"o lux beatissima" - david mellor

remember those old traditional candelabras sitting on the table on a christmas evening? maybe surrounding it rests an advent wreath with soft candlelight flickering about.

david mellor took this classical accessory and revamped it into a sleek stainless steel candelabra for modern and contemporary spaces. 32 thin vertical bars are present along with 8 radial candle holder and a 9th in the centre. accents of violet from the anodized aluminium highlights the individual candle holders. the candelabra handmade and situated on a solid matte black granite base with an engraving that reads "o lux beatissima" meaning "o most blessed light." holding white candles, mellor's piece demonstrates an obvious juxtaposition of industrial coolness versus classical softness.

*where you can get david mellor's candelebra: www.20ltd.com

*where you can view more of david mellor's work: www.davidmellordesign.com

-cup of red

robots and monsters – ayden gallery

robots and monsters is the theme for the Ayden Gallery’s art collection this fall. the Ayden Gallery is located in Tinseltown near downtown Vancouver where exhibitions of the local art can be seen. the contemporary art displayed were beautiful yet quite disturbing at the same time. for example, Jesse Schilperoort paired androids and human females in his pencil sketches and called them “Perfect couple 1, 2, 3 and 4.” more outrageously, Peter Ricq’s detailed acrylic paintings are of robots and monsters having sexual intercourse with women. both artists were seen at the opening reception collaborating on yet another out-of-this-world painting.

* Jesse Schilperoort (left) and Peter Ricq (right)

"zom bot" - by Peter Ricq

Dan VanHarmelen’s miniature robots made from scraps of metals and other interesting bits were scattered around the gallery. his mini light-up bots can serve as both casual accessories and alternative desk lamps.

3D Leigh created some interesting mixed media pieces which played with the visual dimensions of the canvas. robots and monsters protruded out of the 2D plane to grab its “heart” for installation in “Install Heart.” 3D Leigh also used the giclee technique to draw cartoonish monsters. similarly, Megan Majewski’s sharply defined acrylics paintings were of gothic skeletal robots that reminded me of those characters in the cartoon called the Night Before Christmas.

"install heart" - by 3D Leigh

"cell" - by 3D Leigh

"come to take my soul away" - by Megan Majewski

the exhibition also featured related designer products from Tokyo Flash and Mike Kammerer’s furniture. Tokyo Flash is a leading watch brand in Japan which uses LED lights to display time. unlike classic time-keepers, these watches do not require their owners to read numbers, but rather to count dots of lights displayed in uniquely organized fashions. on the other hand, Mike Kammerer bent euro-birch into skeletal shapes and mingled them with traditional Asian rice paper to form one-of-a-kind floor lanterns. the Ayden Gallery truly showed that the boundaries of contemporary art are limitless.

"infection" - by Tokyo Flash

"frond lamp" - by Mike Kammerer

*where you can learn more about the Ayden Gallery: http://www.aydengallery.com/EN/artists/www.aydengallery.com

-cup of red

red carpet fashion show - lonely hearts children international

strut, strut, strut, strut - armed with curly up-dos, smoky black eyes and bold red lips, bodacious models strut their stuff down the runway for impoverished children and families in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and India. hosted by Lonely Hearts Children International, the Red Carpet Fashion Show was a charity event where fashion met philanthropy. the organization was founded by Renata K. (Miss New Westminster), Sara G.(Professional vocalist), Rosalba V. (Miss Burnaby) since August and it has been a life long dream for them. the Red Carpet Fashion Show was their first launch as an organization. this glamorous night was sponsored Ron Sombilons Art Gallery, Masci Tutoring and Consulting, Kihada Works Design, Mega Silver Inc among many others. three short fashion shows featured clothes from Bebe, JC studio and jewellery from Jolie Mack...

Bebe
picture the clothes on mannequins in bebe's storefront windows - that was the bebe fashion line presented. an eye-striking reoccurring piece was the signature bebe short curve-hugging dresses in bright metallics - perfect for a night out in town. occasionally, there were tweed skirt suits embellished with patent leather and ruffle-clad dress shirts shown. the colours were primarily bold and solid hues like purples, greens, reds, blues and yellows. a few pieces with boho patterns jutted out here and there in the show like sore thumbs. but the flowing black, red and gold v-neck silk boho-style dress (pictured below) was my favourite piece between all the shows.
beware though, these clothes aren't for all of us, as they were designed for vixens of the night.
for all the style-conscientious men out there, bebe hasn't left you out. the line also featured dark leather jackets for you to wear when accompanying your daring vixen.

