These are the Voyagers of the Princess Street Campus (Their two-year mission: to explore strange new methods of communication)
Every year, students in the Creative Communications program (which I have almost completed) showcase their design skills, journalistic chops, advertising savvy, and showmanship, in a one-day magazine trade show.
This year the Class of 2011 put on an outstanding show. I was extremely impressed by the level of enthusiasm, the quality of presentation, and the big ideas which made the event so much fun.
Set a course for Awesome: Engage!
As an Advertising Major, I tended to flip past a lot of the articles and go straight to the ads (just being honest), and there were dozens of examples of well-written copy and clever concepts.
Here are a few of the magazine ads that really stood out from the crowd, in no particular order:
PRAIRIE ORGANIC VODKA Tiffany Lachuta
I really liked the simplicity of this one. It looks like a real ad, and seems like it would appeal to the kind of audience who would want an organic vodka.
VITA HEALTH Desiree Mendoza
I have a couple of issues with the copy, but I love the hand-made illustration for this one. It really sells the sunny/folksy vibe I always get from Vita Health. So I think this represents the client well, and understands what appeals to the target audience.
CITY OF WINNIPEG Glenda Ollero (design) Kiran Dhillan (copy)
Slogan on this one could use some work, "The city with something for everyone," could apply to almost any city. But a really great, eye-catching design is what sells this; images are imperative when marketing a destination. I could easily see this ad in a travel magazine.
I also like the subliminal emphasis on WIN.
WENDY MAHR JEWELRY Berea Henderson
This ad made me want to purchase and consume a chocolate pendant, which is outside of my normal range of behaviour. Ergo, success!
THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jeremie Wookey
Love it. Great design, great idea. Reminds me of an ad campaign that ran a few years ago, which featured cropped images which suggested one story, and then a reveal of the full image which completely changed the story. I wish I could remember who the ad was for...
Anyways, very inspired work. Well done.
MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP Tiffany Lachuta
Another visually arresting ad by Tiffany Lachuta.
"You're responsible for the environment. It's where all your greatest adventures happen.""Mountain Equipment Co-Op wants to help you reduce your carbon footprint, while walking your own path."
Great message, great copy, great photo, great design.
THE FORKS Neal Snikeris
Similar to Glenda and Kiran's Winnipeg ad, this has solid layout, and great images.
So there you have it. There were lots of good ads, and these are just a sample.
No winner, no prizes; just the satisfaction of a job well done, and the prestige of appearing on my blog... Let me know which ads you like the best!
Congratulations to everyone on another fantastic magazine trade show.
Every so often the topic of sad movies comes up, and inevitably I recommend the same few films.
I've wept at the conclusion of quite a few films. Schindler's List, Life is Beautiful, and a few other well known pictures. The end of The Iron Giant is particularly devastating. I even get a bit upset at the end of Scrooge.
My list is comprised of movies that kind of fly under the radar; films that not many people I know have seen or even heard of.
IKIRU
I've seen Akira Kurosawa'sIkiru come up on a few people's lists. It's not a tearjerker in the traditional sense, but leaves you with such a life-affirming joy you can't help but get misty-eyed.
Absolutley fantastic movie, originally recommended to me by my friend Sean. Takashi Shimura, who appeared in many of Kurosawa's films, turns in one of his finest performances.
MADADAYO
Another great Kurosawa film, Madadayo is paced very slowly, but one of the final scenes really chokes me up.
The IMDB synopsis:
This film tells the story of professor Uehida Hyakken-sama (1889-1971), in Gotemba, around the forties. He was a university professor until an air raid, when he left to become a writer and has to live in a hut. His mood has hardly changed, not by the change nor by time. Every year his students celebrate his birthday, issuing the question "Mahda kai?" (not yet?), just to hear Uehida-san's answer "Madada yo!" (No, not yet!), in a ritual of self affirmation.
LAST NIGHT
I know of only two people who've ever seen or heard of Don McKellar's Last Night. Curiously enough, a friend of mine mentioned seeing it on TV last week. I still remembering seeing it at the Towne Theatre when it was released, and holding my breath for the last two incredible minutes.
