PF Flyers laces sneakers and art even closer together with Art and Sole 2010—an art shoe project and auction taking place across Canada during August and September. With no-fewer than 40 artists on the roster, it’s of little surprise that this four-city art project is gearing up to be one of the most influential events of the season. There are no limitations set on the background, or the approach of the contributing artists; the common goal is a simple one: put a unique twist on the classic sneaker silhouette. Forty per cent of the proceeds from Art and Sole 2010 will be donated to various organizations around Canada; the rest goes back to the artists—some of whom we’ve profiled below.
[artandsole2010.tumblr.com] Read the rest
David Choe is someone you should get to know as he’s one of the most talented artists around. His work can be seen in galleries all over the world, Facebook headquarters, the White House and alleyways behind convenience stores. He recently released a 288-page monograph with Chronicle Books that needs to be checked out for the introduction alone (it consists of disses he found by Googling “David Choe”). We had a chance to do an interview with him via email and jumped at the opportunity. Normally email interviews suck and we try not to do them, but we made an exception because David Choe is as good a writer with a keyboard as he is with a spray can. Read the rest
Really bad gig posters are the equivalent of projectile vomiting on the audience according to Christine Hale. And let’s face it, there is only a small minority of sick perverts out there who enjoy that. The illustrator, designer and musician with Montreal-based band, The Hoof & The Heel, hopes that instead, her surrealist, cartoon animations simply speak to people. “There are three kinds of gig posters: the ones that just speak, the ones that are visually stunning, but kind of mumble or speak their own language; and then the ones that can speak, but also be visually aesthetic, which is what I try to do with my posters.” If you’re a charity or non-profit, Christine may just pick up her pencil and make you a poster for free because that’s just the kind of nice gal that she is.
LEO
Even when it’s your time of year, remember that even the cutest of polar bears can’t smile or wink away the melting ice caps. Nor can your excellent hair save you from terrible shoes. Avoiding areas that need attention will only lead to, well, less excellent hair overall. Read the rest
In the year 200X, the scientist Dr. Thomas Xavier Light created a robot which he called Mega Man. After the success of his creation Dr. Light and his assistant Dr. Wily built several other robots to defend against the dangers to humans. With what could only be described as premeditated insanity, Dr. Wily re-programmed the new machines to take control of the planet. In a world of allies, heroes and legends, Mega Man was a machine to create freedom. After a most tumultuous fight and adventure, Mega Man was nearly destroyed only to have his unconscious body saved by Breakman, a robot who regularly blocked Mega Man’s path along the way only to disappear after he was defeated. When Mega Man came to, Dr. Light revealed that Breakman was actually his first creation… Protoman. Turns out that Protoman has a band and they will never let the darkness win. We caught up with two of the players in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Read the rest
For this issue we got the oddest and awesomest request from an artist ever. Prior to our photoshoot with Die Antwoord, we received an email asking, “Can you bring XL boxers of Canadian flag and maple leaves for Ninja to wear for this?” We were, of course, ecstatic and immediately dropped everything we were doing to go on a quest for him. Said Ninja of the boxers we gave him, “They’re nice. I love new boxers and underpants and socks. We never had money so for a few birthdays Yo-landi always bought me underpants and socks and I always liked them. I have nice affection with new underpants.” If you’d like to look like Ninja does on our cover, his maple leaf boxers can be purchased for $15 at almost any tourist store in Gastown, Vancouver.
Two things about Montreal artist Dave Arnold: A) He is hilarious, and B) He doesn’t like to be pigeonholed. In an attempt to avoid this, he’s currently working under the alias Mr. Sign, and is bringing a new face to many storefronts in an old way: by hand-painting signs for businesses eager to recreate that old nostalgic charm. He also has a collection of paintings titled “Teenage Nudes,” consisting of Betty and Veronica from Archie comics posing in the nude. “It seemed like a decent idea,” he says, laughing. Read the rest
If the rhythm sounds nice, you gotta do it twice. So we’re doing it again. On Saturday August 21th, you are cordially invited to spend an afternoon with us on one of the most seldom available rooftops in the city. Be prepared for a day filled with familiar faces, tempting libations, BBQ and general revelry. From 2-7pm the rooftop of Scotiabank Dance Centre will be home to an array of summer favorites from past and present.
Apparently the Swedes are good at a few things: crafting perfect pop songs, furniture you put together yourself and meatballs. They can add making sunglasses to that list with this month’s prize, a pair of WESC shades. The heat is on which means beach days aplenty—what better way to spot your summer crush while you’re catching some rays than through the lenses of a pair of WESCs.
