TIDF & DO West Design

Saturday afternoon turned out to be a jam packed day as I wandered across the blustering city to the various design events, lectures and openings that TIDF had to offer.

Beginning at Harbourfront Centre with the Innovators and Ideas Lecture Series, I was introduced to the work of former artist-in-residence and incredibly talented jeweler Karen Konzuk. Made up of stainless steel and concrete, her architecture-inspired jewelery is currently on display at Harbourfront in the southernmost vitrines in an exhibition entitled Aggregate. more on kon zuk later...

January is traditionally the time of year when Harbourfront Centre focuses on contemporary craft, with exhibitions - such as the current craft biennial LOOKout, and the Viva Voce lectures put on by senior craft artists in residence. This years speakers included my studio mate Shuyu Lu as well as Clayton Haigh, Deborah Freeman and Adriana McNeeley.

Year after year, I have found this lecture series to be one of the most inspiring and introspective talks presented by Harbourfront. I love hearing all the stories that have lead to the making of such inspired careers and bodies work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Harbourfront Centre, I headed on down to Dundas st. to pop by the public opening reception for Radiant Dark: the Devil is in the Details, to take some pics and get a closer look at some of the work I had missed from before. Here are a couple images from the show:

Evan Bare - Toffel (slipper chair)

Yvonne Ip - And miles to go before i sleep (hall runner)

wet felted, by a process of pacing back and forth across the wool.

Jen Kneulman being inquisitive

Our Malbec table - made of concrete and walnut, acid etched with red wine...

Annie Tung & Brad Turner - Shadow (Chandalier)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Along the drift further down Dundas st. we stopped to take a picture at Saving Grace with Amanda McCavour's spirograph installation, before hitting up capacity:

Capacity @ Bev Hisey's studio

Unfortunately, I only got a chance to peek at some of the work and snap a couple quick shots while I was juggling my broken backpack, camera and umbrella while shoulder to shoulder with people in the crowd! Here are a couple pics from the show:

I really love the lines in this smocked canopy by Maiwenn Castellan:

Mountain of cushions installation by Bev Hisey (detail shot):

Bettie Cott & Lauren Reed's - Modern Hangups

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally ended up at the Associates exhibition at the new Cooper Cole Gallery, to see some late night installations and goings on.

I really loved these lamps reminiscent of necklace pendants:

Felt topographies: