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pulp

pulp [p큼lp] n. a moist mixture of cellulose fibres, as obtained from wood, from which paper is made

/ E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F /

Jacqueline Mok / WR I T E R S /

Kimberly Barton Joanna Braund Marco Buchar Madeline Ferracuti Emily Fister Kasia Knap Alanna Mager Moira McKee Jag Raina Marie-France Roche / C O P Y E D I TO R /

Alanna Mager / THANK YOU /

Hot Dog Musique & Cinema Arts & Humanities Student Council Department of Visual Arts

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in this issue: 7

Rock Lottery 2.0: Let’s Get Amped for Art!

Healing Through Art

Lana del Rey: Fact, fiction, or just plain flat?

iPod Nano Review

The Aesthetic Relationship of Not Bad For London

Photo Submissions

New Year’s Resolutions

Best of 2011 & On Watch for 2012

A Retrospective Look at the History of Performance Art

Behind the Lens: Feminist-Inspired Work of Wyn Geleynse

Ed Pien: On Ghosts, Fear, and Confrontation

#OCCUPY and the Pepper Spraying Cop

The Future is Bright for Tintin and Children’s Film

Forest City Gallery’s successful fundraiser

a shared personal account of a therapeutic interest

the debatable reinvention of Lizzy Grant

written by an enthusiast and recent owner of the nano

uncovering the process behind the collaboration

a 2011 collection of public entries

suggested ideas to follow for the new year

great tracks, albums, and artists to give a listen to

how it started and where it is now

examining concepts behind his practice

understanding the motivation behind his drawings

a follow-up on the growing online movement

a chipper review of a remade childhood classic

issue no.2 / january 2012

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ANDREA CARVALHO: MADE TO MEASURE, FCG @ 7PM

KNITTING & STITCHING, FCG @ 7-10PM

ARTIST TALK: LIDO PIMIENTA, FCG @ 7:30PM

D S NFORMAT ON, SEAN SMITH, ARTLAB @ 7:30PM

ARTIST GATHERING, FCG @ 7-10PM

SPEAKER SERIES: SUZY LAKE, VAC100 @ 7PM

ARTFUSION 21, APK LIVE @ 7PM

BEEKEEPER / HUE / GLASS THIEVES, APK LIVE @ 8PM

TAPE RELEASE PARTY & DANIEL JOHNSTON ART SHOW, 755 DUNDAS REAR B @ 9PM, $5/PWYC

LARRY TOWELL: CLOSE TO HOME, MICHAEL GIBSON @ 8-10PM

INDECISIVE MOMENTS, MICHAEL GIBSON @ 2PM

OPENING RECEPTION, MUSEUM LONDON @ 8PM

MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO, MUSEUM LONDON @ 3PM

TV FREAKS RELEASE PARTY, THE BRASS @ 9PM ABSOLUTELY FREE / YOUNG EMPIRES, APK LIVE @ 10PM

february > - ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITION <FEB 2-17> - VASA EXHIBITION “FRENGER” <FEB 2-15> - UNIVERSITY READING WEEK <FEB 20-24>

Rock Lottery 2.0: Let’s Get Amped for Art!

Kimberly Barton

When the element of chance and the musical arts are coupled together, we are often inclined to expect one of two possible outcomes: either that we become delighted and engaged by the original and unexpected, or that we find ourselves berated by a cacophonous disaster. On December 3, 2011, Forest City Gallery, a local artist-run center in downtown London, Ontario, challenged musicians to combine these very things at their second annual fundraiser: Rock Lottery 2.0. The event, which took place at APK Live, invited 25 musicians to have their names drawn randomly, resulting in the formation of five new bands. Beginning the process at eight in the morning, the newly formed groups then had only twelve hours to create five original songs, which they then had to play live later the same night. The event, organized by Sophie Quick and Bonnie Goodden, saw great success in its first year, raising over $1,500. The tagline “5 bands, 5 songs, 5 dollars” promised value and entertainment – a nominal fee in exchange for entrance to the spectacle. More importantly, this show is an opportunity for the London public and the student population to come together for a common cause: our local arts community. As the bands, featuring members of other local groups like Say Domino, Wild Domestic, Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Whipping Wind, Space Slave, and more, took to the stage that evening, the result was one that satisfied both music lovers and thrill seekers alike. Spectators flocked to the platform, encouraging those brave souls who had only just hours earlier committed themselves to the arduous task set before them. The show was a great success, for both those who performed, as well as the organizers at Forest City Gallery. The only disappointing and unavoidable thought is that 2011 PROMOTIONAL POSTER BY ANDREW JAMES there aren’t more of these kinds of events taking place in our community. In the meantime, we can only try to be content with the hope that Forest City Gallery will continue hosting this exciting musical experience as its annual fundraiser. ROCK LOTTERY 2.0 ROSTER // VOCALS: ANDREW LENNOX, OLENKA KRAUS, MACK EDWARDS, LYNNE DUBUC, ANDREW JAMES / GUITAR: MATT TROCCHI, EVAN JAMES REDSKY, BLAIR WHATMORE, JUSTIS KRAR, DAN MANCINI / BASS: SHAWN LAROUGE, STEVE LOURENCO, ZACH HOFFMAN, CASEY WOLFE, SAM ALLEN / DRUMS: BRENT HEBERT, ANDREW DAL CIN, ERIC LOURENCO, NATHAN LAMB / WILD CARD: IAN DOIG-PHANEUF, TIM GLASGOW, KELLY WALLRAFF, SIMON LAROCHETTE, GRAHAM NICHOLAS

issue no.2 / january 2012

January Exhibitions Close to Home, Larry Towell

Michael Gibson Gallery / Jan 6 to Feb 4 Opening Reception & Book Signing: Sat Jan 21 from 2-4pm Larry Towell has two bodies of work on display from The World From My Front Porch and The Mennonites. The gelatin silver photographs evoke a sense of nostalgia and are a brilliant display of life in the country. His personal video diary, Indecisive Moments, will be screening on Saturday January 28 at 2pm. IMAGE COURTESY OF MICHAEL GIBSON GALLERY

Made to Measure, Andrea Carvalho Forest City Gallery / Jan 7 to Feb 10 Opening reception: Sat Jan 7 at 7pm Utilizing a post-modern aesthetic, Andrea Carbalho’s Made to Measure possesses a curious binary quality. Interactive to a certain extent, the installations invite a voyeuristic aspect that seems integral to the works. The constructed sculptures are directly relational to the bodily proportions of the artist, giving each work a unique personality.