For those itnerested, the entire film has been posted on YouTube.
Part 1:
DANCER IN THE DARK
How can a musical starring Bjork be the most upsetting film ever made? I'm not sure how it happened, but man, this film isn't just depressing, it's traumatizing. Among fans of indie cinema and foreign films, Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark comes up as #1 on a lot of "saddest movie" lists.
I've seen a few other movies by von Trier, and they've all been intriguing and well made, but I think this has been his best work so far.
MY FLESH AND BLOOD
To be fair, this is a documentary. But honest to god, you will never see anything so simultaneously uplifting and emotionally scarring. After watching this, you'll want to call everyone you ever loved and tell them how much they mean to you.
I can say with only mild hyperbole:
If the end of this film does not upset you, you are borderline inhuman.
One of the best "public service announcements" I've seen in a while.
(Warning: Mildly NSFW, if your employer is particularly prudish)
I really like this because it lampoons those ridiculous ads for household cleaners featuring cartoonish mascots. Who was the guy who came up with the of idea associating fun and cartoons with cleaning products?
The other reason this works so well, is that the message connects perfectly with the joke. We're made to feel uncomfortable, and unsafe - exactly the point that the spot is trying to get across.
The interesting thing here, is the ad directs you to peopleagainstdirty.com, a site which provides information on the hidden dangers of household cleaners. It seems like this is some kind of grassroots, environmental group, but in fact, the site is sponsored by method environmental cleaning products. So really, this is just one company subversively criticizing other companies that make the same products, which is nothing new.
Still, great ad. Very funny, very creepy, very effective.
If you're anything like me, you hate reading and prefer to distract yourself with nice pictures of things. If so, you should be made aware of the Boston Globe's, The Big Picture.
All children love emotionless automatons with faces of polished obsidian.
Anyways, I was thoroughly impressed with some of the incredible architecture soon to be on display in Shanghai. These tiny pics don't do the buildings justice, so check out the article!
Below are the Polish pavillion to the left, which playfully references the floral patterns and graphic motifs of Polish folk-art. And the Luxembourg pavillion to the right, which references some kind of Kafkaesque nightmare world. Well done Luxembourg.
Apparently Edmonton is bidding to host Expo 2017.
I was going to say something derogatory about Edmonton, but then I remembered I live in Winnipeg.
For those interested, I am posting everything that I wrote on Thursday night, and read on Friday morning. From the morning preamble and Jenette Martens introduction, right through to Trevor Gill.
BUT FIRST:
I would like to apologize to Kirsten Goldstone and Julie Prejet for forgetting to mention the Creative Communications Film Festival coming up on Tuesday March 23 @ 6 p.m. The event is open to all second-year students, and to first-year students who have completed their montages for Dean Cooper's class early. The event will be held in the Great-West Life Lecture Theatre.
For more information, visit the IPP Facebook Group, or contact Kirsten or Julie.I'm not going to spend a lot of time explaining what the IPPs are.
Writing for the IPPs
As part of my introduction, I tried to explain the first two days in under two minutes. I spent a lot of time making a specific reference to EVERY project presented, and I think the bit fell a bit flat because it was trying to cram too much in. Anyways, if you're curious, you can read it below.
Thank you again to Melanie Fatourus and Rose Dominguez for inviting me to host. And kudos again to Amanda Lefly and Mitchell Clinton for doing an outstanding job on Days 1 & 2.
Cheers, -Jay
The Independent Professional Project Presentations Day 3, March 12, 2010
Good Morning,
Fellow students, Instructors, Industry Luminaries, friends and family, graduates,
It is under the divine providence of John Pura that we assemble here again today, for the
third and final day of the 2010 Independent Professional Project Presentations.It’s a half-day today. I got the half day to host.That’s alright, because today, we’ve condensed the excellence down into thirteen outstanding presentations, in the same way that 2X Ultra Tide is two-times concentrated, Day of Three of the IPPP’s are triple-distilled for maximum life-changing incredibleness.
