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

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.

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!

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)

An arm for a dime...

Have you browsed through The New York Times's latest online venture, The Lively Morgue?  
The shot below is my favorite one so far (hmm, a scene from MadMen?), but really, every picture is uniquely brilliant. You must check it out.  It's ironic that we live in a gadget-frenzied society, yet we still find nostalgic ephemera enriching, there's hope for us yet!

Image borrowed from here.

mmm...pina, je t'aime...

If you haven't seen the 3D documentary film, pina, which happens to be nominated for an OSCAR this year, perhaps these pictures will entice you to see it.  I borrowed the book from the local library and I just had to snap a few photos, since it is a very rare book. 
 

Pictures below borrowed from the book, PINA BAUSCH by Maarten Vanden Abeele

Once a Madonna fan...always a Madonna fan!

Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show was unforgettable...
I'm currently putting together a post about the creative team (FROM MONTREAL) behind those insane visual effects, stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the images below, borrowed from Madonna's gorgeous site here.

IMAGES: (top) Like A Virgin Album Photo by Steven Meisel. (bottom) Photo by Bruce Weber.

sexy and cozy...

It's 2pm (eastern time), about 5°F, Babas is taking her afternoon siesta and I'm sick.  All I want to do is read and drink a warm alcoholic apéritif. . . 
mmm a glass of that Danish gløgg would be delightful!  I have yet to see Michelle Williams's portrayal of Marilyn Monroe, but this shot of her by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue expresses that cozy sexiness I wish I could presently embody. . .not even close. . .cough, cough...

Celebrate those that inspire you...

Today is the birthday of my friend Kelly, curator of the blog, Halcyon Days.  I can't believe we met almost ten years ago in the gorgeous city of København, Denmark. Hmmm . . . the good times. I shot this portrait of her under the hazy pink elevator light at the Standard Hotel in downtown L.A. in the Spring of 2004.

¡Viva México!

Today, the 16th of September, México celebrates 201 years of Independence. . .and with great pride my heart cries out, ¡Viva México!  To celebrate, I share with you my favorite childhood picture.  Here I am, around 3 years old, looking at my best friend, Lorena.  She continues to be an inspirational woman in my life today.  ¡Viva México, Lorena!


Below: Picture taken by a friend, Omar Barcena of the Palacio Nacional located in el Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución), Mexico City.


I love my Mexican flag...absolutely gorgeous!

S.V.P.

[S'il vous plaît, if it pleases you...]

I stumbled upon this picture today inside the Place-Des-Arts métro station. (I love this picture.) It is part of an ongoing photography exhibit in honor of Montréal's public transit workers.  Last month, historical pictures of the Tramway were on display and this month it is all about the Bus.  I am looking forward to the upcoming homage to the Metro.  
For more info, click here.


Image: #23, 1961, Un employé de l'atelier de sérigraphie termine l'impression d'une pancarte, STM archives.


. . .


A few notable pics from last month's Tramway exhibit.

Oh, it was the winter of 1905. Funny antennas!

...then there was the year 1916, what in the world?

And then the roaring 20's, this image is absolutely hysterical.

In 1947, major work.  Can you imagine getting around the city like this? 


Please visit the official site from where I borrowed the images used for this post.  
Thank you STM for sharing these incredible moments with the public.

Elizabeth Taylor...

There is really not much to say. . . 
It is crazy to think of a world without Elizabeth Taylor: February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011.


Images above: left: Photo by Richard Avedon, 1964  /  right: Shot from the film, Suddenly Last Summer, 1959
Images below are from the 1964 epic film, Cleopatra.

Cada Mañana...

I have been watching the news everyday for the past 10 days and the tragic phenomenon in Japan has me emotionally paralyzed.  I am frustrated because it is impossible to relate.  I mean, how does one identify with overnight homelessness & loss in addition to the continuing madness?  I began to wonder, how often do we allow our mornings to transpire without recognition? Well to those in northeastern Japan, the phrase 'every morning' has a different meaning these days. 

This morning, I recalled the beautiful photographic narratives titled [every morning] by Nanako Koyama from Tokyo, Japan. I first came across her work through the fabulous blog, oh hello there a few weeks ago. They are simple images of 'mornings' in different parts of the world. I find them very cathartic.  
If you look at each shot carefully, you will begin to notice those tiny identifiable details...the iMac in the background, the curious black feline, the empty bottles of wine, the delicious fruit bowl for breakfast, the tiny but fabulous dining table...We are really not that different from Midori, Cristina, Asia or Stefan, are we?

TODAY. TOMORROW, THE NEXT DAY...make sure you enjoy your mornings to the fullest.  We owe it to those, who for the moment, do not have the same luxury. After all, today it's Japan, but someday it might be closer to home...

The photographs below are my favorite, but I encourage you to check out Nanako's entire series.

Midori, Japan

Cristina, Portugal

Asia & Stefan, Poland

Bizarre beauty...

inspiration for the weekend...