Front by Front

Museum London / Dec 17 to Mar 18 Opening Reception: Fri Jan 27 at 8pm Front by Front explores issues surrounding war and armed conflict through unconventional representations. The opening reception will also include Battleground: War Rugs from Afghanistan and Larry Towell: Danger and Aftermath. FEATURED ARTISTS: BARB HUNT, SOPHIE JODOIN, SUSAN SCHÜPPLI, AMBEREEN SIDDIQUI, ALTHEA THAUBERGER AND ANNA WIESELGREN IMAGE COURTESY OF ALTHEA THAUBERGER, KANDAHAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 2009, DIGITAL C-PRINT ON ADHESIVE, COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

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Healing Through Art

Gina Duque

Whether it is through sculpture, drawing, or painting, current research in the field of psychology suggests that engaging in the creative arts can be a powerful healing tool for those dealing with cancer. Studies have shown that art therapy can help patients reduce anxiety, improve relaxation, improve recovery time, and manage pain symptoms related to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Expressing oneself through artistic means during a time of crisis can be a powerful activity for people coping with emotional conflicts; it can increase self-awareness, and help patients express the unspoken and often unconscious concerns about their illnesses. As a recent cancer survivor, I can personally attest to the recuperative effects of creating art. It was during my illness that the meaning of art developed into something more than just an eager interest and chosen field of study for me. Creating artworks in the midst of life-changing circumstances evolved into a spiritual and mindful practice, offering a fresh perspective on art, separate from its historic, academic, commercial, and sociocultural ideologies. From painting abstract images to face painting, engaging in any creative outlet had a relieving and soothing effect on my mind. It was during these creative healing explorations that I began to share my experience about the healing affects of art with others undergoing treatment. Upon discovering a charity that recognized the healing capabilities of art for those with cancer, it was inspiring to see a community of artists, survivors, caregivers, and patients alike supporting the therapeutic effects of art through personal stories and artworks. ART for Cancer Foundation and its affiliated ART For Cancer Group are two Canadian-based organizations whose mission is to highlight the importance of art therapy for cancer patients on a global scale, and facilitate art related programs to patients and caregivers in the medical community. Their mission states that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ART for Cancer Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life of people living with cancer by providing an outlet for creative expression through the arts, and by supporting research into the cause, control and cure of cancer.â&#x20AC;? Through its expansive and ongoing collaboration with artists worldwide, this foundation also makes it possible for artists to donate a portion of sales to specific cancer charities of their choice. Ranging from vibrant flowers to dark obscure abstract pieces, each of these artworks tell a personal story that has been influenced by an emotionally painful journey that translates into works that stand for strength, courage and an overall triumphant approach to life. This therapeutic process of art-making creates a picture that is truly worth a thousand words. FOR MORE INFO ON THE ART FOR CANCER CHARITIES, PLEASE VISIT HTTP://ARTFORCANCERGROUP.COM/ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE GROWING LIST OF GLOBAL ARTISTS OR ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GET INVOLVED, PLEASE VISIT HTTP://ARTFORCANCERFOUNDATION.ORG/JOIN-US-2/

issue no.2 / january 2012

Lana del Rey: Fact, fiction, or just plain flat? Alanna Mager In Summer 2011, the blogosphere began buzzing about Lana Del Rey: a woman with giant lips, the “perfect” body, and a voice somewhere between Cat Power and Nancy Sinatra, who sings overtop crooning guitars meant for Johnny Cash, samples recordings of beat-poet recitations, and throws a harp in here and there to soften the mood. She describes her look and sound as “cinematic” and most of her videos to date are a mish-mash of fuzzy home-movie-style shots strung together. Her art conflates a wide variety of conventions, pieces of nostalgia, and genres of music, and yet there’s something extremely refreshing about her because we can’t seem to fit her into a box. She is playing on conventions like classic male fantasies and Bruce Springsteen’s “let’s drive all night” Americana icoSHOWING OFF HER RETRO-GLAM LOOK nography. But, sex selling is nothing new – female stars use sex to sell across the board. I would argue that Lana Del Rey is simply being a bit more artful about the whole thing, and for that I applaud her. Some Google research quickly reveals that Lana Del Rey is really the reinvented Lizzy Grant – a failed pop star circa 2009/10. Does knowing this making her even harder to pin down, or does it tell us everything we need to know? As Hipster Runoff, the satirical “indie” blog states: “B4 she was alt, she was a failed mnstrm artist without fake lips… [She is] one of the most controversial figures in indie.” Although, I’m not sure what makes her so “controversial”. Looking back at Lizzy Grant videos on Youtube, like “Kill Kill”, I see very little difference between her now versus then. I’ll contend her “look” might have evolved, however her videos have the same aesthetic: shot by an amateur and pieced together on iMovie. So, I can’t help but ask: why is the media ragging on her so badly? It’s one thing to dislike her style, but it’s another thing to resent her for evolving. For all the bad press she gets, there are hoards of rave reviews of Lana Del Rey as well. She may be difficult to figure out, but the polarized opinions of her have more to do with where she came from than her sound or her value as an artist. So, the question becomes: can we separate her past from her music? Is she truly talented or just some rich Daddy’s girl who has a free ride to the top? Is she an original, or simply the latest act getting by on being completely derivative? Truth be told, I am of the camp that finds her fascinating. Sure, her damsel in distress lyrics, like, “I will love you ‘til the end of time / I would wait a million years / Promise you’ll remember that you’re mine,” and, “I’m crazy, baby, I need you to save me,” feel as though they are setting feminism back a few years, however I believe this is precisely the nostalgia appeal she is going for. 10