To review for those who may not have attended the first two days:
Day one was:acronyms, lycanthropy, fabulousness, immigration, and headbutting, followed by chills, thrills, Jill, foxy men, equine abuse, and some punks playing their music too loud in a dilapidated church.
After lunch it was a hockey hero, a humble heroine, a happy hellraiser, a heavenly healer, an alliterative idiot, and an alluring Francophone. And the rest of the day was delicious, potable, musical, cinematic, engaging and Epic.
Day Two began with a better world full of toys, bears, brooms, travel bugs, dance dance kentonlarsen, flying discs, personal struggle, mini-cre-comm for kids, the BIG SOUND OF MITCHELL CLINTON, and gratuitous booty shaking.
After lunch we went crazy, but then bettered ourselves, and rocked the after-party; there was a major calamity, we listened to a choir of one, and moved more Nickel than the Mint. And finally, we closed out the day with human dignity, rhyming masturbation, a Woodcock, a peepshow, a gluttonous bear, and a double order of starch.
But remember, today: three times better.
I have purchased a fresh coconut cream pie this morning at yonder Safeway, which is cooling on a windowsill back stage. Barring, theft by hobo, I hope that it will serve as a deterrent for presentations going over their allotted timeslot.
We would like to thank the following outstanding organizations for their sponsorship; Industry Images, Edward Carrier, 94.3 Curve FM, and the Winnipeg Free Press.
We’d also like to thank the Park Theatre for hosting us over the past few days.
We ask that unless you are one of the five designated students who’ll be live Tweeting this morning, that you please shut off your cellular electric personal mobile telephone devices.
For a written transcript of this morning’s program, please send $5 and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Klara Labady, care of Red RiverCollege, Princess Street Campus.
Jenette Martens
Metaphorically speaking, our first presenter pretty much knocked it out of the literary park on her first time at “bat”.Originally titled, “Better than Twilight,” a rather pretentious title I talked her out of at the Gemini Writer’s retreat, “Merilee” as it’s now know is the tale of a young Greek woman living in Scotland who is bitten by some sort of supernatural creature… possibly a mummy. Penning her first novel in just one summer, she is the kind of writer I hope to grow up to be some day.
I must warn you, this presentation does contain scenes of supernatural awesomeness.
Here she is, Creative Communications’ own Queen of Screams – Jenette Martens!
Terri Stevens
Our next presenter is a four-time Creative Communications Media Award winner, and my second favourite person from Carman. The town, not the opera.
“Bewitching” does not begin to describe this young woman who judging by the title of her project, a radio documentary about Wicca, likes puns almost as much as I do.
I must warn you, this presentation does contain audio of prestidigitation and powers which some consider to be… unnatural.
Here to put a spell on you, the enchanting, Terri Stevens.
Thor Blondal
Some of you may know our next presenter.
I first met him in Journalism 1, when he became my very first interview subject.
An excerpt from that interview “He exudes a confident but decidedly oddball demeanor, reminding one of a character from a Hunter S. Thompson novel. The tall, lanky and bespectacled Gemini swivels in his chair as he describes his chaotic life as of late, Led Zepplin emblazoned across his black t-shirt, a metal hammer pendant and iPod headphones slung around his 22-year-old-neck. He runs his hand through a mop of curly brown hair, revealing fresh stitches on the end of his pinky finger.
Steve Vogelsang’s comments:
“You raise too many questions and leave too many stories untold.”
Here to fill in the blanks, is The Sultan of Selkirk, the self ascribed Prince of the Universe, a man I am extremely happy to call my friend.
I must warn you, this presentation does contain Thorsten Blondal.
Laurie McDougall
To radically change direction, our next presenter is one of the most charming and amiable young women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. A labour of love, and of heartache, her project is an audio documentary telling the stories of veterans of the Second World War, titled, “I Will Always Remember.”
