13-15: This Harbourfront event at the lakeside outdoor venue in downtown Toronto is about more than food – it also encompasses documentary film and music. Beyond the many artists and chefs making an appearance there is a renowned Cuban-Canadian jazz musician named Hilario Duran. He performs a free gig on Friday August 13th.

Inuit Arts and Culture Festival – Summer 2010: Continuing, weekends only until September 6, 2010 at the Toronto Zoo. As Douglas Coupland so rightly pointed out in his movie “Souvenir of Canada,” we often don’t get a chance to engage with the First Nations people of Canada. It seems that we are in a disconnect with the one million people who make up the Canadian aboriginal community (in Souvenir of Canada Coupland jokes that we ironically only experience Native culture in ceremonial dance demonstrations when the Queen comes to visit). Now’s your chance to dip at least a toe into the world of the Inuit and check out the Inuit artists work at the zoo.

In each case the festival offers an opportunity for us to learn a little bit more about the fascinating diversity of Toronto. Admittedly unless we make a friend or have family members in these other ethnic communities, we may never get a full immersion, but I think any attempt at “getting out feet wet” is a good start. Get out there an enjoy a few cultural events this summer.

Free Online Course – DIY Graphic Design and Marketing – July 5- Aug 9

Mike — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:52:00 +0000

I’m a teacher and designer offering a free online course for people interested in developing skills in areas like Graphic Design and Marketing. I’m offering the course to people who are not artists, but who have “artistic” or “artsy” tendencies and would like to develop some materials to promote themselves, their business or their organization. Many of my current students are working in various fields, including the arts, education, media, entertainment and law/finance. The most successful students are those with some strong ideas about design projects they’d like to work on in areas like print and web (business cards, logos, blogs etc). If you are interested and can commit 3-4 hours a week toward readings, participating in forums and completing assignments, you are welcome to apply.

June 25th is the deadline to receive formal letters of interest/intent. Please contact me for more detailed information.

You might also check out this post from when I first offered the course (includes link to PDF outline)

Mike Simpson

mike | strongandfree.ca

Photoshop Turns 20

Mike — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:22:19 +0000

It’s amazing to think about the importance of Photoshop in my life. As a graphic designer I have fired up Photoshop nearly every day for the last ten years, and for a few years prior to that, friends were doing the “firing up” and I was just along for the amazing ride.

In 1996, with the help of my friend Pete, I started designing logos for t-shirts. My first design was a pure bite of the Kiss logo – my brainstorm was that “kiss” (pronounced) backwards was “sick.” And so Sick was clothing was born. I took a paycheck and optimistically printed 100 t-shirts with my Sick-Kiss hybrid logo, including Gene staring out from the middle. One night Pete and I went down to Kinko’s to scan a Guitar Player magazine and a half hour later we were deep in an early version of Photoshop, chopping up the lettering to create my first logo.

I created many of my early logos with Photoshop, somehow never needing to get anything generated with Illustrator. I suppose many designs were based either on photographs, scanned images, hand drawn imagery and simple shapes or text.

About 6 months ago I got my hands of the Adobe Master Suite CS4 and I’ve spent a hundred hours or more in that version of PS. Just a few weeks ago CS5 was released and it looks amazing. I am teaching an online course in Graphic Design and I’m encouraging my students to download the trial – a behemoth at 1 GB (includes option to install “enhanced” version). On the preview page there is are some small flash movies that show off some killer new functions, including HDR photo creation, complex selections and content-aware fill (check this last one out — you can erase an object in your picture and the program automatically fills in the background like the object was never there). This is too amazing. I may have to check out the trial version too.

Layers Magazine has an in-depth article with interviews with some Photoshop developers:

http://layersmagazine.com/photoshop-turns-20.html