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iPod Nano Review Marco Buchar Dear loyal readers, the iPod Nano has been around for over a year now, but I just got one for Kwanzaa so I’ve decided to do a product review of it for this issue of pulp. You can find the Nano at any major retailer nowadays: Best Buy, WalMart, my uncle’s store: Bart’s Electronic Goods Warehouse Emporium, Bulk Barn, Kelsey’s, and American Idol. So, let’s get right into the review. The iPod Nano has eight gigabytes of storage capacity so it can hold about 12942934219257433243562841639412310 347 songs. It even plays the radio, which is great because you’re quickly going to get bored with only 129429342192 THE NEWEST, SMALLEST GENERATION 57433243562841639412310347 songs, and you’ll want to listen to Katy Perry at least three times every half hour on Virgin. The great thing about the iPod Nano is that it plays music even if it’s tired. Unlike my friend Stefan who’s a DJ and got tired of spinning tracks for me at 5AM when I was the only one left at his house party. The Nano has 45 second anti-skip protection so the track doesn’t skip when you go out jogging. It also has some kind of pedometer to keep track of your fitness level, but that’s boring and no one cares. You know, I have a cousin named Nano… oh no wait, it’s Nino. Hey Nino, if you’re reading this, I want you to know that you stand too close to me when you talk, and that I’ve always wanted to tell you this but I couldn’t do it face to face because I’m scared of you. The Nano has a clock feature so you can turn it into a clock face with an hour arm and a minute arm and all that stuff if you want. That’s not even a joke, that’s a real feature. Also, you can put podcasts on the Nano so that when you get tired of listening to rap, you can just listen to people talking. I know that everyone likes to express themselves with different coloured accessories, so it is worth mentioning that like paint at a paint store, Nanos come in many different colours: cobalt, lime green, purple bruise, whole grain cereal, worn out Dr. Scholl’s (which is pretty similar to whole grain cereal actually), pickle pincher, Sebulba’s skin, woofity woof woof, red, and safety pretzel. So, I think that I’ve covered everything. I have to give a shout out to my uncle Bart who wanted me to remind you that Bart’s Electronic Goods Warehouse Emporium has all your electronic needs with a no return policy. Thanks for reading.

issue no.2 / january 2012

The Aesthetic Relationship of Not Bad For London

Moira McKee

In the preface to Nog A Dod: Prehistoric Canadian Psychedooolia, Dan Nadel comments on the collaborative process: “Whether deeply internal work made public, or public work reworked into something private, or all the permutations in between, the art is playful, open, even frequently entertaining, like being enthralled by an endless series of expert yarn-spinners, one elaborating on the story of the other.” The following is an excerpt of an interview that took place before Christmas with four of the seven artists featured in Not Bad For London, an exhibition that ran at Michael Gibson Gallery last November, which highlighted the value of shared experiences culminating in collaborative works and the open processes behind the creation of these works. I sat down with James Kirkpatrick, Peter Thompson, Billy Bert Young, Jason McLean and his son Felix one afternoon at Covent Garden Market to discuss the collaborative processes behind their art while the guys folded freshly printed zines (Felix adding the finishing touches to his own self-published hand-drawn booklets) that would be showcased later that night at the APK Live’s Zine Fair. MM: Thanks for coming, I know you guys are insanely busy. JK: We’re happy to do it. MM: Do you want me to, uh... JK: Nah, you don’t have to fold, you’re doing the interview! I feel like I’m a little bit distracting... MM: No, no. So, instead of strictly discussing the Not Bad For London show at Michael Gibson Gallery, I want to hash out where you guys are progressing as a group from there, and how the purchase of the full room containing collaborative works may or may not influence works down the road. I would also like to cover what your experience is with collaboration and how you came to start working together. JK: Yeah, those sound like good questions... MM: I mean, whatever direction you guys want to take with it, definitely. I thought the show was great. JK: Yeah thanks. I’d say personally that regardless of whether the room sold or not, we’d be doing collaborative works still. I mean, we’ve been doing it before there was even the possibility of that show. PT: We’d still be doing it even if the show didn’t happen. JM: I’d say it’s been more encouraging now than before. Before it was fun to do, but it never seemed remarkable in some ways. PT: It wasn’t a serious part of our art career.

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JASON MCLEAN, PETER THOMPSON & BILLY BERT YOUNG, “BUBBLE IN YOUR HEAD” FROM THE ZINE UNCLE PORK CHOP SCRAPES AWAY THE SUMMER, 2011, INK ON PAPER

issue no.2 / january 2012

Not Bad For London JM: No, no, I kind of dropped off a bit with it too and I know Marc [Bell] dropped off a little bit. JK: But Peter, you still collaborate all the time. PT: I can’t stop. JK: I collaborate with you [Peter] a bunch and Jamie [Q] and stuff, and a bit here and there. PT: I do it with a lot with other people too. MM: So, not strictly within this group itself. JM: We have all been working pretty solidly together though since the show ended, just pumping them out, all of us have worked on something since the show ended. MM: Is it in the method you were talking to me about, Bill? Where you begin a canvas and you’ll hand it off to another member of the group and that person does a continuation of it? BBY: Well I think a lot of the time we get together like this at a table, and say all four of us were collaborating, we’d each be starting a drawing and then rotate it every ten minutes and by the end, all four of us have some information on the page. But there are other times, such as with a lot of the pieces in the show, when we took them home with us and worked on them by ourselves and then would hand them off. I like it the most when both parties or all the parties are there and you can converse with the people and kinda crack jokes and maybe the jokes end up in the drawings. MM: Okay, so it’s sort of inspirational. JM: Or the music you’re listening to, like Styx or something. BBY: (Laughs) it’s always good when Styx end up on the drawings. JM: (Laughs) Crystal Ball... MM: Does it influence where you stop though? Because in the interview on the Gibson website, you said that despite the fact that you’re collaborating with one another you sort of know that when you reach a certain point that’s where you end that piece. BBY: I think that when everyone’s together it’s easier to reach a consensus of like, “okay this is finished; we don’t need to touch it any more, let’s go on to the next one”. When you’re by yourself, it’s a bit harder to tell. JM: Sometimes you don’t know when it’s finished and it’s nice to get another person’s perspective. JK: I go overboard all the time, and everybody’s like, “oh, you should’ve left it the way it was last night”. BBY: One thing Michael (Gibson) said to me, was—and I don’t know how much I agree with him—but, but he said collaborating is a lot easier than just doing your own work because you can 14

