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I’m a little late posting this, but the results for this year’s Memefest on the theme of Debt are in! I was invited to act as a curator for the visual communication and beyond… categories, and it was a challenging process, with a lot of work to go through, and to be honest, many projects that I felt missed the mark.

The topic, from a communications perspective, was certainly a difficult one, but I was surprised to see so many projects that focused on literal or superficial interpretations of debt, given that David Graeber’s excellent text was central to the festival outlines. I felt many projects subjectivised debt as an individual problem/responsibility related to consumption, ignoring the systemic nature of debt as social relation that was central to the outlines, where it was asked “can we imagine a different relationship to Debt?”

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Leaving town for a little bit with a new camera in hand. Here are a couple test snaps of the neighbourhood taken while strolling tonight, featuring pieces by two of my favourite Montreal street artists.

Roadsworth‘s disappearing tigers.

Harpy‘s Exil.

Stay beautiful Montréal…

It’s been a while since we’ve done a Fugue, but we have big plans for the next issue of Four Minutes to Midnight, and we want you to be a part of it. We need your words.

The fugue is a cacophony of voices, brought together to express a common dissent and a common longing, on our own terms, and in new language.

The theme is, as always, where we’re at right now. In Montréal, that means a summer of love and revolution, a tired stereotype that nevertheless rings true. Red squares and cops everywhere, an unbearable heat, and the promise of more.

Please add your words in the comments thread below. The rules are simple, just read, write, and trust that meaning will emerge…

The last line from the last fugue:

“A flock of feathers fanning out the forest fire.”

or

“the tremble and treble,
it sounds,
and i kiss everything that is blue.”

As the inspiring 2012 student strike expands into a broader social movement, the Howl! Arts Collective will be holding an outdoor concert and artistic intervention, Rêve Général Illimité. The event aims to celebrate the creative spirit in the streets during the Québec student uprsing and to draw attention to, and support for, the ongoing strike.

Rêve Général Illimité will include musical and theatrical performances, visual art installations, a screen-printing station, all inspired by the Québec student strike.

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Photo by Thien, artwork by Nazik

Basically, DIY works when you’re not alone.

A little shout-out to the Howl! Arts Collective, who’ve come together to create this little gem that we’ll be launching into the world tonight.

Duets for Abdelrazik is an activist project at the core. A musical statement of solidarity with the struggles of people oppressed.

And everything that has gone into this album, from the composing, recording, printing and packaging has come from collaborations with friends and allies, from a community whose art is often inseparable from their work for social change.

Howl is not a record label, and we had no idea how to really do this, but we did it anyways. As I’m stacking up the sleeves, I have to say I’m very proud of our work. Howl was not a record label, maybe now we are.

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Graphic by Nazik Da

Howl! Arts is very excited to be launching Stefan Christoff‘s musical solidarity project, Duets for Abdelrazik, this coming tuesday at Casa del Popolo as part of the Suoni per il Popolo festival. The project aims to support Abousfian Abdelrazik‘s continued struggle for justice after being jailed (without charge) and tortured in Sundan on the recommendation of CSIS in 2003. For years, he has faced countless assaults by the Sudanese and Canadian governments to both his person, his livelihood, and his dignity. Major grassroots campaigns in the US and Canada led to his return to Canada in 2009, and his eventual removal from the UN’s blacklist in 2011.

The album brings together a host of renowned Montreal-based musicians (including Peter Burton, Rebecca Foon, Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Norman Nawrocki, and Sam Shalabi) alongside Stefan Christoff on piano for a series of beautiful and inspiring duets that seek to speak to the injustice Abdelrazik suffered, pay tribute to his struggle, and celebrate the victories of grassroots solidarity.

Facebook event page here.

Download a free track off the album here.

I recently decided to gather a selection of the logos and wordmarks I’ve designed for a wide variety of clients over the years. I’ve always really enjoyed the challenge and reward of (re)defining the visual identity of a company or organisation, and the design of the logo is at the root of this process. For me, there is a clear emphasis on using strong, simple typography, complemented by a touch of graphic wit from which the rest of the identity can emerge.

Some of these date back almost ten years, but still look pretty fresh (imho)!

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via my loves at Howl! Arts. Photo by Thien.