ROOST!

Inspired to change the function of this lightbulb, indifferent to its designed purpose.
Melissa will be wearing this next week.
___
Day 4 > #100DaysOfWearableCharrettes  
Materials: Filament bulb LB1 (240V/60W) by roost, lime will felt, vintage clothespin.

Broach: ROOST #100DaysOfWearableCharrettes

LA SEÑAL QUE SE ESPERA

Today, Melissa wore a SIGN.

___
Day 3 > #100DaysOfWearableCharrettes 
Materials: A1966 Playbill Cover from the dramatic comedy written by Antonio Buero Vallejo, 100% Duck canvas, and hot glue.

Broach Title: "La señal que se espera" #100DaysOfWearableCharrettes 

LIPSTICK IS VULNERABLE TO CARELESS SPEECH

Today, I wore vulnerability.

On my one-hour commute to work, while descending the stairs at the metro station, I overheard a young boy say to his mother, "He's vulnerable..." I didn't stop for further context, yet unexpectedly, this phrase came to symbolize events of the day.
___
Day 2 > #100DaysOfWearbleCharrettes
Materials: Violet Künstler Pastel, shavings from Field Notes pencil, Black Magic waterproof ink by Higgins, white board.

Broach title: LIPSTICK IS VULNERABLE TO CARELESS SPEECH

#The100DayProject

"Juggling Jott" illustration from the book by Dr. Seuss, IF I RAN THE CIRCUS.

I used to toy with the idea that if architecture didn’t work out as a career for me, I would join the circus.  This adventurous dream comforted me during those long studio nights as a student when my built creativity felt uneventful.

In my pursuit to become an architect, my professional career steered away from a licensed practice and instead, life invited me to perform these roles in the following order: sales assistant at the Norton Simon Museum, designer (a.k.a. the AutoCAD years), sales associate at Macy’s, telemarketer for the Oregon Ballet Theater, social media content enthusiast for a business conference, and cofounder of design-build studio Mark + Vivi.

Nine months ago, the resume that read like it had been orchestrated by a juggling jott, led me to Cirque du Soleil. I used to dream about running away to join the circus as a joking alternative, and today, it is the place where my design-thinking skills serve a grand purpose in their life-curated and unpretentious state. I am currently a designer and creative liaison to Welby Altidor, who with brilliant irony, will be speaking at this year’s AIA Convention in Atlanta.

Moral of the story: Sometimes life is beyond an either-or dream...and the circus is just around the corner. 

To celebrate this union of careers, I decided to embark on the #The100DayProject by Elle Luna and The Great Discontent. In honour of my studio days at Cal Poly, I give this project the unique title, #100DaysOfWearableCharrettes . . . at the Circus.

A few notes about this challenge...

WEARABLE: Author/Designer and CdS coworker Melissa A. Thompson is my muse for this project. Fast facts: Via a serendipitous encounter, Melissa was the first person to greet me my first day at the circus. Everyday, she compliments her outfit with a broach.

CHARRETTE: A timed, active, and visual brainstorming exercise that originated at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in France to develop problem-solving skills.

PROCESS: For this project, inspired by Melissa's confident etiquette, I will create miniature wearable worlds the size of broaches inspired by my daily life at the circus.

• Wake up at 5:30am.
• Spend 5 mins to brainstorm concept.
• Gather materials.
• Total building time: 59 minutes max
• Post to Instagram @vivdelo
• Deliver broach to Melissa to wear for the day.
• Throughout the day, be on the look out for unique materials, and make note of memorable conversations.
• Repeat process everyday for 100 days!

NOTE: Process is subject to change should I need to adapt to unexpected events.
____

A special thank you to Maira Kalman and the late Italo Calvino. These two books kept me dreaming during uncertain times!

What is the creative business of social media?

In a recent live chat hosted by the Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school), IDEO Founder and co-author of the book, Creative Confidence  - David Kelley - shared the anecdote that in the Tibetan language there's no word that directly translates the word "creative" - the closest association is the word "natural". He states, "You want to be more creative, be natural."