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JASON MCLEAN & BILLY BERT YOUNG , “PEPTO GRISWALD” FROM THE ZINE THAT’S SOOOO HUNT CLUB, 2011, INK ON PAPER

JASON MCLEAN, PETER THOMPSON & BILLY BERT YOUNG, “MATH GENIUS” FROM THE ZINE UNCLE PORK CHOP SCRAPES AWAY THE SUMMER, 2011, INK ON PAPER

do your thing for a bit and when you’re not really sure of what to do next, you just pass it on to someone. JK: Sometimes that works if you’re stuck, it’s the next person’s turn. BBY: Yeah, it actually works out that way; there are already so many starting points on the page that can let your imagination run wild with what’s already there. JK: He’s right, sometimes those scenarios present themselves and sometimes they don’t at all. Nothing is right, everything is always constantly in flux and changing. Jamie and I work pretty mathematically with our work, like we have it timed to when we’re going to pass the sheet, or the wood, or the drawing. MM: Really, like down to an actual clock, as if you’re playing chess or something? JK: Yeah, exactly. Jamie and I even decide what colours we’re going to use, or we play this thing where it’s like you choose three colours on this one and two on that one and there’s five in total in the end and we’ll draw for five minutes. MM: But you impose these limitations. JK: Yeah, but then ending is weird too, because we just wait until that feels right, you know? So it’s not like we only do it for ten passes or fifty times, you know, it could be… issue no.2 / january 2012

Not Bad For London BBY: Three passes… JK: It could be three... usually it’s something like... BBY: Thirty? JK: (Laughs) Yeah, thirty... MM: Has there ever been a moment when you’ve wanted to throw in the towel on something and been like, “okay, this is good, this is legit as it stands,” and then the person you’re collaborating has been conflicted with you doing that? JK: Yeah, all the time. BBY: Sometimes what’s great is, I know I’ll have my own drawings that I created just as solo works and then I’m not too fond of them so I’ll say to one of these guys, “hey, do you wanna do stuff on here?”, and all of a sudden it brings it back to life. JK: This whole zine was just stuff that I’d drawn, like doodles I’d worked on, and then Jason came and just took two different piles of drawings that I’d made, and turned them into a zine. They were never intended to be. I mean, I just draw all the time, every day. JM: There were some drawings in the NBFL show that Pete helped me out with that I had had sitting in my studio for like six or seven years. I was ready to throw them out and he just saved them and pulled them together, which was amazing and it went from being garbage to top work. MM: He was able to breathe new life into them. JM: Yeah, and some of us have drawn together for so long too, that we know each other’s style so well, you know? So it gets into that rhythm where you know what they’re gonna do. You know, they can pull something together with the face or line work. MM: So it’s kind of like a symbiotic relationship, it’s intuitive. JM: For sure, and there are other people outside of this group that contribute. There’s a bunch of people who are on the peripheral, so it’s a larger community than just the seven of us. ■

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VICTORIA DOOBAY

JIMI DOIGE

ALANNA MAGER

MARIE-FRANCE ROCHE

ALI CHERNIAK

LARISA KURZEMNIEKS

ALYSHA FERGUSON

YULIA LOBACHËVA

JULIDE CAKIROGLU

LOGAN LY

LARISA KURZEMNIEKS

ROB NELSON

ADAM KEARNEY

JACQUELINE MOK

New Year’s Resolutions

Julide Cakiroglu

I will read more. Hey! Look! You’re doing it right now! You deserve a pat on the head. I will spend less time on Facebook. Haha. Yeah right. I will exercise on a regular basis. Look. I want you to exercise. According to our statistics, there is a 7% chance that you the reader are a single male and I dig that you’re still reading this list that I wrote. We should get coffee. But I worry for your health and my attraction to you. How will we raise little Charlie and Scarlet if you’re 240 pounds with high cholesterol? Think of our hypothetical family’s future. I will post more flattering pictures on Facebook. After you work your face into that rockin’ bod, why not post even MORE flattering pictures of yourself on facebook? 2011 was pretty good but you could be projected as an even happier, funnier, cooler version of yourself. Goofing off on the bus? Oddly attractive shot in the supermarket? Ya. I can see it now. I will pick up more calls from my mom. She means well and the eighteen hints she dropped this Christmas break might mean it’s starting to get to her. I will have new standards for the opposite sex. When he/she admits to occasionally being possessive, dabbling in a hard drug habit, simply being raised to be racist/homophobic, and/or sexist, not liking dates outside of the house because they are just too “conventional”, and other fabulously similar ear tidbits you should flee. Those are what the less desperate call “red flags”. There’s nothing wrong with giving mediocrity a chance. I will stop procrastinating so much. You’re using this to procrastinate right now, aren’t you? I can respect and even appreciate that, but you should probably get your life in order. Go surprise yourself and do some work; it will refine your taste. Staring at walls and playing solitaire for three hours is less exciting when a fifteen-page essay isn’t hanging over your head. I will spend more time with people. Real people. Living live fleshy human beings. Skype, BBM, and the like do not count. I will volunteer more. It feels good to help people! Plus, your resume probably needs shaping up… I will back up all of my files onto a hard drive. This advice is gold. Send me a thank-you email later at ijustsavedyoufromcryingforthreedays@ actuallydecentadvice.com

issue no.2 / january 2012

/////// Best of 2011 &  Braids Akin to a lucid dream, the debut release from Calgary-born, Montreal-based Braids is a stunning work of sea-worthy pop. Tracks like the escalating “Glass Deers” invade eardrums with tranquil intentions, bursting into full-blown melodic waves. The effortless narrative and musical flow of this tune showcases this young band’s potential—to become your favourite reoccurring dream.

 Stuck Out Here

 Alexi Murdoch Alexi Murdoch’s album “Towards the Sun” has quietly floated to the top of my best-of-2011 list. Each track is incredibly lowkey and strikingly beautiful. A favourite track is actually a old one, “Crinian Wood,” from the 2009 soundtrack to “Away We Go”, but “Some Day Soon” is another major highlight. If you’d fancy starting January as a cool as a cucumber, without a worry in the world, just let Murdoch’s 2011 masterpiece slide through your headphones as you stroll down concrete beach and purchase your new textbooks.