*my favourite piece




Jolie Mack Custom Jewellery Designs
there are two words to describe the line - long and shiny. running from the neck to the stomach, the detailed yet streamlined jewellery drew attention to the body's mid line. the exaggerated length of the pieces tricks the eye into elongating the torso. matching earrings also followed the general design scheme. as for the shiny factor, most of the pieces were designed in sterling silver or chains of Swarovski crystals. although not your Tiffany and Co's type jewellery, Jolie Mack does have their place in designing one-of-a-kind jewellery.

JC studio
if Bebe's clothes were fit for girl's night out, then JC studio's clothes were their counterparts, at least i thought so anyway. the colour scheme was like bebe's - bold solid metallics on long flowing full length silk dresses. even though designer silk pyjama bottoms are currently acceptable to wear out of the house, i don't think JC's line will qualify because they look more like silk nightgowns than formal wear. perhaps they're more appropriate for a sexy night in?


with all this glitz and glamour, it's hard not to lose scope of the whole purpose of the event, which was to fund raise for less fortunate families in other parts of the world. all proceeds of the event will go to the children and families sponsored by Lonely Hearts Children International. let me leave you with a true story from one of the organization's founders about one of her site visits..."a 72-year-old grandmother with diabetes was taken care of by her son. one day, her son and daughter-in-law were kidnapped and assassinated. this 72-year-old now not only has to provide for herself, but three more young grandchildren." fashion isn't always about vanity. sometimes, it can be for charity too.

*founders of Lonely Hearts Children International - Renata K. (Miss New Westminster), Sara G.(Professional vocalist), Rosalba V. (Miss Burnaby) and sponsor Ron Sombilon (artist) (from left to right)


*photos courtesy of Raymond Chou, where you can view more of his work: http://www.raymondchou.ca/

*where you can view this article on the Ubyssey: http://www.ubyssey.ca/?p=5499

- cup of red

genes exposed - dna 11

as one with a science background, i have done countless numbers of dna extractions, PCRs and gel electrophoresis. the gel products were often just another mound of data to analyse. never would i have thought of turning this genetic fragments into art, but Adrian Salamunovic and Nazim Ahmed, the founders of dna 11 did. this Canadian duo paints on canvas not your outer appearance, but your inner beauty. they extract your dna from a mouth swab you provide, do a perfect gel run, take a pristine picture of the gel, play with the colours and contrast, and finally magnify it as an art piece for your enjoyment. this idea is ever so simple yet results in such intriguingly beautiful art. you can be definite that each piece is one-of-a-kind and personally yours. perhaps compose a couple's portrait with your significant other, or how about a family dna portrait? unsatisfied with not knowing what those lines on the gel means? dna 11 will help you analyse your inner self through genepack where they also perform addition extractions of 4 specific genes for sport, love, brain and gender.

dna 11 also offer other unique products such as fingerprint and KISS portraits.

this is truely the unity of art and science.

*where to learn more about dna 11: http://www.dna11.com/

roses and bows, lust and sex - the duchess

powerful male marries female. male wants male heir. female produces female offsprings. male cheats on female. sounds like an overly produced typical story line? that is essentially the summary of The Duchess.

in The Duchess, Keira Knightly plays Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire who’s raised to please others. she is a 18th century celebrity, a fashion idol for women beneath her. descriptions of what type of hats she wore made it to newsprint. she is the “Empress of Fashion.”

wthe public loves her dearly, the Duke (Ralph Fiennes) does not, for she failed to give him a male heir. he has an affair with a live-in mistress, Georgiana’s best friend. the love and friendship triangle causes bitter tension in the Devonshire household and makes for a saddened and lonesome duchess. her misery vanishes, however, when a young ambitious politician appears in her life. he adds another dimension to the triangle.

disregarding the film’s abrupt scene transitions, the film felt too typical. imagine Marie Antoinette and The Other Boleyn Girl repackaged into 1 hour and 49 minutes. if you’re looking for a movie with a revolutionary plot and you’ve already watched the aforementioned, don’t bother. also, you better think Knightly is attractive, because the camera is always focused on her face. everything else is literally a big blur.

however, you should watch this movie if you like 18th century fashion. the costumes are exquisitely designed. every knot and string, every ruffle and under-padding are considered. The “bows and roses” are the theme of the Duchess’s dresses, but she never wears an outfit for more than one day. conversely, the jewelry looked fake, which removed some of the richness of Georgiana’s image.

the duchess moved the crowd in entertainment and politics, but as long as she was a woman, what mattered most was her inability to produce a male heir. it’s a shame a better movie couldn’t be produced either.