Keeping this in mind, Kelley's insight becomes very relevant when applied to understanding the purpose of social media today. What should be the business of social media? Those of us behind the scenes should be exploring ways to be more creative, to be more natural. There are people looking for quality, for a good online conversation. There are humans behind the tweets, shares, likes, and even those sometimes misleading profile avatars a.k.a. automatic RT bots.

I had the chance to discuss my role as C2MTL's Social Media architect in a recent interview with Beverly Macy, the host of Social Media Radio, where I shared what a privilege it is to be part of the team that curates the content and establishes the strategies deployed to creatively buzz about the business conference, Commerce + Creativity Montréal (C2MTL).

Beverly Macy asked me to share a bit about myself and my role as Social Media architect, but this wasn't the first time I had been asked to verbalize my current profession. When I'm asked what I do for living, I say, "I'm an architectural designer that renovates old buildings with my husband (also a practicing architect) and I do social media for a business conference." People often reply, "Wow, they are very different professions. Do you do social media as a hobby?" The first few times I responded with a generic answer, but then - in recent months - I started to really reflect why I do what I do. Is there a relationship between these two disciplines?

And the answer I came up with is a very affirmitive YES! I became fascinated with analzying the human element in both the physical "habitable world" and the virtual world. What if we start to imagine the social media ecosystem as a home? The different social media platforms as the different rooms in your apartment or house? Think about your bathroom, bedroom, garage, kitchen etc. All of these spaces invite us to act a certain way because of the layout, furniture, and functions each room fascilitates. Now think of the social media platforms as these different rooms: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, Instagram etc. They each have individual characteristics and functions that invite us to behave in a very specific way, due to the layout and tools provided by the designers behind these platforms. Think about it...

This analysis is ongoing and I look forward to observing and listening more closely to our behaviour, and how it is influenced by the social media trends continously changing everyday.

The essential common link is the human element. We live in both physical and virtual spaces simultaneously with the undeniable fact that the virtual world is becoming too much with not enough substance for many. The need to "unplug" is not a passing trend, but a definitive action already taken by many.

I will conclude with a quote from a recent interview featured in Australian magazine, Dumbo Feather of Virtual Reality inventor Jaron Lanier, "If you don't treat people as special, if you don't create some sort of a special zone for humans - especially when you're designing technology - you'll end up dehumanising the world. You'll turn people into some giant, stupid information system, which is what I think we're doing."

You can listen to my interview with Beverly Macy below.

New Entrepreneur Internet Radio with Beverly Macy on BlogTalkRadio

___
Photo Credits: (left) Jaron Lanier via Dumbo Feather (right) Detail of my desk at C2MTL by Sacha Cohen

+ PART OF THE SERIES: TOPIC NO.3: THE CREATIVE BUSINESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA, COSMO THIS!

Susan Wojcicki: Stanford University, Lemons, Harvard and a Garage...the rest is history!

“If you had asked me as a kid what I thought I was gonna be, I probably would have said I was gonna be an artist…and in some ways that’s actually what I think led me to technology” – Wojcicki, MAKERS series

A few Fast Facts about Susan Wojcicki, SVP of Advertising & Commerce at ‎Google from MAKERS clip below:

1. Started a side business as a kid selling the neighbors' lemons to other neighbors.
2. Grew up on the Stanford Campus - Lucky girl!
3. Graduated from Harvard. Worked for a software company. Got an MA and MBA.
4. In 1998, she and her husband rented their garage to co-Founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
5. Became Google’s 16th employee as the first and only marketing person.
6. Launched Google video yet it eventually led to the purchasing of You Tube for $1.65 Billion.
7. Developed AdSense & AdWords and today, Wojcicki is responsible for ALL of Google’s advertising products, which make up 95% of the company’s revenue.

+ Part of the series: Topic No.2: A Curated Apprenticeship, Cosmo THIS!

Credits: Burning Man Google doodle, 1998 | Family from the San Francisco Chronicle article, "Bay Area's Wojcicki family honored" | Lemons flickr picture by honeypieLiving via Pinterest | Photo: Jeremy Goldberg via ADWEEK

Clouds...