Hometown folk-punk heroes Stuck Out Here debut at a dirtcovered crossroads. Hailing from Huron County, Ontario, the quartet embraces the local life they left behind. “Last Night, This Morning” is a testament to resisting stagnation, reinventing yourself in the big city, then returning to find out that some things never change. Combining the sing-a-long stylings of Rancid, the melodic work ethic of Against Me!, and the writing sensibilities of Conor Oberst, Stuck Out Here has crafted one of the most impressive full-lengths of the year. The album is filled with the deliciously drunken nights, nostalgic mornings, and all the memorable chats in between.

 Brite Futures Formerly known by the moniker Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, the quirky pop quintet Brite Futures shine a little light on the uninspired Top 40. Easily one of the most underrated records of the past year, the sophomore disc Dark Past combines happy-go-lucky, razor-sharp synths with disco-pop vocals. Brite Futures prove that you’re never too young to kill the Ke$has of the pop scene.

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On Watch for 2012 ///////  Punch Brothers If you already know the Punch Brothers, you may be full of sweet, sweet anticipation for their 2012 release “Who’s Feeling Young Now”. They have never failed to disappoint with superbly experimental, bluegrass-tinted tunes. The pre-released first track “Movement and Location” is a bit more haunting than their recent releases, with a clear Radiohead influence. I’d suggest listening to “How To Grow A Woman From the Ground” and their cover of The Strokes’ “Heart in a Cage”. To ring in the New Year with some poetic lyrics, magical mandolin, and angst-ridden banjo, look no further. The Punch Brothers are stopping by to say hello.

 The Dean’s List A self-proclaimed chill-hop group, The Dean’s List is set to convert all the unbelievers. Over a dark electronic beat, frontman Sonny Shotz declares in a cavalier fashion: “This is what a bunch of young kings marching sounds like.” Known for pairing strong instrumentation with confident delivery on their mixtape, The Drive In, the band is ready to graduate to fulllength release status.

Lianne La Havas  Lianne La Havas is the kind of singer you have to hear live first. This genuine, folk-soul songstress has become Britain’s best kept secret. The teaser song “No Room for Doubt” brings the listener back to basics, with wise, yearning vocals. Already snatched up for a tour with Bon Iver, the singer has more than enough support for her 2012 debut.

Memoryhouse  Guelph, a quaint city, supports a strong artistic community loud enough to reach the world stage. With the annual Hillside Festival, acts like Arcade Fire have gone beyond the city’s limits and become Canadian music mainstays. The debut fulllength from dream-poppers Memoryhouse is poised to do just that. Recently signed to Sup Pop Records, Memoryhouse is ready to strike mainstream eardrums. Photographer Denise Nouvion shares her vision with band mate Evan Abeele, and together the two create a reality where daydreams come to play. The result is “The Slideshow Effect,” a collection of picturesque narratives that bridge the gap between aural and visual techniques. Memoryhouse’s debut is pegged to be a soundtrack-worthy recording—with praises already sung beyond the hillside.

issue no.2 / january 2012

A Retrospective Look at the History of Performance Art Jag Raina When I first began researching performance art, I had no knowledge of what it was. My initial reaction was that it was nothing more than untalented people with absolutely no technical skill, performing obscure acts as a cry for attention, and then calling themselves artists. I was hesitant but curious to learn more about performance art, and was surprised to find out just how wrong my theories were. As I stepped into this unfamiliar realm of art, I quickly learned how complex and important it has been to 21st century art. Not only has it shattered the traditional conventions and rules of what art should be, but performance art has also completely changed the art world forever.

MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ AND ULAY, IMPONDERABILIA, ORIGINALLY PERFORMED IN 1977 FOR 90 MIN

So where did this phenomenon come from? How have artists strayed so far away from centuries of traditional and classical branches of art such as painting and drawing? The roots of performance art can be traced back to the early 1950s. Dadaism was the first recognizable era of performance art. Prominent painters like Salvador Dali were leaving the world of painting and exploring unorthodox ways to express themselves, such as designing Ballet Sets. However, this was only the beginning of what was to come.

The 1960’s and 70’s saw the arrival of many radical changes in the art world. Technological advances erupted in video, photography, and sound, which allowed art to evolve. Artists began experimenting with using their bodies as an art medium, further pushing the boundaries of what performance art was. Prominent artists such as Chris Burton and Marina Abramović were some of the forerunners of using the body to create performance. Quite often these artists put themselves through physical pain and near death experiences to convey their messages. Chris Burton created a conceptual piece where he shot himself in the arm in the 1970s, and Lisa Steele exposed the world to her bruised and battered body as a means of creating a “Birthday Suit”. These performances were extremely controversial at the time, exposing the harsh reality of the death of aesthetic and “pretty” art. Long gone were the days when artists had to use objects and materials to put out something aesthetically pleasing. The concept and the message have slowly come to matter more than the image. However unconventional these methods were at the time,

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LISA STEELE, BIRTHDAY SUIT – WITH SCARS AND DEFECTS, 1974, VIDEO STILL

STEPHANIE TAYLOR, PERFORMANCES CREATED BY THE FACULTY AND STAFF OF THE VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO, 2011

they quickly sprung into popularity, and the 1960s and 1970s became a key period that witnessed the rise of performance art. To further understand performance art, one must be aware of the difference with the performing arts. In performance art, the artist is the main orchestrator this allows performance artists to differentiate themselves from actors because they are the organizers of everything, be it the concept, the performance piece itself, or the audience. It was this striking difference between the two that helped make performance art significant and respect. Many people think performace art is too avant-garde to enjoy and doesn’t fit the mold of the typical classroom lecture or critique, but it is this very rejection of perfmance art that many performance artists use to their advantage. Wanting to learn more about performance art, I sat down with fourth year BFA student and performance artist, Stephanie Taylor. Because she is a painter as well as a performance artist, one of the questions I had for her was the following: how does working in a traditional, and generally better-respected medium like painting compare to working in something that is more unconventional and risky like Performance Art? Well, being an artist who balances two very different media has proven to be not as challenging as she thought, Stephanie explained. In her perspective, painting is a tougher medium to tackle because there is so much more history one has to deal with. This Is why painting has slowly proven to be challenging for her to continue to stay engaged with, whereas performance art allows her to be more free and orchestrate her ideas and concepts better. The use of technology continues to have a positive impact on performance art, allowing not only Stephanie, but generations of performance artists before and after her, to orchestrate and create performances according to their visions. As the years go on, one can’t help but fear that the death of classical art is impending. The contemporary art world continues to push its boundaries, showing us the true potential of performance art and its importance to the art world today. ■

