The 8-Day Week of Renata Morales

One of my most favourite places on earth, the Centre Phi (and the DHC of course) announced that they will be having a series of guest-curated events by some of Montreal's creatives.  The list included filmmaker Xavier Dolan, designer Rad Hourani and Vice co-founder Suroosh Alvi.  First up to bat was designer and all around visually inclined phenomena, Renata Morales who flexed her creative muscles showcasing a pop-up shop, projections, seven nights of partying and a treasure hunt for limited edition posters. 

 getting up close to Renata's work

the pop-up shop featured designers like Arielle de Pinto, Denis Gagnon, and Complex Geometries
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Inside Morales' head: a tinky-winky greets visitors
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Alex Hercule's bear and Joe Becker paintings

foxtrott takes the stage during the closing night

karneef and a ghostly morales clad projection

CN Rail Yards and Bâtiment 7

Montreal does not have any shortages of dilapidated industrial spaces living in limbo of development that can help or hinder its neighborhood.   The former CN rail yards in Pointe-Saint-Charles is 35 hectares of land that was sold to Group Mach in 2006 for 1$.   Propositions for the space have included big box stores and a casino, both of which have been nixed in part by opposition efforts of several citizen-led community groups. In more recent news, the 90 000 square foot building Bâtiment 7 has been given ownership to the collective 7 à nous and the Darling Foundry to develop the building into artist spaces, a gallery, a café and more.  Hooray!!  Read more here.

Recently, I got to poke around the compound while on a shoot.  We were one of three shoots that were on the rail yard site that day-a commercial and a film were also taking advantage of the photogenic area.  The following photos are from the smaller warehouse adjacent to Bâtiment 7.

the model's feet in a shallow pond of accumulated water drippings, pigeon poop and algae

Parc Olympique

The facilities of the Parc Olympique de Montréal were built for the 1976 Summer Olympics and its crown jewel was the Olympic Stadium.  Despite a history plagued with poor construction, running over budget and general decay, the Parc Olympique has chugged along, the tower was completed in the eighties and as a Guiness World Records holder, continues to be a popular tourist attraction.

Earlier this month the Parc Olympique unveiled its new branding and slogan "let's rekindle the flame," to further revitalize the grounds with performances, outdoor activities and events (First Fridays anyone?)  It is with this in mind that we erase the Montreal cynicism of the past and remember that it is one of the reasons that this city is pretty rad.  Shall we?

 

looking up at the tower-pretty dramatic eh? 

 

the funicular on its way down

series of stairwells

the curves flow from one facility to the next

inside the biodome, looking up at the former velodromes' roof

now home to seagulls

the towers of the planetarium, the grounds' newest facility

each tower houses a domed screening room

gotta love this town

Barila SS13

Sabrina Barilà treated guests to a presentation of her spring/summer collection at studio l'Éloi.  To the sounds of O'Hara Hale, the models stood in a Vanessa Beecroft-esque tableau wearing two-toned denim, toucan prints and peek-a-boo lace.  At first a healthy distance of at least ten feet was kept between guests and the models, but then a rapproachment was encouraged and photo taking took place-up close and personal-styles.

last look at legs

Brick or A New Suit (Part Two)

No, I am not referencing the movie.
A never-wore-a-suit-before filmmaker friend is heading to Cannes to represent his work and mentioned that all evening screenings require a dark suit.  A bespoke suit was out of the question as we only had a couple of days before departure. We settled on Dubuc for a black on black on black suit for my friend who is apparently a rare 38T. (Is it really!?) Dubuc forgoes the tall/regular/short business and focuses on a shorter, more "european" jacket.  When in Rome...
In the moment I did not get a shot of the final look, but bring you instead a look at a portion of brick wall in the boutique that was opened to create an archway.

Flowerbomb

Spring has sprung! Buds are blooming and trees are filling up with green.  Now this may not be a big deal to you if you are lucky enough to have paradisiacal weather all year round.  But to those who have the depths of snow and winter as a not so distant memory (like yours truly), these beautiful blossoms are something to be thankful for, even with allergies.  High five nature.

Thought I was going to call this post Flowerbomb and not mention the perfume by Viktor & Rolf?  High five to you too Flowerbomb Eau de parfum and all your trademarks for making me smell amazing since 2006.

Sick day

My sick ass has been enjoying this gorgeous Montreal (skip spring) summer mostly from my couch with a box of kleenex. At least the cats are entertaining.