Mad Men Season 6 Finale ends with the song by Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides, Now"  | 1969
Joni Mitchell was inspired to write this song while reading Saul Bellow's, Henderson the Rain King and looking at clouds from a plane.  
{ Joni Mitchell fast fact via Rolling Stone: http://rol.st/12fzEZx  }

SAUL BELLOW: "Africa reached my feelings right away even in the air, from which it looked like the ancient bed of mankind. And at a height of three miles, sitting above the clouds, I felt like an airborne seed...And I dreamed down at the clouds, and thought that when I was a kid I had dreamed up at them, and having dreamed at the clouds from both sides as no other generation of men has done, one should be able to accept his death very easily. However, we made safe landings every time...and I kept thinking 'Bountiful life! Oh, how bountiful life is'".  - Henderson The Rain King, Chapter V


JONI MITCHELL SONG

Rows and flows of angel hair   
And ice cream castles in the air   
And feather canyons everywhere  
I’ve looked at clouds that way    

But now they only block the sun  
They rain and snow on everyone   
So many things I would have done  
But clouds got in my way  

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now  
From up and down, and still somehow  
It’s cloud illusions I recall   
I really don’t know clouds at all  

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels  
The dizzy dancing way you feel  
As ev’ry fairy tale comes real  
I’ve looked at love that way  

But now it’s just another show
You leave ‘em laughing when you go  
And if you care, don’t let them know  
Don’t give yourself away  

I’ve looked at love from both sides now  
From give and take, and still somehow   
It’s love’s illusions I recall   
I really don’t know love at all   

Tears and fears and feeling proud  
To say “I love you” right out loud  
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds   
I’ve looked at life that way   

But now old friends are acting strange   
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed    
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained   
In living every day  

I’ve looked at life from both sides now  
From win and lose and still somehow   
It’s life’s illusions I recall  
I really don’t know life at all  

I’ve looked at life from both sides now  
From up and down, and still somehow  
It’s life’s illusions I recall  
I really don’t know life at all 


Credits: Top photo borrowed from Mad Men AMC archives / B/W Clouds photo found via Pinterest.

In homage to studying abroad...

Do you ever wonder if the places you've inhabited, feel your absence after you're gone? I like to think that they do. After all, you've contributed to their daily wear and tear and aromatic essence. You've shared with them, your most intimate self; when nobody else was watching, their space was there surrounding you, witnessing your every move and solace.

And if they don't, we do, don't we? 

Oh, but they do...they have the scars to prove it.

And we have a cache of mementos - such as the polaroids in this post - to remind us we were there.

Fall 2002 - Spring 2003, Copenhagen, Denmark. 
All photos were taken with 600 Polaroid Film, © Viviana de Loera

From top to bottom: 
+ Kollegium - drying laundry, Sept 2002.
+ (4) photos: neighborhood around Kollegium
+ DIS: Danish vernacular building with yellow facade.
+ DIS: Round staircase next to architecture studios. 
+ One of the many iconic buildings I had the pleasure of experiencing in person, Le  Corbusier's chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp; October 2002.
+ Riding the metro, Dec. 26, 2002

Who wants to be evil with me?

I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap * I've petted stray dogs, and shied clear of dope * My smile is brilliant, my glance is tender * But I'm noted most for my unspoiled gender * I've been made Miss Reingold, though I never touch beer * And I'm the person to whom they say, "You're sweet, my dear," * The only etchings I've seen have been behind glass * And the closest I've been to a bar is at ballet class * Prim and proper, the girl who's never been cased * I'm tired of being pure and not chased * Like something that seeks it's level * I want to go to the devil * I want to be evil, I want to spit tacks * I want to be evil and cheat at jacks * I want to be wicked, I want to tell lies * I want to be mean and throw mud pies * I want to wake up in the morning * With that dark brown taste * I want to see some dissipation in my face * I want to be evil, I want to be mad * But more than that, I want to be bad * I want to be evil and trump an ace * Just to see my partner's face * I want to be nasty, I want to be cruel * I want to be daring, I want to shoot pool * and in the theatre, I want to change my seat * Just so I can step on everybody's feet * I want to be evil, I want to hurt flies * I want to sing songs like the guy who cries * I want to be horrid, I want to drink booze * And whatever I've got, I'm eager to lose * I want to be evil, little evil me * Just as mean and evil as I can be! {I want to be evil by Eartha Kitt}
__

One of those songs that just eats you alive! This post is a preview to my upcoming series, A Curated Apprenticeship, where I plan to revere those femmes fatales that have shaped who I am and what I aspire to be. Stay tuned...