issue no.2 / january 2012

Behind the Lens: Feminist-Inspired Work of Wyn Geleynse Kasia Knap I would like to think of myself as a starting feminist artist. It was only towards the end of the last school year that I started finding my niche in art, and ever since I’ve taken it upon myself to educate myself on the history of feminist art, particularly video. The dominant majority of artists that have sparked my interest or influenced my train of thinking have been female. I never really delved into the realm of male artists who were influenced by the second-wave feminist movement, nor admittedly had I ever considered them. This changed when I met Wyn Geleynse. Wyn Geleynse is well-known in the international art scene. A London-based multimedia artist, his works have been shown in Rotterdam, Paris, Sao Paulo, and in Calgary for the XV Winter Olympics. Regarded as a pioneer in intermedia artistic practices, his film and video projection installation works frequently combine the temporal quality of these mediums with the physicality of subjective memorabilia. It was November during the first snowfall when I met the man behind the glass projections at his studio. Nestled away within a redbrick commercial building amongst the studios of other Londonbased artists, Geleynse’s studio was what you could imagine the workspace of a multimedia artist to be. Having recently returned to drawing, tacked to one of his walls were several gestural drawings in progress; another side of the room played host to a human-sized folder of over a year’s worth of such drawings. Occupying the large desk were two massive computers, the walls surrounding it were covered with a collection of images, including a map of “Maire de Montreal.” A microwave and coffee making station stood not far away. In the centre of the room an assembled 3D model truck sat atop an assembled worktable- one of many toy trucks that were part of a current satirical project Geleynse was working on. His studio space reflected his preference of keeping himself immersed in several different projects at all times, never wishing to restrict himself to one project. After he offered coffee, we began to discuss his practice. I was asked by the editor-in-chief to conduct the interview because Geleynse was mainly known for film and video, mediums I have a keen interest in. Beyond this general correlation of his work and mine, I wasn’t anticipating there to be much else that I could relate to. This changed when I realized I could relate to everything he was trying to say except from a different gender perspective. Second-wave feminism burgeoned a completely new and radical genre within visual representation in the 1970s. Female artists revolted against the established patriarchal systems in place by addressing issues of their sexuality through a writing of the body. Such artists revolutionized the world of video and performance art. They instigated female liberation while simultaneously challenging standardized notions of what constituted a woman, and inadvertently what constituted gender in general. It was during this time that Wyn Geleynse had thrown in the towel with painting and given up on art as a whole. 30

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WYN GELEYNSE, THE SLACK WIRE (FUNAMBULIST), 2002, SINGLE-CHANEL VIDEO PROJECTION ON GROUND GLASS

Geleynse’s roots in visual art began with drawing and painting. After years of trying to become a good painter, he realized his efforts were fruitless and that he was waging a losing battle. Without reservation he conceded he had been a horrible painter. He couldn’t take to the medium, adhere to its rules and limitations, nor bend to its will. He especially wasn’t comfortable assuming the role of the painter, which in the ‘70s was the quintessential image of the macho artist. Reluctant to conform to this ultramasculine stereotype and not knowing of how to proceed, Geleynse withdrew from art completely. However not long following his departure from the arts, he was reeled back into it, and with renewed fervor. Through several London artists, Geleynse unexpectedly gained exposure to film as an art medium. Being a completely new conception within the arts at the time, film opened up a door of opportunity for Geleynse that he eagerly strode into. In addition to being greatly influenced by Walter Benjamin’s seminal essay “Illuminations”, Geleynse acquired a new method to making art. He pervasively experimented with film and projection. Working with this specific medium proved quickly to be very expensive. This was why, when video emerged onto the market, he substituted the less costly option for the former without hesitation. He acknowledged that this was the only motivating factor in his decision to switch to video. His works struck a chord similar to what was concurrently happening with the work feminist artists were producing in the ‘70s. Readily affected by the movement’s criticism of gender stereotypes, some of Geleynse’s work began to address issues of male identity as they existed under the confines of the normative gender system in place. This was radical. These early works solidified his position in the art world as an avant-garde of film and video projection works. What is most apparent when viewing a video piece of Geleynse’s is that it possesses an inherent fragility within itself. A common theme in his work is the fragility of living, an idea which is concomitant with his choice in material. Geleynse extensively uses ground glass, which he creates himself, as the backdrop for his projections. Glass by its nature is very delicate and almost ephemeral; there is a kind of inevitability of being broken that presupposes its existence. This element in the projection works therefore creates the assumption of uncertain continuity. Though I fixated somewhat on the use of this material, about its predetermined signification when in the process of being

