...of a Crazy World!

TO those of you who currently dwell in New York City...or are visiting the gorgeous city this week... 

Do not miss the exhibition currently on display at The Jewish Museum,  Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World). It closes this coming Sunday, July 31, 2011.

Enjoy it for me! I am obsessed with her work and well I am also extremely jealous of her vivid career / lifestyle.  

Images borrowed from the artist's official site.

Gaultier inspires Montréal...

I lived and survived the Pinkarnaval festivities this past weekend.  

This year, the theme was Jean Paul Gaultier. . .in conjunction with his current exhibit in Montreal's Museum of Fine Arts, From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. (NOTE: Photography is allowed, pictures of my visit coming soon). 

First came the hysterical parade. All of my pictures are out of focus because my camera was out of control, but I am showing them to you anyway because the blurry shots depict the madness perfectly.

Then came the public dance party (under lightning-rain) with the Québécoise D.J./model Ève Salvail (D.J. Evalicious). She was amazing! I also got to see the honoree himself. Monsieur Gaultier was very French but enchanting.

And yes, that is a giant inflatable "Madonna" bra tied to a giant balloon and a delightful Mademoiselle (who posed for me) wearing one. We all had one in the 90's, didn't we?

 

Reds, pinks and nautical stripes. . .oh my!

Stumptown Coffee is finally in Montréal!

Yes, I am going to publicly admit that my favorite quartier in Montréal is Le Plateau and more specifically, the area by the Mont-Royal metro station. It is always ...pleine de vie. 
I live about a-30-minute-metro-ride away from this lively neighborhood, but I am rewarded greatly once I arrive.  
And well, before I promenade, I get my Stumptown Coffee fix at THE best coffee spot in town, flocon espresso. 
It is a contemporary café with unforgettable charm: the fabulous service, the 'locals' and their hysterical conversations, the cool baristas with their gorgeous tattoos. . .I can go on and on.  And YES, you get all of these amenities for free when you purchase a perfect cup of coffee. This petit bijou has the third-wave coffee allure down!


Luke, merci Beaucoup, for bringing Stumptown to Montréal!
Luke Spicer: the handsome entrepreneur behind flocon espresso who (if I remember correctly) received his barista training directly from Stumptown.


Enjoy the details I shot below. 


NOTE: The magazine displayed is the latest issue of Tyler Brûlé's, Monocle. He includes Montréal as one of the "top 25 livable cities around the world" . . . it is #24.  It is a great summer issue. 
**Magazine not purchased at flocon. I always buy my magazines from the Multimags store just a few doors away on Mont-Royal avenue.

And the Pursuit of Happiness...

235 years of American Independence!


I am celebrating the 4th of July here in Canada by reading Maira Kalman's book, And The Pursuit of Happiness . . . for the second time.  


Enjoy the images below borrowed from Maira Kalman's New York Times 2009 blog (now a book). See here.  
Every American should own this book!!!


Fun Facts:
1. Maira Kalman: author, illustrator and designer.
2. The text is not a digital font, it is Maira Kalman's own intentionally pictorial handwriting.

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.

Espace pour la vie...Biodôme Montréal...

Yesterday, I took a quick trip to Montréal's Biodôme with my French class and I shot a few details.  This first set is from the Tropical Forest section, specifically from South America.  Aren't those green pods amazing? (THE vertical gardens!) IT WAS HUMID-HOT HERE! 
A refreshing cocktail, please...

The antlers-like picture above is from the Laurentian Maple Forest section.
The colorful creatures below are from the Gulf of St. Lawrence section.  So beautiful! I'll take 10 please...

This little lonely friend below is from the Sub-Antarctic Islands section....I think.  Towards the end I was a bit overwhelmed. 
He is a gentoo penguin.  He made me sad and laugh at the same time. I think he wanted to come home with me.

even scraps-of-cardboard want to be something...

Yes, it is another story about a couple of disenchanted architects who love to get their hands dirty and CREATE. They are Seth & Jonathan and their think tank is graypants located in Seattle, Washington. They were recently featured in FRAME magazine's digital newsletter.  The video below is refreshing and inspirational.  


. . .some of us are horrified by the possibility of failure + ridicule (peers can be harsh).  Our ideas are muzzled the minute we close that Moleskine sketchbook...why? I wonder, do they have their private conversations about us?  What are they saying right now?


Images borrowed from graypants' official site.

The Library...

Nothing depresses me more than not having the means to buy books.  Yes, it is a personal addiction with no cure.  
This financial diet is truly heartbreaking, but to cheer me up, I turned to the local library.  To my surprise, Montréal's elegant library, 'La Grande Bibliothèque' has a rich selection of books.  It was inaugurated in April of 2005 and it still has that new fresh aroma...mmm.  (Unfortunately no photos allowed...I will keep trying to steal a few shots.)


A new library is wonderful, although, I do have to admit that I love that OLD library spirit!   I often pretend I am 'Holly Golightly' or 'Carrie Bradshaw' walking about the historic New York City Public Library. . . don't you? 

I am trying to read more these days...and watch less pointless TV. 
These are my current selections... 


1.  Maira Kalman's, And the Pursuit of Happiness.


2.  The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati.


3.  Rizzoli's, MUJI.

4.  Ann Coxon's, Louise Bourgeois  (by Tate Publishing).

WAR HORSE...

Ok, so I caught the last hour or so of the Tony Awards last night.  It is silly, but I am still getting use to my new time zone.  Thankfully, the "rap-up" act at the end of the ceremony by Neil Patrick Harris was so fabulous that I immediately rushed to the official website to browse what I had missed.  
One of the winning creations, the WAR HORSE is another reason why I would love to go to NYC in the near future.  You can read more about the play here, but what is alluring to me is that the story is narrated by an English farm horse, Joey, as it survives on both sides of WWI.


My favorite fictional horse is Don Quixote's 'Rocinante' and 'Joey' brings him to live for me through these mesmerizing images. It is Puppetry at its best. I wonder if Cervantes ever considered telling the story of Don Quixote through the eyes of his most faithful companion, his horse Rocinante. 


Here is a great' behind the scenes' clip by fifty nine productions.





A few fast facts:


1. WAR HORSE premiered at the National Theatre in London in November of 2007.


2. Currently playing at the Lincoln Center Theater until January 2011. 


3. An adaptation from the novel by Michael Morpurgo.


4. Created in association with The Handspring Puppet Company and fifty nine productions.


5. Photography by Simon Annand.


6. Will be going to Toronto in 2012.

Sanyi and Zsuzsi...

I am sorry for this super late post...busy busy busy...


A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I spent a few days at the Fekete family home in Ottawa.  I introduce you to Alex (Sanyi) and Susanna (Zsuzsi).  (fyi. . .my husband's Hungarian uncle and aunt from his father's side.) Sanyi and Zsuzsi have been married for 60+ years and their stories about life, their neighbors, the arts, politics et cetera were truly captivating. The images below reveal a few details from their lovely home.


Handsome couple, don't you think?  
I think I will adopt them as my grand-père and my grand-mère.

A few details. . . 
When Mark was a young boy, Sanyi built him wooden boats from the book below.

And yes, the many many books. . .

They were everywhere!  I was in heaven!  

Side Note: I really do need to read more.

 

And the delicious drinking and eating. . . 

Zsuzsi favors the Japanese Plum Wine. Sanyi prefers the Hungarian stuff.  

The plum wine was yummy!

And the garden...it was breathtaking!  

MISKA was their deeply adored black lab-sheperd mix companion.

I love the bird-bath... 

Thank you Sanyi and Zsuzsi for a fabulous weekend and our green babies. (below)