fQaroundtown: November 2010


This is a very soft double pocket knit by String Theory, who made their Toronto debut at the One Of A Kind Show where they were awarded best Booth Design and had record sales String Theory is Lysanne Latulippe is the knit designer while Megan Price is the weaver their third partner is Etienne Proulx communications and marketing

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You can see some of what I saw at the One of A Kind Christmas 2010, and Hard Twist, at the Gladstone, in my facebook album of the same name

One of A Kind Christmas 2010, Hard Twist, at the Gladstone, Holiday Sales

Isabelle Veilleux and her company zazaï from Quebec City where in booth: O-47 at Show. Isabella introduced herself to fibreQUARTERLY readers in the Quebec Seen :Volume 3 Issue 3 2007 story on the Students of Maison des métiers d'art de Québec

her wbsite is isabelleveilleux.odexpo.com

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It is a busy weekend in Toronto with the One Of A Kind Christmas 2010 sale opening on Thursday November 25 and running until December 5 at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place 100 Princes' Blvd., Toronto.

Meghan Price, Etienne Proulx & Lysanne Latulippe
String Theory
Booth: V-47
Duration: Full Show
http://www.stringtheory.ws/
Montreal, QC

The one of a kind show has 24 artisans listed/ Identified as fabric/Textiles 4 of which are weavers, 2 identified as Weavers,. Under the category of Decor 6 make decor accessories with tiles they print themselves. Jocelyne Mange, of Rain Goose in Booth: P-59 is a printer from North Vancouver whose printed textiles entertain the eye, as they have evolve. Arounna Khounnoraj & John Booth of bookhou in Booth: T-05 are from Toronto, Arounna as a textile artist, embroider, printer and book artist along with her partner John as a furniture builder and designer have been producing an interesting blend of hard and soft furnishing, decor accessories, hand made papers letterpress books and "art" for the last eight years. At some point in time they produced a couple of children and with them came a re-visioning of children's decor and fashion. Their work is an addition to any design connoisseur collection while being fun , homey, warm and comfortable at the same time. Their work was seen earlier this fall in FABRICation: Studio Production Textiles for Interiors exhibition at the Design at Riverside in Cambridge Ontario. They are a Canadian Design laboratory gaining an international following of shoppers and collectors and the most amazing thing about them is the incredible affordability of their well made, high quality, products. If your not in Toronto for the One of a Kind but visit you can always drop into their store at 798 Dundas Street West (on the north side of the street a few blocks west of Bathurst) and if you just never come to Canada visit their website and enjoy the exploration www.bookhou.com

Arounna Khounnoraj (Toronto, ON) "untitled" 2000, Salt and Copper wire.(approx 4' high)
This piece is part of the Cambridge Galleries permanent collection added in 2001
Gift of the Artist [photo: joe lewis]

I am writing this before the One of a Kind opens and being familiar with many of the artisans I am looking forward to seeing new work by them, but what I am really looking forward to is seeing the debut work of the Montreal based textile design laboratory String Theory in Booth: V-47. Meghan Price, Etienne Proulx & Lysanne Latulippe are known to me as individuals Meghan as a weaver Lysanne as a knitware designer and both graduates of the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles where Etienne is Director of Communications. The buzz around this new artisan designed industrial production line has me holding my breath. All three of these people are dedicated to what they do and bring a range of professional experience to it. I interviewed Lysanne in the late winter of 2009 for the fibreQUATERLY issue on Entrepreneurial Textiles about her "MaJolie" Knit Ware company and was envious of her use of industrial machinery . With String Theory they are producing artisan directed small run industrial jacquard cloth for a line of fashion accessories and part of the new wave of high end boutique industrial production that is establishing itself in the few remaining textile weaving mills in North America and Europe. You might find this an odd idea but with closures and production moving off shore the technical knowledge to run this industrial machinery is disappearing in less then a generation and unless you want raise sheep and learn to weave your own green textiles....

http://www.stringtheory.ws/fashion Accessories from String Theory in Booth V-47

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On Friday night from 6 until 10 the Gladstone Hotel at 1214 Queen Street West, Hard Twist their 5 annual textile based arts exhibition opens as does their weekend PIECEwork sale

Hard Twist has become an important annual event within the Canadian textile art community as well as being a signature event for the Gladstone. For this fifth anniversary of Hard Twist, exhibition space will be expanded to include public spaces on all four floors of the hotel.

2010 Jurors: Eva Ennist, Shaun Moore, and Julie Nicholson

2010 Participants:

Amy Bagshaw, Fiona Bailey, Susan Bidinosti, Monserrat Brandan, Kerry Croghan, Dhashi Farha, Lindsay Fisher, Holly Gabel, Angela Iarocci, Say Ivison, Shuyu Lu, Alanna Lynch, Amanda McCavour, Renata Meirelles, Joyce Melander-Dayton, Melanie Schaffer, Kat Shaughnessy, Mafalda Silva, Marcy Sperry, W Collective, Sarah Waldman-Engel, Jennie Wood

This is a rug entitled Dirty Dishes by Bev Hisey ,4o" diameter 100% wool. Canvas from Made presents Radiant Dark 09 Elegant Corruptions . Bev is a featured artist during Hard twist and will be speaking about her work Sunday afternoon

Feature Artist during Hard Twist is Bev Hisey, her exhibition OP - Tufted Wool Carpets is currently running in the Gladstone Cafe Selected works by Bev Hisy are presented by Toronto’s Canadian design store MADE . www.madedesign.ca which is owned by two of this years three jurors Shaun Moore, and Julie Nicholson

Rebecca Squoant, Silk screened and found wooden block printed dresses, 2009 from last years Hard Twist

You can see more images from last years Hard Twist in my facebook album from last year "November 2009 more textile things to see" The Gladstone began this annual exhibition in 2006 with "hand-face-body" which was mounted to coincide with the Textile Society of America's 10th biannel symposium " Textile Narratives and Conversations' in the fall of 2006. i reviewed hand face body in fQ Volume 3 Issue 1/ Winter 2007.