issue no.2 / january 2012

WYN GELEYNSE, JUST... , 2002, SINGLE-CHANEL VIDEO PROJECTION ON GROUND GLASS

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Behind the Lens transformed into something more complex than itself, I came to learn that its inclusion wasn’t as premeditated as I initially thought it to be. His decisions for constructing the physical body of his art are impulsive to a certain degree. With an instinctual methodology meaning frequently culminates in hindsight. The film and video pieces frequently speak to a certain vulnerability. The figure Geleynse projects onto the ground-glass is often of himself. He appears naked in some works, desperate at times, ambivalent. Projection, akin to but more so than glass, is also fleeting and transient. It has little material substance, and its existence is impermanent. These alter egos inhabit a curious space that is something between the careless innocence and naivety of childhood and the corruption that is the prescribed companion of maturity. His work raises questions of identity, communication, and abjection. As the performer himself, Geleynse participates in a rewriting of the body that is similar to that of feminist performance art. He is interrogating societal expectations of his gender, engaging in a deconstruction of maleness. Though I didn’t know much of his prior work, while I was researching I realized I had actually viewed one his pieces, “The Slack Wire (Funambalist)” (2002), a single-channel rear projection piece, during a class excursion in my first year to Museum London. Suspended eight feet above the gallery floor over the heads of viewers, a small rectangular piece of ground-glass floated upright on a loose length of rope. Perpetually wobbling on the rope was the artist, struggling not to lose his footing. The installation was imbued with tension, subtly depicting an anxiety and fearfulness of impending and imminent old age. Similarly in “Just…” (2002), also a single channel rear projection work, Geleynse continued exploring this implicit apprehension. The character Geleynse assumes in “Just…” is somewhat of a dimwit, dwelling in that ambiguous latitude that is neither child nor adult. He is a two-dimensional nude busk, perpetually spitting up learning blocks. Since antiquity, busks have been used for the purpose of representing nobility and others of high social ranking, meant to immortalize the highly revered qualities of such people. Consciously or not, Geleynse participates in a reinvention of this ancient art form through a depiction of the socially outcast and overlooked. The piece recounts the nausea of being involuntarily thrown into the ever-ceaseless stages of development on the road to adulthood, and the cultural expectations that shadow this growth. Like in his other works, these pieces act as portraits of particular facets of the artist. The portrayal of his worry in both works is convincing, the looped narrative eliciting empathy within the viewer by representing a state of mind everyone can relate to and identity with. Geleyse’s body of work represents a welcome departure from stereotypical notions of what it means to be a male artist. In much of his practice Geleynse deftly explores perceptions of selfhood through the pairing of concept with innovative use and presentation of material. Becoming exposed to artwork of this nature expanded my understanding not only of video but more importantly of the impact feminism can and does have on male artists. It is not only women who strive to break away from patriarchal binary gender roles but also men, whom are equally affected though by different expectations. Wyn Geleynse is an example of a male artist who represents the desire to depart from, and remain outside the system of, gender stereotyping. ■

issue no.2 / january 2012

Ed Pien: On Ghosts, Fear, & Confrontation interviewed by Jacqueline Mok After being exposed to the work of Ed Pien, I was mesmerized by his large-scale paper cuts and drawings with intense line work. Knowing that he was based in Toronto, I asked if he would be available to meet and talk about his practice. I wanted to learn about his creation process and story behind the imagery. He courteously responded and we met in December at his studio space near The Drake Hotel, where he revealed how he arrived at installation work, and we discussed an overarching theme in his work: fear. Pien completed his education locally, graduating from UWO with a BFA and York with an MFA in the 1980s. During this time, he studied as a painter. The shift in medium from painting to drawingbased installations occurred after a realization he had during one of his exhibitions. While viewing his own paintings displayed in the gallery, he thought, “I wasted a whole space: from the side the paintings aren’t even active, they’re just objects that come out of the walls”. From this point on, Pien wanted to activate the space by immersing the body of the viewer. He began to explore the possibilities of paper, materializing drawings and playing with its surface to construct spaces. We took a look at Tracing Night (2006), an installation inspired by Irene Avaalaaqiaq and Inuit mythology. One of the myths spoke of a couple who were out hunting when demons descended upon them. They were frightened and turned into wolves to escape. If they were not able to run fast enough, they had the ability to turn themselves into birds and fly away. In Pien’s installation, the hunters were reinterpreted into a little girl, half transformed into a rabbit attempting to escape evil fiends. Paper is fashioned into multiple curving walls enclosing the girl in the center. A consideration of light is evident through casted shadows and the gradual transition of colour, representing different times of day. Pien favours working with paper due to its transportability, as well as its delicate, translucent qualities. The whole surface of the installation is hand-wrinkled so that each creased section may reflect light from different angles, allowing for a play between surface and depth. The transformation of the hunting couple and girl as a form of escape intrigued Pien. During moments of fear or confrontation, the common response is helplessness. However, these particular characters found a way to empower themselves. As I considered the ways I might react to frightening situations, he stated that he is interested in how fear is “used as a tool to shape us as human being in society”. This stemmed from his upbringing in Taiwan and the influence of traditional household scrolls, which depicted what one should and shouldn’t do through resulting punishments, such as decapitation, disembodiment, and being engulfed by flames. A general sense of fear is portrayed, similar to depictions of hell in Western society. The concept of ghosts is also used as a form of fear-induced discipline in Taiwanese culture. Ghosts were presumed to observe without being known, and had the ability to deliver punishment

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ED PIEN, TRACING NIGHT, 2006, MIXEDMEDIA INSTALLATION, CLOSE-UP VIEW

ED PIEN, GATHERING FOR A SABBATH, 2003-5, DRAWING WITH INK AND FLASHE ON PAPER, 65 CM x 28 CM, CLOSE-UP VIEW

or haunt the living. Pien is interested in confronting fear, as he believes facing it head-on is the only way to overcome it. He explores the idea of ghosts through the physical manifestation of drawing what he perceives them as: real people lost by means of war, disease, and famine. Often the images hint at decapitation, dehumanization, and a morphing of the figure that is in transition between a solid entity and a specter form. The parallel between his interest in ghosts and the methodology through which he creates his drawings are what intrigues me the most about his practice. Pien works with a sensibility towards spontaneity and association: he makes a mark on paper with wet ink, uses another sheet of paper to press it, and is then left with two separate residuals, two “ghost” marks. After this, he collects different markings and tiles the small sheets to create a larger work, and then adds to the drawing using the same process. Lingering ghost marks are evident and though they layer upon each other, they still appear to have some individuality instead of combining into a decorative pattern. Upon close inspection, one is able to see the transformation of ink after it is pressed and lifted. The drawing’s sense of human gesture is lessened as the ink is pressed flat as if it were printed. In relation to this, Pien remembers a commenter saying, “I can see that you’ve been here, but I can’t see your footprint”. Though Pien is uncertain if he truly believes in ghosts, he uses it as a “way of thinking about how we construct the world, and how we have constructed ghosts to better understand who we are”. In this sense, he speaks about The Other as written by Edward Said in his book Orientalism: by stating what we are not, we are in a sense stating what we are. I asked Pien what he would like for his audience to get out of his work. To this, he replied: “I think that people who enjoy lines and drawing would take delight in my work, because I’m playing with a combination of mark making – there’s a delicateness in some of the lines, and also a strength and intensity in other passages. Some people walk pass and say ‘my kids can do that’, which is fine because I feel I have liberated myself from trying to draw in a classical realistic style, so I’ll take that as a compliment.” ■