Here to share it with us, the lovely, Laurie McDougall
David Turnbull
Continuing the emotional rollercoaster, our next presenter is also one of the most charming and amiable young women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.He/she and I share a common belief in changing our world for the better through the power and majesty of comedic dinner theatre.
I must warn you, this presentation does contain crossdressing.
The divine Miss David Turnbull.
Erin Bend
Our next presenter is a journalism student who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time just two days ago. And I’m happy to report, she’s a super lady with an awesome vegetarian cookbook to share with us.
I must warn you, this presentation is completely gluten-free. If at any time you feel queasy or gluten-deficient, please visit the medical stations outside for a large glass of barley.
Please welcome, the excellent first-impression making, Erin Bend.
I must warn you, this presentation is the best one of all.
Two women I would be delighted to accept a Creative Communications Media Award from: Daria Lysenko and Kameela Konieczny.
BREAK
Ashlee Espenell
Our next presenter spent a year delving into the gritty world of vigilante justice, a subject near and dear to me own heart. Ever since I was a puny nerd of 13, I’ve been fascinated by costumed heroes. And now as a portly nerd of 32, my love affair with the medium has never faded.I’ve been reading spoiler-filled reviews of this movie on the internet for months, and if it’s as good as they say it is on Aint-it-Cool-News I’m probably going to download it this weekend.
I must warn you, this presentation contains graphic images of men in spandex.
Presenting: The Astounding, Spectacular, Amazing, and Uncanny, Ashlee Espenell!
Courtney Rutherford
Our next presenter has produced a video documentary about a Winnipeg soldier, wounded in Afghanistan. And honestly I can’t think of anything funny to say about this, I’m just really genuinely interested in seeing this documentary, because I suspect she’s done a hell of a job.
I feel like the boy who cried wolf, but I must warn you, this presentation actually does contain some images of war, and if you are particularly sensitive you may wish to sit this one out. But I think you should stay, because it’s timely and important.
I thought of something funny: The future Mrs. Cole Schapansky, Courtney Rutherford.
Dustin Stewart
While I consider my bromance with Thorsten Blondal extremely special, our next presenter was my original Cre Comm crush. Early mornings in the cafeteria, sharing his copy of the Sun, discussing the events of the day, I with my Timmy’s, and he with his precocious grin. It was a magical time to be alive.Anyways, he did a project about basketball or something.
I must warn you, this presentation may contain pyrotechnics and a live elephant.
The Man, the Legend, D-Stu: Mr. Dustin Stewart
Joel Marcoux
Our next presenter made a video documentary about mustaches.
That’s a *video* doc, not an *audio* doc.So if you came here today to listen to the soothing sounds of gently rustling facial hair, you have questionable priorities.
I must warn you, this presentation will change the way you watch Magnum P.I.
And now: Joel Marcoux
Meryl DeLeon & Shayna Wiwierski
Our next presenters decided not to do “an” event, but rather “the event.” Rock the Ribbon, a fashion extravaganza in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, was by all accounts, unbelievable.
I must warn you, this presentation may cause an uncontrollable urge to dance and/or shop.
You will be hard pressed to find two more fabulous human beings than Meryl DeLeon & Shayna Wiwierski.
Trevor Gill
In first year, I knew this man only by his last name.But you know, the more I get to know him, the more I get to like him.He has focused his considerable media production-fu and produced some videos with musical accompaniment for a local youth group of some sort.
I must warn you, this presentation will tear a hole in the fabric of space and time, repair the hole, and celebrate the repairing of the hole with everyone cool who has ever lived.There is also some salty language.
One last enormous round of applause to welcome Trevor Gill.
I still think the single flaming log with the .ca extension was a bad idea.
I think a .com or .ca or whatever address is, on its own, a kind of call to action.
You're unconsciously asking people to visit a website, but leaving them guessing about where to go.
I guess you can make the arguement that it was meant to be a teaser, but I don't think it could obviously be interpreted that way. This wasn't the Cloverfield campaign, ominously depicting a headless Statue of Liberty and a date. That generated buzz. The log generated confusion.
Anyways, the new Birchwood site looks good.