Flying Houses

 

I'll start by saying that I've had a very awkward week. No matter what I'd put into motion, it just felt bizarrely ungrounded, as if another version of me was calling the shots.  And then, late last night, I stumbled upon the beautiful œuvre of French photographer, Laurent Chehere, Flying Houses. They summarize my sense of displacement to a T, and at the same time, remind me that nothing is permanent. From time to time, a toppled occurrence (week) is exactly what one needs to refocus and carry on!

Run-down, decorated with pieces of street art, half-demolished, burning or simply showing their typically Parisian roofs and facades, these buildings populate a fairy tale where the urban social complexities are not eliminated but rather elevated as a symbol of the contemporary world at large. (Frame Magazine)

The Flying Houses series is currently on display at Paris-Beijing Galerie in Paris until December 4, 2012. 

Photos borrowed from Frame Magazine, here and Chehere's site, here.

Summer reading...

Do you see a theme?...
Ever since I moved to Montreal, I've become very curious about the art of writing. I want to be a more informed blogger, improve my writing skills, and learn as much as I can from inspiring literary masters. 
Possible career change? (you ask). . .well, my intrigue is more for personal enrichment - for now. In the meantime, I'm surrounding myself with insightful (+ amusing) publications, and rounding up a wondrously selective palette of iconic storytellers from the colossal world of literature.

List above:

A Writer's Paris by Eric Maisel

The Other Paris and Montreal Stories by Mavis Gallant

The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman

Microscripts by Robert Walser

A quarterly magazine of art and culture, Cabinet (Issue 45, Games, Spring 2012)

The Elements of Style  by William Strunk Jr. + E. B. White  -  Illustrated by Maira Kalman

ZOETROPE ALL-STORY: Special One-Act Play Issue (Winter 2000) + The Horror Issue (Fall 2011)

zo·e·trope (noun /ˈzō-ēˌtrōp/): A 19th-century optical toy consisting of a cylinder with a series of pictures on the inner surface that, when viewed through slits with the cylinder rotating, give an impression of continuous motion...

I received these beauties in the mail a couple of days ago. . .
They are back issues of ZOETROPE: ALL-STORY, a quarterly magazine launched by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997. This curated jewel celebrates new short fiction, one-act plays, and reprints classic short stories that have influenced noteworthy films through the years.  Each ZOETROPE volume instantaneously becomes a collector's item not only because of the phenomenal selection of literary picks, but because each publication is also uniquely illustrated by a special guest designer. Past potpourri of invités have included: David Bowie, Julian Schnabel, Ed Ruscha, David Byrne, Kiki Smith, Wim Wenders, Guillermo del Toro and Mikhail Baryshnikov...marvelous assortment, right? 

By the way, sadly, several noteworthy back issues are sold out, but I did manage to get a copy of the following: 

• Winter 2000, VOL. 4  NO. 4: Special One-Act Play Issue with guest designer, Peter Sellers - Leading theatre, opera, and television director. 
• Summer 2005, VOL. 9  NO. 2 - Guest designer, Architect, Zaha Hadid.
• Fall 2011, VOL. 15  NO. 3: The Horror Issue with guest designers, Kate & Laura Mulleavy (RODARTE).

I'm so in awe with ZOETROPE that it is the first magazine I have subscribed to in years...

The images below are highlights from the Rodarte issue. If you're familiar with the Mulleavy sisters, then you will understand why they were so appropriately chosen to illustrate the horror issue...

About Topic No. 1: Innovative Conferences

CosmoTHIS: Innovative Conferences, March 2012 - ongoing

Exploring the idea of what a conference is and what it should be for those of us in search of inspiration.  What comes to mind when you think of the word conference? 

