I spotted some really nice gig posters showing up post Pop Montreal on Fairmount the other day, and thought I would share. Enjoy! And yes, they’re snapped on my retro-android camera for nostalgic pleasure. Let me know if you want to see more!
Mrs. Eaves, the first typeface I fell in love with…
It’s hard to overstate the impact Emigre magazine had on my graphic design training. Beyond being the purveyors of a distinct typographic style that embodied the age I grew into design, the magazine hosted the critical discussion of design as a deeply rhetorical practice that was unavailable anywhere else, and sadly, has been clearly lacking since its demise in 2005 (well worth the read!).
Emigre recently announced that their collection of beautiful type specimen catalogues are now available online as downloadable pdfs. Taken together, they form a great overview of the foundry’s history, and more generally of a distinct period of graphic design exploration (not that their typefaces have lost their relevancy today).
The cold-blooded execution of Troy Davis last night in Georgia greatly upset me, as I’m sure it did hundreds of thousands of people around the world. It’s a saddening and enraging reminder of the injustices perpetrated in order to maintain a system of privileged power and the inherent racism of the criminal justice system in the US.
In collaboration with the Howl Arts Collective, I quickly designed this poster in solidarity with his struggle, also drawing the link between Davis’ execution and Stephen Harper’s position on capital punishment, a clear warning sign of the growing violence of the policies of this Conservative majority.
Download the poster in English and French, and please spread widely. A great miscarriage of justice was done yesterday in Georgia. Let us redouble our efforts for a more just world, where the death penalty no longer exists and these decisions might be based on at least a shred of humanity instead of blind faith in a corrupt system.
No justice. No peace.
Read more on the Howl Arts website.
As part of the global initiative 100 Thousand Poets for Change, I’ll be doing a short reading for the Montreal event at Hurley’s pub this Saturday afternoon. From the 100TPC website:
The first order of change is for poets, writers, artists, anybody, to actually get together to create and perform, educate and demonstrate, simultaneously, with other communities around the world. This will change how we see our local community and the global community. We have all become incredibly alienated in recent years. We hardly know our neighbors down the street let alone our creative allies who live and share our concerns in other countries. We need to feel this kind of global solidarity.
I’m very excited to be participating in this important event, where I’ll be reading an excerpt from the latest fugue, which in itself brought together the words of many disparate writers from across the world. Hope to see you there.
From the epigraph ‘stolen’ from John Berger:
Every form of contestation against this tyranny is comprehensible. Dialogue with it is impossible. For us to live and die properly, things have to be named properly. Let us reclaim our words.
This is written in the night. In war the dark is on nobody’s side; in love the dark confirms that we are together.
We’re very excited to announce the third edition of the Howl concert series, Thursday September 15th at Sala Rossa, featuring Kaie Kellough (spoken word), Matana Roberts (saxophone) and Matthew Shipp (piano). These unique, uncompromising artists will perform solo sets that will expand our understanding of contemporary music while paying tribute to the historic, spiritual, and liberation roots of American jazz.
Matthew Shipp — Art of the Improviser
>> RSVP and more info on Facebook here
The Howl concert series has gained a lot of momentum since our first performance at l’Envers last December. We aim to continually highlight fiercely independent art and culture, and draw strong links between it and the important social justice work being done in Montréal and beyond.
Hyperreality by Kim Tsui
It’s been exactly a year since I left the “comforts” of my job at Cossette to give this freelance thing a try, and I’m very happy to announce that LOKi design now consists of a team of two. The talented Kim Tsui joins the studio as our first ever design intern!
Kim graduated with honours from the York/Sheridan design program in Toronto, and has cut her teeth here in Montreal working with Drawn and Quarterly, Palimpsest Magazine and Pop Montreal. I feel very lucky to have her on board to help out with our current and future projects and believe that she’ll contribute greatly to the quality of the studio’s output.
Welcome Kim!
So glad I found the time to chill out and listen to this today. And so glad I was there to see it live…
via We Are Postrock.
I’m a little late posting this one, but I finally got my hands on a copy of Kaie Kellough‘s latest album, Vox: Versus, which I designed back in May. Kaie is an amazing Montreal-based poet, whose work deconstructs and reconstructs language, blending word-games with sound poetry, dub and jazz. The collected works on this latest offering present a series of collaborations with a group of talented local musicians, exploring the roots of rhythm, language and the inherent politics within them (ArtThreat interview with Kaie here).
Poster design by Stuart Thursby
Though it’s been a while since I’ve been a fervent NDPer, I was deeply saddened by the news today. I tend to think of politics with a small “p”, grassroots activism, on the ground and in the day to day direct actions we take. But as my friend Yan mentioned, Mr. Layton was “our” closest ally in this government, the official opposition to Canada’s Conservatives and their increasingly scary policies. It’s a tragic day for all Canadians, as an important voice for change, for dialogue, has been silenced. His last letter to Canadians is a touching and inspiring note to leave on, emblematic of his strength of character, will and hope.
Rest in peace Mr. Layton, you were an inspiring and stand-up figure in a world often bereft of them.
Let’s also remember that a movement is not a man, not a leader, but consists of everyone who works their ass off fighting for social justice every day. It’s a sentiment I think Mr. Layton would support. Mourn the man, build the movement. So, thank you for everything you’ve done Jack, thank you for providing so much hope and speaking bravely of love in politics, we’ll keep up the fight for you…
[edit] a great article on The Mass Ornament reflecting on the cooption of Layton’s public image.
PS. If you are in Montréal, John, Louis and a few others are organising a candlelight vigil tonight at 20h at Mont Royal parc. Details on facebook here.