I am not a fan of clowns and goofy shoes, but the mystique of circus life has always intrigued me. Two years ago I read the famed book, Water for Elephants and a few weeks ago I browsed through the 544 pages of The Circus, 1870s-1950s. I am fascinated with the history of the Circus...I mean how can one not fantasize about chariot races, equestrian elegance, super-humans, wild animals and mustached ring masters etc...But presently, I must admit that I am most in awe over 21st century contemporary-performance-craft and the bizarre couture-like-physique it extracts from its continuous commitment to transform itself into a lasting art form...and of course I am talking about Stockholm's illustrious talent, Cirkus Cirkör. One day I will see a live performance...I must...


IMAGES BELOW: (left):Cirkus Cirkör; photo by TOBIAS FISHER  (right)From the exhibit, Personalities of the circus. Photo by STANLEY KUBRICK, March 1948. (Can also be found in Taschen's circus book.)

Cirkus Cirkör's current piece, Wear It Like A Crown is at the Södra Teatern (Stockholm, Sweden) until the 24th of February. 

Related pics below...1)Inside jacket pages from Taschen's The Circus, 1870s-1950s  2)Photo by Marisol Correa of Cirkus Cirkör performer, Jesper Nikolajeff   3)Cirkus Cirkör poster, photographer unknown. 4)Ensemble for Wear It Like a Crown. (Henrik Agger, Louise Bjurholm, David Eriksson, Jesper Nikolajeff, Fouzia "Fofo" Rakez, Anna Lagerkvist) Photos by Mattias Edwall.

photos below of Cirkus Cirkör's previous piece Inside OUT 
Photos by Kicki Nilsson.  Absolutely yummy...

Why not a BURRO?...

hats..hats..hats...happy Friday! 


a little Isabella Blow...I like saying Cirkör...a Chaplin inspired collection...Bourgeois on my mind...why not a burro(donkey)?...I want a colorful crown...clownish hair: pink or white?...
  
for more pics check out: Hat.Sombrero.Chapeau Part 1.

IMAGES: a. Isabella Blow (source unknown)   b. Louise Bjurholm, a Cirkus Cirkör performer   c. John Galliano: Spring 2011 Menswear Collection  d.  French artist, Louise Bourgeois in a 1997 Helmut Lang ad.  e. Vivienne Westwood: Gold Label, AUTUMN-WINTER 2010/11   f. Catherine Deneuve in the 1970 French film "Peau d'âne" (Once Upon a Time and The Magic Donkey.)   g.  Vivienne Westwood: Gold Label, AUTUMN-WINTER 2010/11  h. Photograph by Sofia Sanchez and Mauro Mongiello...client unknown  i. Tim Walker: Vogue UK March 2010.

True Grit à la Bahar Alipour...

I saw TRUE GRIT this week.  I am usually not attracted to gory films, but I make the exception when it comes to the Coen Brothers. Their brutal eye is very sophisticated.  I was not impressed with Jeff Bridges or Matt Damon, but the new star in town from California, Hailee Steinfeld...now she is really the fierce talent behind this western.  


The film reminded me of the brilliant designer I read about last year, a 2009 graduate from the London College of Fashion, Bahar Alipour.  These images are right on, right? (Styling by Nobuko Tannawa Photography by Billy Ballard)  Read more about her HERE.  I wonder what she is up to lately?

Sartorial elegance on film...

By now most of you have probably seen the video directed by Tyler Manson for Intel of the man behind The Sartorialist, Scott Schumann.  It is beautifully shot.  There are many "Sartorialist" copy cats out there but lets face it, Schumann does it best.

I want an Isabella Blow hat.

A few images from the recently published book by Thames & Hudson, Isabella Blow written by Martina Rink. 


credits:
1. (left) detail of book cover, photo by Donald McPherson, (right) shot by Sean Ellis

2. (left) shot by Chris Moore, (right), shot by Kevin Devies
3. (left) Tim Noble and Sue Webster's The Head of Isabella Blow, 2002. (right) Isabella Blow with Anna Piaggi.

Am I cuckoo?...

Two things come to mind when I think of  the word Asylum...The 1975 film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Alexander McQueen's 2001 Spring show. . . where McQueen glamorized the confinement of a mental institution with four mirrored walls, models with bandaged heads and well...an impeccable couture collection.


And so because of the terrorizing yet inviting notion of an asylum, this past weekend,  I chose to add to my library Christopher Payne's book, Asylum: Inside the closed world of state mental hospitals.  But really why? . . . because it is a gorgeous photography book and because I truly support the documentation of the forgotten.  Lunatic asylums (mental hospitals, institutions, state hospitals)...they went from being a refuge, a sanctuary, a benevolent institution to abandoned ruins or simply grotesque places.  I highly recommend you buy this book or at least browse through it. The photographs below are details from some of Payne's images.

a) Alexander McQueen's 2001 Spring Show. (Not included in Christopher Payne's book)
b) Straightjacket, Logansport State Hospital, Indiana.  
c) Patient Dresses, Clarinda State Hospital, Iowa.
d) Typical Ward, Buffalo State Hospital, New York.  
e) Files, Spring Grove State Hospital, MD.
f) Linen Closets, Traverse City State Hospital, MI.  
g) Unclaimed Cremation Urns, Oregon State Hospital, Oregon.
h) Autopsy Theater, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, DC.  
i)  Joel-Peter Witkin, "Sanitarium" 1983. (Not included in Christopher Payne's book)