More info about this topic here.

Images above: + Bubble Diagram with quote from post, TED: Ideas Worth Spreading  + Robert Wong picture and book cover from post, DO EPIC SHIT! declares Robert Wong  + Sofia Coppola portrait from post, An innovative conference for women by women... 

Coming Soon to CosmoTHIS - Topic No. 2: A Curated Apprenticeship

A visual archive of C2-MTL 2012 à la Pinterest

As some of you know, I recently had the privilege of being part of the C2-MTL 2012 team. I worked on several incredible projects before, during and after the event, and in the course of the post-mortem evaluation phase, I was given the green light to construct an especially  unique undertaking, which I'm ecstatic to finally share with you. 

My incredibly-talented-supervising collaborators allowed me to create a visual archive - via  Pinterest - using the plethora of images shot by a group of brilliant photographers hired to document the C2-MTL 3-day experience.  After weeks of categorizing, shifting, pinning, configuring, repinning - etcetera - I can honestly say that I'm very proud of this self-induced project. Check out the C2-MTL Pinterest boards HERE. I invite you to browse, comment and follow. If you attended the conference and have images you would like to share with the C2-MTL team, please contact me. 

Thank you to the C2-MTL team for allowing me to exercise my playful eye!

The planning for next year's conference is already underway. I strongly encourage you to consider attending the event's second year, taking place in May of 2013! Visit C2-MTL's official site HERE for details.

Image Credits 
+ (top) Moment Factory Installation at C2-MTL 2012 - reset button © Karel Chladek / C2-MTL. Read article, "A tunnel open for open minds" (about installation) written by Josée Noiseux HERE.  
+ (bottom) C2-MTL Pinterest boards curated by me.

Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS!

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Photo Credit: The New Yorker, July 9-16, pages 68 - 69. Photo taken by me, VDL of purchased issue.

A couple of days ago, I read Nathan Heller's article featured in this week's issue of The New Yorker (July 9 -16, 2012) titled, Listen and Learn: TED talks reach millions around the world. How has a conference turned ideas into an industry?  I was so compelled by the backstage details behind the TED organization - so eloquently described by Mr. Heller - that I jotted down a few notes to share with you (after a few hours of additional online R&D).  
If you've ever watched those inspiring TED Talks on ted.com and have contemplated the idea of one day attending their 4-day annual conference in Long Beach, California, you will want to read this article.  As a quick preview, I invite you to browse my bubbly notes below, appropriately drawn on a very old roll of yellow trace paper from my studio days.

Were you aware that one can only attend the Long Beach TED conference by filling out an application form (not a registration form) that requests answers to essay questions and references OR by invitation only? Should TED, a nonprofit organization whose slogan is "Ideas Worth Spreading" make us feel like we're applying for a job?  I get that this is TED's way of guiding professional match-making (networking), and for those that make the cut, they get to profit from what Heller refers to as "the opulence of easy access"...(great phrase!)  I GET IT, but I can't help experience disappointment. I feel like I just discovered the "wizard" behind the curtain, and that magical appeal - for me - has lost its sparkle. Am I over reacting? Should I really be surprised?  I will continue to watch the online TED Talks of people/topics I'm curious about, but at least now, I will be doing so with a pair of informed eyes. 

Of all the people mentioned in the article, the one I find most fascinating is the founder of it all, Richard Saul Wurman (who by the way, is no longer invited to TED - Long Beach. . .read the article for the juicy details). He's launching his latest venture this September called, The WWW Conference. FYI, the list of participants (so far) includes: Yo-Yo Ma, Frank Gehry, Moshe Safdie, Maya Lin. . .more names here.  I'm looking forward to reading reviews about this exclusively designed powwow (73 seats @ $16K each, available on a first-come-first served basis!). Check out Mr. Wurman in the video clip below. You will find him a bit eccentric, but aren't we all?. . .don't you just love his super long black scarf?




Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS!

Moonrise Kingdom...what kind of bird are YOU?