Mystery solved. I am now going for coffee and a Scooby Snack.
Finally, burninglog.ca is the website for a business which actually sells fireplaces, stoves, patio furniture, and pools.But it’s in Ottawa. So I doubt they'd be putting up confusing billboards in Winnipeg.
Some random stuff to entertain on a beautiful Sunday morning:
I was watching Goodfellas for about the tenth time last night, and wanted to grab a few songs off the soundtrack. A couple of months ago I realized you could convert songs and audio clips from You Tube into mp3 format.
Needless to say, there's going to be a lot more Motown and early 70s rock on my iPod at the gym this week.
If you're like me, you often experience intense cosmononplusation. (the vague awe experienced while gazing into the cosmos and feeling utterly insignificant) Now you can have that feeling whenever you want, thanks to this fantastic site.
Then, if for some reason you require a visual representation of your blog, then here comes WORDLE to the rescue. Create a customizable wordcloud of your thoughts and feelings!
Back when I used to work for a living, I often bought goods and services without plotting out a detailed cost v. immediate need analysis. Glorious days, those were. Many religions, both new and old, condemn the evils of money, and its frivolous expenditure on non-critical items, and extol the virtues of a penny saved. Not me. Sometimes a man just needs a t-shirt of a space cat riding a tyrannosaurus.
There was supposed to be a picture of my once proud office here, but I can't find it. Try and contain your disappointment.
As a collector of comic books and plastic bric-a-brac, I've found that money is extremely handy in acquiring these items (I've tried making my own action-figures out of soap, but somehow I always mess up the licensing).
I don't really have a "wish-list" per se, but here are some things, if I had some cash to spend in an irresponsible manner right now, I would pick up.
"But Jay, they're only $17.50!" Yeah, but I'm poor, and if I get this, what's next?
2. Next I visit Kidrobot. Probably pick up some Futurama mini-figs.
Morbo!
If that don't float'cher'boat, head over to myplasticheart. A lot of similar stuff, but still good.
3. Comics. I am lucky enough to have a future mother-in-law who, after a great deal of explanation on my fiancee's part, sort of understands that I like Hellboy. And as such, I am the proud owner of the Hellboy Library Edition Volume One.
But, Volume Two and Three are out now. What can a poor boy do? Sing for a rock n' roll band?
It's come to my attention that blogging is on the outs with the yutes.
According to a study by Pew Internet & American Life Project:
Pew Internet & American Life Project, found that 14 percent of Internet youths, ages 12 to 17, now say they blog, compared with just over a quarter who did so in 2006. And only about half in that age group say they comment on friends' blogs, down from three-quarters who did so four years ago.
Lordy. I would comment on this further, but I'm already getting the urge to check Facebook to see if anyone is up for wings next week. I'm looking forward to three years from now when 140 characters is considered "in depth."
The Love Blog! Soon to be Making Another Run
Valentine's is almost upon us. I was reading something insane today on Kotaku about a game available only in Japan for the Nintendo DS, Konami's Love Plus.
From the article:
Love Plus was released in September 2009 and was unlike anything Konami had done before. Konami had developed dating games, but those titles focus on the beginning of the relationship. Love Plus gives players the pursuit, but then asks this question: You've got the girl, so now what are you going to do?
The game allows a player to talk, send emails and even "caress" her via the Nintendo DS's mic and touch screen. It's the combination of senses (audio, tactile, oral) that separates Love Plus from Konami's other dating sims. The fact that the game takes place in real time and uses tens of thousands voice expressions and over a hundred cutscenes makes Love Plus seem far more organic than anything to hit the Nintendo DS before it. The game's characters even change the way they speak to the player over the course of the game.
Always in love... 365days
My first instinct is to say, "creepy." My second instinct is also to say, "creepy." However, a sober reflection: is this really all that bad? Earlier this week I read a Daily Mail article suggesting that boredom actually lessens a person's lifespan.
More than 7,000 civil servants were studied over 25 years - and those who said they were bored were nearly 40 per cent more likely to have died by the end of study than those who did not.