*where you can learn more about the duchess: http://www.theduchessmovie.com/
*where you can view the article on the Ubyssey: http://www.ubyssey.ca/?p=5259

-cup of red

milk and bread rings - melanie favreau

we've heard about dog tags, bar code tattoos and such related items. add to that list "milk and bread rings" by melanie favreau. she is a sterling silver jeweler from Montreal that makes one of a kind jewellery. you can personalize the ring by stamping your name or date on it. with this little neck piece, you'll never have to go searching for real plastic milk and bread rings again. on top of that, you'll make your milk and bread bag super sexy and sleek. on the other hand, i guess we humans get kicks out of branding ourselves like commercial products.

where you can get your customized milk and bread ring: http://supermarkethq.com/product/milk-bread

where you can view more of favreau's works: http://supermarkethq.com/designer/1911/products

- cup of red

dreams for women - antigone foundation

“i dream of a world were mothers don’t fear for their children in old men’s wars.” guess who wrote that? a woman? no, a man wrote that. HE wrote that. in fact, Balz Beitenholz, a prominent local Vancouver artist wrote that. hosted by Antigone Magazine and WILLA (Women Involved in Legislative Leadership Association), "Dreams for Women" is an exhibit of art postcards with a feminist theme. men, women and children alike painted, drew, wrote or sketched a dream they have for women of the world. hundreds of postcards were created by artists from as far as Japan, Germany, Brazil, France and Romania. even patients of an eating disorder clinic in Los Angeles participated in this project as a theurapeutic activity.

the principle behind this project is like the popular "Post Secrets,” which is community-based mail art. however, “Dreams for Women” is unlike its inspiration because these postcards do not hold their creators' deepest secrets, but rather meaningful messages for the world to see. common themes which emerged from the exhibited postcards included politics, body image and inner self, rape, abuse, and perfection with of course, relation to women. “[people are] dreaming of a time when women will have more power in business, politics and society” commented Amanda Reaume, founder, editor and mother superior of the Antigone Magazine. “people” is a word not limited to women, but men also. although the submissions were primarily women-based, Reaume said that “men have been very supportive of the project.”

as I was roaming through the postcards creatively featured on cloth lines, I heard a few women nervously laughing at one which said “HILLARY 4 PREZ.” Reaume comments, “[the Canadian and American elections] have shown that people still aren’t comfortable about women leaders and are apprehensive about women being in power.”

some tongue-in-the-cheek submissions included “i [heart] mom…since she pays tuition”, “i dream of a day when the white house press secretary says ‘ladies and gentlemen – madam president’” and “i dream of a world where getting your period is cool…let’s get some ‘period envy’ happening…the day men would trade up their penises for vaginas…”

Reaume wants us to “gain, [from the exhibit], the ability to look critically at the world as it currently is and work towards the dreams to make them a reality.”





where you can visit the “Dreams for Women” exhibit: SUB Art Gallery during October 7 to 11 from 11:00am to 4:00pm daily

where you can view more postcards: http://antigonemagazine.wordpress.com/dreams-for-women/

- cup of red

the church's modern fix - jakub berdych

the church has been around for centuries and beyond...jakub berdych and maxim velcovsky, under Qubus Studios, have taken an innovative approach to give the age-old religion a modern twist in its interiors. in the faded cement walls of the St. Bartholomew’s Church in the village of Chodovice, Eastern Bohemia, these two Czech designers mixed classic rough-cut diamond chandeliers and large Persian rugs with rows of....not pews, but futuristic verner panton chairs. the chairs, in an innocent white each feature a crucifix cut-out - a small, but significant detail not to be missed. red pillows on the chairs add the punch to the washed out interior. the paint and wall papers on the walls were purposely removed until bare to reveal the history of church. although this project is a significant revelation of the relationship between design and religion, i wonder, with such stark minimalism, where would you store the bibles?

where you can view more of Qubus Studio's works: http://www.qubus.cz/

- cup of red

under the sea - philippe ramette

have you ever wanted to walk on water? or how about defying gravity?

philippe ramette, a French photographer has done both. instead of wearing a SCUBA suit, ramette is in his signiture black suit, seen laying lazily on the bottom of the sea or even climbing the barnacle dotted rocks under the ocean. this collection featuring mind-boggling photographs is called the "Rational exploration of the undersea." rational? i think not. the exploration is encaptured in a story told by his surreal photographs - he first walks on water, climbs on some rocks, looks at a map, takes a break with his backpack...then up and out, he walks on the rocks parallel to the water's surface.

initially, his scenes are almost overwhelming, but then look again, you'll find a little chuckle in some of them.

where you can view more of ramette's works: http://www.xippas.com/en/artist/philippe_ramette/works

- cup of red