issue no.2 / january 2012

#OCCUPY and the Pepper Spraying Cop

Joanna Braund

Though many streets (and parks) were occupied, much of the occupation occurred online and through images: trails of newsfeeds, hashtags, and Tumblr photos became unavoidable. While the protest was fuelled via the Internet, it was not until after the astonishing media blackout that Occupy-inspired images went viral. For a moment, Occupy was hip and sexy: with every day it looked more and more like a people’s choice award ceremony. The campsites were suddenly star-studded, celebs sold tA IMAGE OF THE DECLARATION & POLICEMAN POSTED ON TUMBLR shirts promoting the movement, and people chanted, holding posters in the air. The online movement that supported Occupy meant that camping on Wall Street was not the only method of being involved in the protest and dialogue. From Adbusters’ initial call to occupy, the movement has relied heavily on the appropriation of iconic and historical images. The anti-consumerism magazine used a poster to tell their readers to meet at Wall Street on September 17, 2011, to occupy and demand that Obama “stop the monied corruption at the heart of our democracy”. Back in July, they sent out the image of a serene ballerina atop the Wall Street bull, surrounded by fog and gas-masked protesters. The striking image informed the public of the need for protest. Adbusters knew that art was going to be an important catalyst in motivating people and circulating the demands of the movement, resulting in a call to artists such as Banksy and JR to “create pieces that embolden the September 17 revolt”. The most circulated image of the movement thus far is a photo of Police Lieutenant John Pike as he pepper sprays students at University of California Davis. His casual manner of spraying nonviolent protesters outraged the public. The image was quickly circulated with a caption that said: “This is the photo that will start a real revolution”. The incident took place on November 18 after students blockaded an Occupy campsite after the police told them to move out. Only two days later one of the most popular trends of the movement was started, when the cop’s image was mockingly manipulated and placed in historical artworks. This officer’s attack of the non-violent public is exaggerated in the remixing of George Seurat’s Sunday in the Park, and the Tumblr site based on this officer is full of many other creative appropriations. Among the more entertaining versions of the photo are a gingerbread recreation of the incident and the officer as part of the circle of dancing naked women in Matisse’s The Dance. Though the pepper spray cop brought new dialogue and uses to historical artworks, it failed to bring about a ‘real’ revolution because its occupation remained online and based in mockery.Online images fuelled this movement, but I wonder if change can really be created when frustration does not go far beyond Twitter trending and Tumblr pages. Outrage is so fleeting. 36

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The Future is Bright for Tintin and Children’s Film Marie-France Roche Blistering Barnacles! Tintin is back! And this time, he’s making his big screen debut. The Adventures of Tintin, released December 23rd, uses computer animation as its medium – a divergence from the traditional, standardized paneling of the comic books. However, the appropriation of modern technology causes no detriment to the Tintin phenomenon. Each element of the film enhances the distinct features of the original series that made it irresistible to children and adults worldwide. The plot line of the film is simple but adequately gripping: Tintin (Jamie Bell) and Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) embark on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor, but the malicious Mr. Sakharine, played by Daniel Craig, is determined to acquire this treasure as well. The location of the treasure is written on scrolls, contained in three separate models of the ship. Both Tintin and Sakharine hold one in their possession, and the other is held by the affluent Omar Ben Saalad, an Arab merchant in Baghar, Morocco. The film is actually a combination of three different comic books: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure. This consolidation not only lengthens the story, but the weaving together of each book deepens the plot. The mystery of the film demands audience engagement. The opening sequence of the film features Tintin and his canine sidekick, Snowy, immersed in their usual adventures, and introduces each classic Tintin character such as Thomson and Thompson, and Captain Haddock. Spielberg’s animated opening is a brilliant method of establishing a sense of nostalgia in its audience, alluding to the original animation of the Tintin comics. The characterization is precise and demonstrates thorough research: Thomson and Thompson present their usual hilarious oblivion, Captain Haddock is the quintessential Scottish lush, and of course, Tintin is just as inquisitive and lovable as he is in the comic books. Spielberg’s ultimate success with the film is his ability to portray the traditional element of the Tintin we remember with necessary adaptive techniques that construct a gripping plot. From Captain Haddock’s interjections (“Blistering barnacles!” or “thundering Typhoons!”, to name a couple), to Snowy’s steadfast loyalty toward his owner, the film effectively exudes a profound nostalgia. In fact, this sentiment is reinforced simply by the previews that were shown prior to the film. Put gently, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted serves as a foil for The Adventures of Tintin. The third film in the series is seemingly filled with non-sequitur humor and obnoxious zoo animals distorted by computer animation. Tintin, in contrast, is a brilliant business venture, appealing the audiences who read the v novels as they were released back into the 1940s, and to viewers fascinated by the cultured, rather sophisticated phenomenon. The film serves perhaps as a precursor to an entirely new, refreshing genre of children’s films: a hybridized model that alludes to the past, but also reappropriates it for a wider audience. Great Snakes! It’s positively genius!

issue no.2 / january 2012

Places To Check Out City Lights Bookshop

356 Richmond St, N6A 3C2 / 519.679.8420 Open Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-5pm / Sun 12pm-5pm The musty smell of knowledge from a really great book. Lots of old treasures at great prices. The Teenie Weenie Zine Machine situated upstairs where you can pop in a toonie for a mini zine from local artists. What more could you want?

Hot Dog Musique & Cinema

256 Richmond St, N6B 2H7 / 519.850.3903 Open Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-6pm Recently opened last December, Hot Dog has lots of great music albums and DVDs, new loves and old classics. They also host artist events in its intimate space. It’s fresh, it’s hip, and it’s right beside Forest City Gallery. Stop by and check it out!

The HUGH Display Case

167 Wortley Rd, N6C 1P6 / 519.439.6040 Open Hours: Tue-Thu 9am-9pm / Fri 9am-6pm / Sat 9am-5pm Located inside the Fred Landon Library in Wortley Village, zines and little artifacts are shown in glass display cases. HUGH was started and still curated by London’s own Jason McLean, so make sure to give the library a visit and see the village as well!

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