I'm imagining a future filled with decrepit elderly people cozying up to their digital companions who've never aged a day; audio receptors tuned to a hoarse voice describing the minutia of the day. To go through life knowing love only as an illusion.
I think what makes real love profound, inexplicable, and powerful, is a shared, subconscious feeling of impermanence.
Yoshida Kenko defined the feeling brilliantly:
If we lived forever, if the dews of Adashino never vanished, if the crematory smoke on Toribeyama never faded, men would hardly feel the pity of things. The beauty of life is in its impermanence. Man lives the longest of all living things... and even one year lived peacefully seems very long. Yet for such as love the world, a thousand years would fade like the dream of one night.
As many of you know, I'm wrapping up my forth and final term in the Creative Communications program at Red River College. Term four incorporates two three-week work placements into the curriculum; students may choose an organization or business to work for as an unpaid intern to gain first-hand experience and understanding of the industry they'll be soon be working in.
I chose The Winnipeg Foundation - a very large non-profit group which supports charitable groups,community-building projects and organizations through grants. The Foundation is the oldest community foundation in Canada (founded in 1921 by William Alloway) and the second largest in the country, with an endowment of just over $440 million.
William Forbes Alloway, by Leo Mol (photo by J.Booth, 2008)
Another reason I wanted to work at The Winnipeg Foundation was my interest in gaining some experience in how non-profit groups operate, and honing my skills in areas outside of advertising (My amazing summer job last year was with Winnipeg ad agency McKim Cringan George).
I definitely found what I was looking for.
The Job
On my first day my supervisor LuAnn Lovlin, Director of Communications, left me a memo outlining what I was to work on during my time at the Foundation. My four jobs were, to write as many Foundation Feature articles (advertorials) for the Free Press as I had time for; to produce at least four podcasts for their website, pertaining to Foundation projects and personnel; editing together some footage provided by grant recipients for the Foundation website; and writing up a very rough marketing strategy for Will Week, to promote writing a will. I wrote five feature articles, produced 11 podcasts, and edited six videos. Aside from that, I immersed myself in the organizations literature and corporate culture. I attended dozens of meetings: staff meetings, departmental meetings, managed fund meeting (pretty fancy breakfast), professional advisors group meeting (very fancy lunch), and internal communications meetings. I also assisted with some basic clerical and day to day operations type work. (Help move the Christmas tree into storage, etc.)
Getting to Know You...
Staff were unbelievably welcoming and friendly, and most importantly accessible. Any questions I had were answered right away, staff at all levels took the time to converse and get to know me better (lot’s of questions about CreComm, my career path, and my perspective on the Foundation). I had a favourable opinion of the organization going in, but I went away feeling inspired about what they do, and the city I live in. They are a very well organized team, and even in one of the busiest periods of their year, nobody seemed stressed out or out of it. I was surprised by how many important events and meetings I was invited to, and they were very good about introducing me to important people as well. I met the outgoing chair of the board, Greg Hanson (incoming United Way chair), and the incoming chair, Richard Bracken, along with a slough of business professionals associated with the Foundation.
I was also very appreciative that Foundation CEO Rick Frost took time to sit down and talk with me about the organization and its history.
Surprises
The friendliness of the staff, and the extremely sweet office with a window view of the Exchange from the 13th floor of the Richardson Building. Didn’t expect that at all.
My awesome view, January 4-22, 2010.
What I Learned
A LOT about the organization; I have a tremendous respect for the work that they do, and intend to support them in some capacity in the future. It was fascinating learning about the history of the Foundation, the literally hundreds of projects the support in the community, and intricacies of running a non-profit enterprise in the midst of a financial meltdown. I also learned some general stuff about how non-profits work, and about a number of different charities in the city. I also learned a bit about the career paths that people followed that lead them to work at the Foundation.
And, I picked up a few tidbits on smart investing.
If I’d known there was going to be so much audio production, I would have booked out a better microphone from the get-go. Also, it seemed like they really wanted more video, so making arrangements to book an HD camera for a few days would have been smart. You live and learn.
