Welcome to “In the Closet”, an intimate look into the wardrobes of stylish Vancouverites.After a brief hiatus, In The Closet is back! Back with a bang! Meet Melo, the incredibly talented picker at a Vancouver favourite (and in my personal opinion, the best) vintage store, Used. Her confident sense of style is envious as she mixes outfits purchased for $4.50 a pound and a pair of Rag & Bone boots she’s been eyeing at Holt Renfrew for months. Like her home, her wardrobe is a careful curation of lost treasures she discovers and investments that only get better with age. Melo’s quiet confidence and grace are qualities all women aspire to have, and because of that, she’s a timeless treasure herself.

Tell us a little about yourself…

Being a vintage picker has been a constant compulsion for well over thirty years. I work in an environment where clothes get processed to either to be sent to a third world country or thrown into the trash. Its basically clothing hell and I’m there to sift through mountains of material to extract the lost treasures. It’s not a glamorous job [and] I see a lot of evidence of our physical humanity. It is exciting – the thrill of the hunt – you never know what you might find from one minute to another, but when you do there’s a rush knowing what you picked will have another life.
…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

BC BuzZ is a magazine-style interview show that celebrates all things British Columbian. Art, artists, entertainment, events, movies, music and more, this series of videos gets up close and personal to showcase the best of arts and entertainment in our great province. It’s served up on Vancouver Is Awesome every week or so and aims to support local communities.

BC BuzZ is extremely happy (you could say we are totally BuzZ’d) to be partnering with Vancouver is Awesome and for our first episode on VIA we figured we’d go big. We got to sit down with British Columbia’s most loved duo on TV, Fiona Forbes & Michael Eckford of Shaw TV’s Urban Rush. After 15 years, numerous awards, live events and about 15000 interviews they still to this day love what they do and they have fun doing it. Not bad for a former law student and construction worker!

We also noticed two other things, they talk a lot (which makes sense considering their job) and they are truly two very funny people! Watch, Enjoy & Share.

Check out Urban Rush on Shaw TV, weekdays at 5pm

For many of you, the beauty that is Bon’s Off Broadway is no secret. In fact, those of you who fall into that category might think that including it in a series on cheap stuff in Vancouver is like including Golden Girls in a list of the best TV shows of all-time: too obvious to mention. To you people, I say “pish posh!”, and I say it for two reasons. First of all, new people move to Vancouver every day, and they deserve to know about Bon’s. Secondly, it is at least a little bit possible that there are veteran Vancouverites who have yet to hear about this joyous place.

What’s so great about Bon’s, you ask? Simple: $2.95 all-day breakfast.

Yeah yeah, there are other $3 breakfasts in town. Trust me, none of them stand up to Bon’s. Here’s why:

Reason #1: Bon’s will probably not give you a tummy ache. Or at least not as bad a tummy ache as most cheap breakfasts will give you. Yes, it is greasy, but it’s real food!

Reason #2: they allow substitutions and don’t charge extra! Don’t eat meat? Get extra potatoes or mushrooms or tomatoes instead. No fuss, no muss.

Reason #3: the staff is friendly, efficient, and awesome.

Reason #4: dependability. You know how other restaurants start off cheap until they get popular and then jack up the prices? Not Bon’s! The price has been the same for at least 15 years.

Reason #5: ambiance. Bright yellow walls, graffiti, and posters for the worst movies of all time. What more could you want?

Reason #6: portions. Most of these other $3 breakfasts have a measly egg, a sad piece of toast, and maybe some hash browns and a slice or two of bacon. These guys fill your plate with 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, meat (if you want it), and hash browns filling in all the empty spaces on your plate. You will be full for hours, trust me.

Check out this overflowing plate of food that my …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

It’s been 5 years since James Brown passed away. He made many visits to Vancouver and I was so lucky to be able to interview him before he died. He also gave the best reply to “doot doola doot doo…” ever. It’s all here in two parts!

Nardwuar vs. James Brown Part 1

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Every day we share a single photo from our Flickr Pool shot by one of our faithful and talented readers (that’s you!)

How such an amazing photo came out of a Crayola Toy camera is beyond me. That’s right, today’s Daily Flickr Pickr photo from Tyler Wilson came out of a Crayola Toy camera. And not even the digital variety. A film camera folks.
Just goes to show you, that despite all the noise surrounding which DSLR is “the best”, at the end of the day, it really is all about the photographer.

Enjoy Second Narrows Lift Bridge by Tyler Wilson

John

THE OPENING is all about introducing the fascinating, quirky and wonderful people working in and around the visual arts in Vancouver. Each week, we’ll feature an artist, collective, curator or administrator to delve deep into who and what makes art happen!

Artist Scott Massey works with light, most often using photography, sculpture or both to conjure ideas about space – from that which surrounds us everyday in our urban lives to the unknown bodies above us most often contemplated by telescope. He will be completing two new installations as part of the Contemporary Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibitions. Massey and I sat down over beers recently to discuss his interest in space and light, the difficulties of being a photographer in Vancouver, and the aforementioned installations.

‘Buff Frame’ 2006, from ‘Minor Incidents’ series. Enlarger colour print, 30×30″

You often alter or amplify something that already exists, whether natural or unnatural, sometimes accentuating an existing intervention. Why these interventions?

So often people navigate their way through the world without taking much notice. I find it kind of fascinating that with a very subtle intervention, you can totally change the reading of the scene and change people’s awareness of it. With the Minor Incidents series, I wanted to know what the smallest change I could affect was that would have some significance. What I needed to identify was the most poignant aspect of a scene. By changing that thing, it became obvious that even a subtle change was going to have larger implications.

It was also about the degree to which we operate with very little knowledge of the world. What happens when we flood environments with 24-hours of light? It changes things. The amplifying of something is really a way of saying “Hold on, what are we missing here?” Repercussions have occurred because of a circumstance we’re creating. What’s the trade-off for that circumstance? So the altering is heightening an awareness of things that already exist.

In terms of what it is that you change in any given landscape, do you often find yourself drawn to certain things over others?

That’s part of the wandering process. If I go back to the Minor Incidents works… what happens with those is I wander around until something hits me. I go out with this idea that I need to find a certain scene to enact a pre-meditated reaction to it. That’s why those were very interesting in the sense that if something happened it happened, and if it didn’t, it didn’t. I couldn’t force it. Most of the time I would have some success with that, to a greater or lesser degree. Usually there’s something interesting to be found, pretty much anywhere. I think Orozco is a good example of someone who can navigate a completely banal environment but touch on something and twist it just enough that it all comes out of that little action. The Arte Povera artists, that was their intention, bridging that gap and bringing art to the masses as something that we should experience on a regular basis. That it’s not only housed in museums, that it can be anywhere.

‘Square Foot Elevation’ 2007, from ‘Minor Incidents’ series. Enlarger colour print, 30×30″

So you’re trying to find the art in the everyday?

With that series, absolutely. I’m not saying that’s an overriding concern in all of what I do because it’s not. With other things, if I think about Rememeration Piece #1, that was more about recognizing the effects …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

There’s nothing so exhilarating as meeting new people – especially when they share a passion for something bigger than themselves. Especially when the conversation is so engrossing. Especially while sipping a beautiful La Frenz Montage from the Naramata Bench and nibbling on Happy Days chevre from the Shuswap. Especially inside the warm and cosy interiors of one of the city’s more tony but no less community-minded restaurants.

Especially when the energy in the room is so electric.

All photos by Hilary Mandel

The occasion bringing together 70 movers and shakers from Vancouver’s ever-expanding class of sustainability mavens is Power Plant, a unique networking event series with a mission: to provide a space and a format conducive to making meaningful connections and sharing knowledge with like-minded, sustainability-driven entrepreneurs, professionals, artists, adventurers, wonks and media activists.

The goal: to grow and support Vancouver’s green economy.

Most recently held at Salt Tasting Room, along Gastown’s polished Blood Alley, Power Plant is executed faithful to the values of its intended following, with systems in place for reducing waste and optimizing eco alternatives at every turn. There is almost no paper used (thank you, Eventbrite); the food is always vegetarian and local, organic and seasonal when possible; car sharing is used for all event transport; and the venue is selected for its sustainability initiatives.

Salt, for example, climate-controls its 10,000 square-foot space using a mix of geothermal and radiant heating, sources many of its ingredients from independent local producers and salvaged the original joists from the Irish Heather to construct the communal long table that runs the length of the cellar dining room.

It was around this table that the Power Plant IX crowd mingled and engaged over …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

VANCOUVER DAZE showcases and highlights the lifestyle and cultural scene of our beautiful city, uncovering all the interesting things, misadventures, and shenanigans beyond social functions and local happenings. We fiercely promote all the fun times, food, culture, and entertainment the city has to offer along with the creative minds behind them. Follow more of my work/coverage over at RICKCHUNG.COM and on Twitter at @RICKCHUNG. You can pitch me HERE.

Volume 53: Yelp Elites Party in the Rec Room at The Bimini Public House in Kitsilano on January 18, 2012. Photos courtesy of Aziz Dhamani. More photos available at Flickr.

After a full year and 52 straight weeks with V.I.A., we’ve decided to freshen things up. I’m now (dun-dun-duh) the LIFESTYLE EDITOR (insert Dr. Evil style air quotes here) and moving to must-see primetime on Thursdays.

I’ll still be covering events and will always be social, but want to diversify reporting on other stuff too in an effort to evolve my coverage. Basically, I’ll approach ideas and culture focusing on a more living and lifestyle point of view, hopefully. Anyhoo, on to the next adventure…
…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>