Archive for May, 2011

We are very pleased to present to you, Episode Eight of Giants of The Forest, with Vancouver’s Hey Ocean! It was chilly and breezy on that cliff overhanging the ocean as the sun was setting, but we didn’t really mind it because we got to listen to some happy harmonies. We’ve been hoping to do a Giants Of The Forest video with these lovely people right from the beginning, so we’re really thankful to have had this opportunity, and get to know these sweet sweet hearts. We got to film a video for Dave Vertesi last year, and we even filmed a special duet with Ashleigh this February too. This is the first time we got to hang out with Dave, Dave, & Ashleigh all together as Hey Ocean! and we hope it’s not the last. Enjoy this NEW song from them called “Big Blue Wave” from their album they’re currently working on, and prepare to catch yourself singing this to yourself many times today, or singing it really loud. Why not? And if this video makes you think, “I would love to hang out near the ocean and trees and listen to them play live” well you totally can! They’re playing at Summer Live this July 10th in Stanley Park as part of the celebrations for Vancouver’s 125th birthday. Much love to you Hey Ocean! www.facebook.com/iloveheyocean www.heyocean.com Filmed with a Canon 5D Mark II www.giantsoftheforest.com www.amazingfactory.com Click HERE to read about the project Episode One – Redbird Episode Two – David Vertesi Episode Three – Treelines Episode Four – Adrian Glynn & Nat Jay Episode Five – Aidan Knight Episode Six – Tyler Bancroft & Ashleigh Ball (Valentine’s Edition!) Episode Seven – The Never Surprise www.giantsoftheforest.com

Hey Ocean! – Giants of the Forest – Episode Eight from Amazing Factory Productions Inc. on Vimeo.

Click here to see more photos from the video shoot, taken by the lovely Elissa Crowe.

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!

What began as a participatory learning space with the artist collective NOART at Emily Carr Institute has now evolved into 221A Artist Run Centre, a studio space and gallery in the heart of Chinatown. With a mandate to encourage a dialogue between contemporary art and critical design, 221A has been host to a variety of emerging artists, designers, curators and architects with work ranging from reflections on the hook to merkins, mooncakes to plastic photography.

It all started in 2005 when Executive Director Brian McBay and Board Vice President Michelle Fu created NOART with several ECI classmates and held their first pact ‘In the Moment.’ Pacts are one-night non-juried exhibitions based around a theme. They were searching for “a more horizontal learning environment where we could all learn from each other,” recalls McBay. “It was an attempt to be more ambitious with what we were learning in school.” The pact allowed the students to showcase a project for the first time or multiple times to a wider variety of people, in particular those not in the same discipline.

In 2007 they started searching for a permanent place so the group could be taken out of ECI and into the community at large. After searching for a year, the space at 221 East Georgia Street …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!).

I couldn’t resist going with an image from downtown last night after the hockey game. It’s not every day that your hometown Vancouver Canucks earn a berth in the Stanley Cup Final – in fact, its only ever happened twice. Of course you already knew that, just like you know that the team was denied both times previously. Perhaps you also knew that Vancouver beat San Jose in double-overtime of Game 5 last night to advance to the Final – 17 years to the day since Greg Adams scored in double-overtime of Game 5 against Toronto for the chance to play the New York Rangers in 1994.

So downtown was a happening place as a result. I even checked it out myself, being curious and all. And of all the tinfoil Stanley Cups I saw, none were as aesthetically pleasing or appeared as structurally-sound as the one in Alison Faith‘s photo below. It even looks like almost the right size, and dude has a good hoist going on. Nice use of the free lighting; you know I always appreciate that. Just like I appreciate Alison getting this shot just milliseconds after the Canucks Winning.

So now we wait for Tampa Bay and Boston to finish the Eastern Conference Finals. Take all the time you need, we’ll just wait here.

Gary

A new kitty twice a week! Yup, we want YOUR cat photos and stories! Click here to find out how your cat can appear on Van City Kitty.

Vancouver musician/designer John Mutter recently returned from a lengthy stay in Paris, where he posted his thoughts and sightings on his blog, including the below video of his bestest buddy.

Name: R Cat Nicknames: Ki T Breed/Colouring: Orange Hood: World traveller (lived in Vancouver, Paris, Barcelona. Habits: Sleeping, drinking coffee, pondering life and it’s wonders. Hangouts: La Seine, Les Philosophes Café, Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, beds. Other info: Shy, quiet, but extremely intelligent with a lot to offer to the world.

Are you looking for a (or another) little furry beast to love? Please check out Happy Tails, our weekly segment featuring the BC SPCA and one of the animals they currently have available for adoption. (You may have noticed that many of the Van City Kitties came from the SPCA!) Check back every Saturday for a new Happy Tails segment!

And if you adopted your pet from the SPCA and would like to share your awesome story on Happy Tails, send an email to vancitykitty@vancouverisawesome.com or Rory.Blanchard@novusnow.ca.

Ed. Note: This video was made for a contest. Van City Kitty/Vancouver is Awesome is not affiliated with and does not endorse the product mentioned therein.

It’s a new dog twice a week! Click here to find out how to get your dog posted if you haven’t sent in your photos yet!

Today’s dog featured in Dogtown Vancouver is Machete, Marlo’s pup. Here’s what she had to say about her…

NAME: Machete. BREED: Black Labrador. HOOD: West End. FAVOURITE SNACK: Bully sticks, salmon skins and kipper. OTHER INFO: Machete is nearly five months old and has endless energy. She enjoys the company of other dogs, long walks on the beach and enjoys fetching sticks and swimming. She is super sweet, cuddly and loves her family! If you’re interested in adopting a pet, check out our Happy Tails feature. If you adopted your pet from the SPCA and would like to share your awesome story on Happy Tails, send an email to Rory.Blanchard@novusnow.ca.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Every once in awhile I troll over to our friends at the Canadian Design Resource web site to find a gem that is relevant to this city of ours. It’s one of those days!

Below is the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, purchased by Lord Stanley and meant to “celebrate and mark the early championship teams in Canadian hockey”. Click HERE to see the post on the CDR, and bookmark that site because there is always something now and awesome going up.

The current selection in the Vancouver Book Club is Lee Henderson’s award winning book, The Man Game, and we’ll be hosting Lee for a chat TONIGHT! Wednesday, May 25 at 7pm at the historic Vancouver Park Board office in Stanley Park (directions HERE). This is a free event where we’re inviting all of you who have read this great book to come down and have an intimate talk with the author for a couple of hours.

In the days leading up we’re sharing the entire collection of original illustrations that Lee drew to illustrate the different moves in the actual Man Game he dreamed up!

Figure 16.6
The Point and Click, early sketch

Figure 16.7
The Totoosh Twister
A variation on the Point and Click that prefers a clench to a punch. A move like this turns opponents into enemies.

Figure 16.8
Gone Fishin, alternative sketch, the ascent before the leap

Figure 16.9
The Somersaulting Carpenter, aka the Flipping …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>