Conclusion
Overall, I think this was a very good work placement. Last Wednesday I attended one of the public meetings the Foundation was holding around the city – because, believe it or not, I actually wanted to check it out. The enthusiasm there is pretty infectious.
In my farewell email thanking the staff for the opportunity to work with them, I said this: "Every time I visit the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and see the statue of Mr. Alloway, I will reflect fondly on my experience here, the people I was fortunate enough to interact with, and the exemplary work which the Foundation contributes to the City of Winnipeg each and every year."
A coworker mentioned to me today that Bruce Head died last week. Head was an iconic Winnipeg artist whose work I had been familiar with for years without ever knowing his name. I had the pleasure of writing a review of his retrospective show at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2008, and familiarizing myself with one of Winnipeg's most gifted visual artists.
Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet the artist, but judging from interviews and a documentary film which ran along with the show, he seemed like an intriguing and genial man.
My 2008 review:
Bruce Head isn’t a household name, but anyone who’s walked beneath Portage and Main is familiar with his art, whether they know it or not.Head sculpted a massive 130 metre untitled concrete relief, that looks as though it were excavated by anthropologists, below the city’s most famous intersection. The abstract piece’s interlocking forms, which resemble cracked ice flows on the AssiniboineRiver in spring, cover the full height and length of the center of the circular tunnel in Winnipeg Square.In a way, the 77-year-old’s work sits in the very heart of Winnipeg.
Head Space: Five Decades of Bruce Head, at the WinnipegArtGallery, is a retrospective and exhibition of 137 paintings, sculptures, and prints by one of Manitoba’s most talented abstract artists.The show is well worth the admission price, ranging from $4 for students and seniors, to $6 for adults (free for kids under 6).Spend an hour or two exploring how the artist’s outstanding work has evolved since he graduated from the School of Art at the University of Manitoba in 1953.
Head’s most famous innovation came in 1967, when he stretched canvases over metal film reels to create his first “shaped canvases.”The protruding shapes of the canvas are smooth and sharp, angular and curved, like bones beneath a stretched hide, as though the paintings have been starved.One of my favourites, The Ross Quartet (1968), is like a lava-lamp frozen in time and spread with a butter knife across four intersecting planes.The sculptural qualities of these works allow one to move around and study them from different angles for different perspectives.The varied colours almost suggest topographical maps.I can envision myself exploring the surfaces of the paintings, measuring elevations, surveying valleys of yellow, and hiking over mountains of blue.
Head’s acrylics (from the early 90s to 2008) are densely layered with thousands of tiny strokes, small squiggles and glyphs of every hue, to compose large fields of colour.One superb painting, Bingo (1992), features small dabs of red and gold fluttering out toward the viewer, evoking a gust of wind stirring up a bowl of petals.Heads work seems to encourage creative interpretations.Brushstrokes can become arteries and veins, fields of colour become autumn leaves, storm clouds, or pools of algae.Dots could be people and lines could be streets.One painting has me imagining a waterfall of licorice allsorts, or a tide of tiny multi-coloured sea creatures.
In the 1960s, Head was considered by some critics to be one of the most promising abstract oil painters in Canada.However, I prefer his ink graphics during this period, particularly, InteriorBay (1964).Its dark lines swirl in red, pink and brown washes, and look like signatures written in some fantastic, forgotten language.
“I don’t get it,” is what I often hear about abstract art, likely because it lacks the visual references we normally see everywhere in our lives.That’s alright.What makes abstract art successful is its ability to influence our emotions, to stimulate our minds and imaginations.I suggest enjoying Head’s exemplary work on your own terms.Visit the exhibit in the mindset of an explorer to a strange and wonderful land, not a critic, and you won’t be disappointed.
Head Space, curated by Amy Karlinsky runs until Nov. 23, 2008.
If you happen to be heading through Winnipeg Square, or stopping by the Woodsworth Building on Broadway in the coming days, take a few minutes to contemplate the work of Bruce Head.