I finally experienced Wes Anderson's latest film, Moonrise Kingdom. This film has absolutely brightened my summer. From beginning to end, I was mesmerized by the intentionally crafted details. The costumes and props are impeccable, the music score is enchanting, the hysterical script - addicting, and the ensemble cast is a work of art. Prepare to be captivated by the two young actors: Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward - playing Sam & Suzy - their bios will leave you speechless! 

If you grew up living with a boyscout (like I did, hola hermano) you will enjoy it even more - but really - it is a film that celebrates the beautiful purity of that summer love - that last unforgettable sweet crush one experiences right before the teen years hit and ruin it all. . .ok maybe I'm rambling from personal experience. 

It is a film for all ages. . .A few seats away from me, sat an adorable 3 year old girl with her father, and while he laughed (almost every time I did), she gazed at the screen with complete admiration. 

For those of you who have not seen the film, when you go, I recommend you stay until the credits stop rolling - they are accompanied by the beautiful piece, Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34: Themes A-F  (by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic). You will leave the theater humming it and wishing you could play an instrument! 

Moonrise Kingdom was filmed on location throughout Newport County, Rhode Island.

Photo Credits

+ The handwritten ephemera, the picture of Sam with Khaki Scouts of North America uniform, the shot of Suzy with a fuchsia béret, and photo of The Narrator (played by Bob Balaban) were borrowed from the film's official website and interactive map here. 

+ All other photos were borrowed from ANTWRANGLERS flickr's page here.

Scott Schuman declares, "...it's them but just a heightened reality, a slightly different version, my version of what I see." (I want this man at C2-MTL 2013!...hint hint)

The planning and execution of a business conference...

C2-MTL 2012 is almost coming to its fin.  I say almost, because even though the actual event concluded the morning of the 25th of May (two weeks ago today to be exact), there are still details pending: post-mortem reports to be typed, until next time(s) and merci beaucoup(s) to be said, invoices to be paid, rentals to be returned (unharmed ideally), sleep to catch-up on, family to acknowledge once again, and many many more quelque choses...

A few of us, behind-the-scenes, are just starting to come out of that jet-lagged feeling. If you've ever lived through the construction or renovation of a house, the planning of a wedding (even a small one), a permanent relocation to an unfamiliar land, the birth of a baby, trained for a triathlon, etcetera, well, multiply that by 100 or more. That's how exhausted many of us feel - combined. If you're a circus performer or ringmaster,  then maybe only you can fully grasp the love-hate relationship one can develop for such a grandiose undertaking - such as the planning and execution of a business conference. . .only different!

There were times when I wanted to scream and just cry endlessly, but not because of lack of devotion - but because my entire body and brain could no longer function properly. No matter how much coffee I drank, my physical exhaustion was just too monumental. I pleaded for more energy - "No please - toes and fingers - don't give up just yet" (I found myself thinking at times).

Because there was just too much at stake. 

Find creative answers to commercial questions! (the conferences's mantra would often cry out inside my head). . .
and that I (WE) did. . .many times over. And yet, I can't wait to do it all over again next year, but after a much deserved and restful break...(smiling). . .right team?  

I leave you with a quote from THE ringmaster himself, Guy Laliberté. The Founder of Cirque du Soleil expressed as he stood on the C2-MTL stage,  "At the end, it’s a give and take. It’s feeding the circle of life, it’s feeding the circle of creativity, more you give, more you’ll get back. In the end it’s what I live on."

This post was inspired (with a dash of hyperbole) by those witnessed funny moments and overheard anecdotes (sometimes in French) from like-minded colleagues within the C2-MTL 2012 team.
Personal notes: Thank you Hanneke for that time you "pranced" yes "pranced" over to the printer; thank you Johanne for that delicious carrot at 10pm; Thank you Antoine for trying to feed me during the conference; Thank you Vivien Leung for existing- you're a true team player. (I'm still jealous you "concierged" Robert Wong)!; Thank you Caroline for not hanging up on me that time I answered your call with speedy Spanish (long long ago); Thank you to all of you that signed your email requests with a "thank you" or "merci" - always...

Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS!