Chip Wilson, founder of lululemon athletica, announced he will fund a new $36-million school of design focusing on high-tech clothing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. This is very exciting news for the city of Vancouver. The ultimate vision is to bring the epicenter of technical apparel to Vancouver, which will bring design facilities and opportunities that are otherwise lacking in the city. This will mean more opportunities for soft product design in Vancouver, along with more competition.
What an incredible event! I am honoured to have been a part of last weekend's PechaKucha Whistler, Vol 7.
The topics were diverse, and the other presenters left me touched, moved and inspired. Congratulations to my fellow speakers, and a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended. A special thank you to Aki Kaltenbach who organized the event.
I spoke about the work I have created outside my 'day job,' such as Small World Big Dreams and the Gratitude Wall, my passion for projects that involve communities, and how continuously asking myself "what if?" has led me to incredible creative discoveries.
I am excited to announce that I will be participating in the upcoming PechaKucha Whistler Vol 7 event, as part of the Whistler Readers and Writers Festival. The event will be held at Maxx Fish Lounge and Bar in Whistler Village Sunday October 14.
A sneak peek of the event and speakers can be seen here.
I have been diligently working on my presentation, and am excited to share some of my most recent projects with a larger audience. I plan to speak about how pursuing personal projects outside my 'day job' helps fuel my creativity, and how those projects have led to opportunities that might otherwise not existed.
If you are in Vancouver or the Whistler area, I encourage you to come check out this event. Tickets are $10 and include a free drink.
In honor of Thanksgiving, lululemon asked me to write a blog post about the Gratitude Wall I made during Wanderlust Whistler. The Gratitude Wall was inspired by 1THING and the Before I Die project, and asked people to publicly share what they are grateful for.
Wow! What an amazing weekend in Toronto. On Saturday September 29th, my interactive media installation for Nuit Blanche 2012 went live at sunset.
What I was hoping for was a (relatively) seamless setup and a healthy interest from passers-by. What I got was more than I could have ever imagined.
local yogis show off some bendy skills
Things kicked off with talented local yogis demonstrating some rad moves at the Queen Street location. The Cumberland Street location had a large group of supporters who immediately jumped in on the action when the DJ started to spin. Right from the start, the concept of the project was well-received. Stepping into the window display and seeing the moving outline of someone else created surprise and delight; people weren't just smiling, they were beaming! They loved the idea of dancing, doing yoga and interacting with strangers in real time across a city.
a high five between two individuals at two separate locations
As time wore on, the crowds got bigger and bigger. At one point, there was a line-up to get in front of the screen! I think my twelve-year-old self died with jealousy when a MuchMusic VJ and her camera crew passed by and got in on the action.
Hundreds of spectators stopped to check out the installation at the Queen St location. Photo: Jacqueline Valentine
The response from the crowd was incredible. People were entranced by the images they saw before them, and an impressive spirit of community grew as groups of people gathered to dance in front of the screen. The music played a key role here; it drew crowds and interest, and gave people beats to move to. This was critical because dancing and movement caused such a dynamic effect on the screens.
People danced like their lives depended on it. Photo: Jacqueline Valentine
One aspect of the project that I had not anticipated was the interest and curiosity created by the backdrop screen. It was a logistically necessary component, but one I had considered secondary to the project. The lights created dancing silhouettes on the backdrop that essentially drew more crowds and intrigue than that of the installation itself.
Some participants used this shadow-play element as the focal point for their own interaction experience and paid almost no attention to the LED screen. They seemed to be dancing for the sole purpose of creating interesting silhouettes for the crowd.
Silhouettes created unexpected results and additional interest. Photo: Jacqueline Valentine
Others, entranced by the images they saw on the LED screen before them, danced furiously and unknowingly generated spectacular silhouettes that drew a crowd on the street behind them. Some seemed oblivious to anything outside the space between the backdrop and the store window. It was as if the screen provided them a false sense of privacy and anonymity where they could dance as if no one was watching. Ironically, hundreds of people between two locations were observing their movements. It was an interesting phenomenon that I had not expected, and I'm so glad it happened.
The installation was scheduled to come down between midnight and 1:00 am, but demand from the crowd kept the party going until around 2:30 am.
Thank you Toronto for the amazing Nuit Blanche experience! I feel incredibly grateful to everyone who attended and danced their heart out.
Cameron Roden filmed the event, and is putting together an awesome video that I'll be sharing soon. I will be adding a Nuit Blanche project page to my portfolio shortly, so check back soon.
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Update, October 6: The video is complete! A huge thank you to Cameron for capturing the evening so perfectly.
If you're in Toronto this weekend, I highly recommend you check out this year's Nuit Blanche art event.
I will be exhibiting an interactive media installation created for lululemon athletica at two locations. There will be music, yoga, dancing, and some really exciting art. Come check it out at either the Queen St or Cumberland St lululemon locations. We go live at 7pm.
Hope to see you there!
ps: here's a sneak peek
A test-run of the installation from earlier this week
If you find yourself in Toronto for this year's Nuit Blanche all-night art event, you have an opportunity to participate in the interactive media installation I am creating for lululemon athletica. If you're downtown, the Queen St location (as shown on the map) will be in the heart of the action that night. If the crowds or traffic keep you from going all the way downtown, check out the Yorkville location: 152 Cumberland St.
The installation will go live at around 7pm and run until approximately 1am. Hope to see you there!
Things are well underway for my interactive installation at the upcoming Nuit Blanche art event in Toronto later this month.
I have been asked to create an interactive experience utilizing the storefront of two businesses in downtown Toronto. My concept involves utilizing video to connect the participants at either location.
What if people at two separate locations could interact together, transcend physical separation and dance together in real time?
I will be using webcams to capture the silhouettes of participants, and large LED screens in the store windows to display the interaction. Viewers at either location will be able to see the outlines of themselves as well as the outlines of viewers elsewhere on the screen before them .
In order to accomplish this, I've enlisted the help of an incredibly talented programmer: Bryan Rite.
Bryan working hard to get our custom program running
We have identified that we will require four webcams to capture the images and four laptops to process the data. This complex program is written in Bash script and utilizes gStreamer to both encode the local video and stream that over a network, as well as receive a network stream and merge that with a local video.
I will be announcing the locations for this installation shortly, so check back again soon!
Nuit Blanche takes place on September 29th in Toronto. See more information about the event here.
Nuit Blanche is an all-night art event that takes place all over the world. It begins at dusk, and runs all night through to dawn. Toronto's downtown will be turned into a de-facto art gallery, with art pieces, interactive installations and performances filling museums, galleries and public spaces.
I have been asked to create an interactive window display for a well-known Canadian company. Stay tuned for details as the event on September 29 approaches.
Today I'm grateful for.... illustration of my gratitude by MELISSA MEDWYK
My friend Ayla and her partner recently released 1THING, an app that acts as a gratitude journal. I love the idea of being able to make notes of things I am grateful for throughout the day by using my phone (something I almost always have handy), rather than having to remember to bring a physical journal along with me. Further, I love how 1THING is not just an app, it's a community. You can keep your thoughts private, but you also have the opportunity to share your gratitude with others. And each day, an artist-in-residence chooses one of those gratitudes to illustrate, making a beautiful piece of art. Amazing project, right?
Illustration for 1Thing by Mike Ellis
Inspired, I contacted Ayla to see if she would be interested in collaborating. My experience creating Before I Die walls in my Small World Big Dreams event demonstrated to me how powerful and inspiring it can be to ask provocative questions and have people answer publicly. I love the digital community of 1THING, but I'm interested in taking the concept out into the physical realm. What if we ask people what they are grateful for as part of a collaborative art piece? What if, just like the Before I Die project, we ask people to complete a sentence and share their hearts with a community on a giant blackboard?
With 1THING's support, I will be creating a 'Gratitude Wall' community art project. It's going to be installed in Whistler Village during Wanderlust Festival next weekend. Wanderlust is a festival that celebrates music and yoga - the perfect environment to celebrate gratitude.
If you're headed to Wanderlust, make sure to have a look around the Whistler Village for the Gratitude Wall. I can't wait to see what your'e grateful for.
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Update, September 1: There is now a portfolio page set up for this project. Check it out! See more here >
Beyond Luon was created by lululemon athletica, and it is much more than a speaker series.
It is a night of inspiration and hearts on fire. Organized as a one evening event, it features radical, life-loving individuals from the lululemon community sharing their stories. You will leave drunk on wonder and love for our incredible community.
I am honoured to be speaking at this amazing event alongside such inspiring, outstanding individuals. I will be talking about my work on the Small World Big Dreams project, and how it relates to goal setting, the difference I want to make in the world, and what happens when we face big challenges.
Beyond Luon takes place Sunday August 12 on Granville Island.
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Update April 1, 2013: While the event I spoke at wasn't filmed, there is video of this year's Beyond Luon held in LA. It gives you a sense of the event:
After a fantastic stint in a Chinatown Alley this spring, the Before I Die Wall has come down. Thank you to everyone who shared their hopes and dreams with me.
This wall lived from May 25, 2012 to July 10, 2012.
I'm excited to share that recently I was interviewed by Jessica Robson of a little more good, a website promoting good ideas, good causes, and good companies.
Jess and I talked about my path to design, my artistic vision, and about my recent project Small World Big Dreams.
“The creation of the Vancouver ‘Before I Die…’ wall was a lesson for Dana in not only expressing herself as a leader and creating a project geared at contributing to society, but a practice in taking an idea already in place and working with it to create something new”
— Jessica Robson, a little more good
Thank you so much to Jessica and the folks at a little more good for this opportunity. You can see the article here >
I am extremely excited to share that CTV National News has featured the Vancouver wall of the Small World Big Dreams project. Vancouver Bureau Chief Sarah Galashan interviewed me about my experience making the wall and the local community's response to it.
“While some people keep their deepest desires hidden, one local designer is hoping to show how those same desires - scrawled across a blackboard in a Chinatown alleyway - can create connections among strangers”
— Stephanie Ip, 24hrs Vancouver
Thanks to the folks at 24 hrs for their support and interest in this project.