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Detail of Kai Chan's Family Moon, 1997, buttons collected in St Hyacintha , Quebec and nails, as installed at the Textile Museum of Canada. from the collection of the artist ( (photo by me taken with permission of the gallery for fQ use)

Kai Chan: A Spider's Logic continues at the Varley Art Gallery of Markham in Unionville and the Textile Museum of Canada at 55 Center

The Complex Practice of SimplicityA panel discussion of Kai Chan's work with exhibition curator Sarah Quinton, Shannon Anderson (writer curator educator) , Charles Guilbert (Video Artist) and Kai Chan. Moderated by Lynne Milgram.(Professor of Anthropology OCAD University)

Sunday November 28, 2:00 - 4:00 pm at the Varley Art Gallery of Markham in Unionville

Pre-registration required. Contact the Varley at (905) 477-9511.

For directions to the Varley from Toronto by public transit click here
View Larger Map for travel details between the Textile Museum in Toronto and the Varley Gallery in Unionville
you can easily travel on Public Transit if you don't drive it takes appropriately 90 minutes from Union Station

Kia Chan work at the Varley, The Tower and its Spirit 1984 wood, thread, cotton organza 234 X 59 X 51 cm and 239 X 56 X 61 cm ( in the collection of the Museum of Civilization CMCC -94_576.1...-2 (photo by me taken with permission of the gallery for fQ use)

Kai Chan: A Spider's Logic
September 26, 2010 - February 2011
The Frederick Horsman Varley Gallery
Curated by Sarah Quinton

The exhibition includes a selection of Kai Chan’s sculptural works, created between 1975 and 2010. The exhibition is in partnership with the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto. it is in two parts with the first section opening in Markham on September 26 at the The Frederick Horsman Varley Gallery 216 Main Street, Unionville (visit their facebook page ) and part two opens at the Textile Museum of Canada, 7 November 2010 to 1 May 2011.

Then the show will tour

Kai Chan has an exhibition opening at DAVID K GALLERY 1092 Oueen Street West in Toronto on saturday December 4th 2-5 pm. the shows runs December 2 2010 through to January 16. 2011.

There are two facebook albums covering the opening of this 2 part exhibition: tThe last week of September 2010, Kai Chan: A Spider's Logic and Kia Chan, Pae White and El Anatsui

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Mean while in Calgary

Barclay Mall Banners by Tara Griffiths on 3rd St NW in downtown Calgary.
If you want to see more of them this facebook album Barclay Mall Banners link may work but you'll have to sign in to see them

Live! Auction Fundraiser + Holiday Party: December 3, 2010 at Truck Gallery

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Soirée-bénéfice / Benefit event 20X20 (2e édition/(2nd edition)
Tuesday, December 7th from 5 pm to 7:30 pm

Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles

5800, rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC H2S 3L5

Over 200 textile creations as well as some exclusive and unique pieces donated by renown artists and designers will be put up for auction. Yves Jean Lacasse (Envers), Mariouche Gagné (Harricana), Lysanne Latulippe (Majolie), Rosie Godbout, Louise Lemieux Bérubé, Claude Bouchard, Dahlia Milon, Annik St-Arnaud, Mélanie Champagne, Marie-Pierre Daigle, Emilie Desmeules, Josée Hamelin, Zent Keymole as well as many others have graciously donated clothing, accessories, wall and sculptural artworks.

Beginning November 15th, the public will be able to place their bids in the hope of acquiring their favourite artworks. The silent auction will end during the benefit event which will be held on Tuesday, December 7th, 2010, from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. This festive evening honouring textiles is an event not to be missed. Several surprises await you!

The funds collected during this benefit exhibition will be used to increase the creative potential of the MCCT through the purchase of specialized equipment. Your participation constitutes a tangible support of the Centre and is a recognition of the undeniable contribution the MCCT has made to the promotion of creative textiles in Quebec and in the world.

Go to the website to see images of the work and you might think about contacting them and putting in a bid long distance Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles

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Calls for submissions

|FAT| TORONTO ALTERNATIVE ARTS AND FASHION WEEK 2011: CALL 4 FASHION DESIGNERS AND VISUAL ARTISTS

Toronto Alternative Arts and Fashion Week |FAT| is looking for contemporary fashion designers and visual artists to showcase their work in the upcoming festival in April 2011.
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Starting this month, those who are interested in participating can download an application through our website: www.getfat.ca

DEADLINE: DECEMBER 22, 2010
LATE DEADLINE: JANUARY 9, 2011

We are currently accepting proposals in: FASHION DESIGN / INSTALLATION / MUSIC / PERFORMANCE / PHOTOGRAPHY / VIDEO

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