Archive for April, 2016
Mr. K-Tel
I did not know that the genius who founded K-Tel – the company that brought us the Veg-O-Matic and all those music compilation albums – was a Canadian. Philip Kives, who died this week at the age of 87, was raised in Saskatchewan. Margalit Fox’s New York Times obituary is funny and beautiful and begins like this:
Act now! Be the first on your block to read this obituary of the marketing guru who — as seen on TV — sliced, diced and polkaed his way to fortune!
Reared in penury, he bewitched and beguiled the public to become an international tycoon, only to lose everything and then, undaunted, make it back again!
Just two dollars and five thin dimes at any New York City newsstand gets you the print edition of this obituary — along with dozens more articles at no extra charge — commemorated with the date and suitable for framing! Quantities are limited, so don’t delay!
Those blasting K-Tel commercials were unavoidable on television in the 1970s. I purchased a K-Tel record once, as a birthday present for my older brother, who wondered why I did that.
At any rate, I want Margalit Fox to write my obituary. And I hope it shares a theme with the one she wrote for Mr. Kives: He was audacious, and he had tons of fun.
Crayons
The other day a fellow flâneur and I found ourselves in front of a storefront off of Main Street in Vancouver, on E17th. The place is shared by a little gift shop called The Pleasant and a charming ‘learning environment’ called Chorus and Clouds. Jessica Schellenberg runs Chorus and Clouds and gave my friend and me a tour of her lovely space. It was easy to imagine how much delight little children would feel here, and how safe. Jessica’s approach:
I’m an Early Childhood Educator motivated to provide meaningful experiences to the youngest members of our community, to connect with children on their level, to respond to their needs, and to respect their individual nature. I’m dedicated to bringing back what childhood is all about: exploration, guidance, growth and the celebration of small victories. My approach is deeply Reggio Emilia inspired, which stresses the recognition of every child’s strengths and potential and values free and creative expression. Children are encouraged to be active participants in their community. …
One tenet of the Reggio Emilia philosophy is that the environment is a child’s third teacher (after parent and teacher). That’s why great care was taken in the creation of this space to make it not only warm and inviting, but also…beautiful! Chorus & Clouds is an inspiring environment that will encourage you and your child to explore together. [From Jessica’s website – link added]
Jessica Schellenberg, of Chorus and Clouds
During our visit I couldn’t help staring at all the Crayola ‘pip-squeak’ markers on the little table in front of me, and I was whisked back to my own second grade, in St. Paul’s Catholic school in Wellesley, Massachusetts. (A particularly distressing series of episodes there involved crayons. I know: *crayons*!) “Look,” I said to my friend, almost gasping: “crayons.” “Do you want to leave?” she replied. “No, but thank you. I would like to imagine being seven years old *here*.”
So, we stayed awhile longer, having a happy discussion, while in my mind I went back and forth, again and again, from 57 to seven.
Being at Chorus and Clouds was a real tonic for me.
Jessica gave me a “leprechaun green” pip-squeak washable Crayola marker as my friend and I were leaving. I am very grateful.
And more tonight …
My friend Lincoln Clarkes is known internationally as a photographer. Tonight’s exhibition focuses on his written words.
For the exhibition MESS AGE, photographers Katie Huisman, Mel Yap, and Alex Waber appropriated and visually responded to Lincoln Clarkes’s mid-’90s text pieces. The photographic works invite the viewer to step into a less literal reality, leaving behind ingrained political thinking while suggesting that we reconnect to our own ideological mindset.
Clarkes’s pop conceptual text pieces from 1995 maintain poignant relevance today. Though they appear to be aggressive propaganda at first glance, the messages are anti-political and playful in their duality of meaning. Clarkes’s text works emphasize an individualistic ideology, drawing a comparison between the clichéd “Keep Calm and Carry On” motto of the twenty-first century and the reality of the “MESS AGE” we really live in and think about.
The exhibition opens tonight and continues until April 28 at The Remington Gallery, 108 East Hastings Street in Vancouver, BC.
basil.CA 