EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL: A Few Minutes With First Time Participant Kari Kristensen

The Eastside Culture Crawl (November 18, 19, 20) is hands down one of the best things about Vancouver during November. It’s the time of year when Eastside painters, sculpters, jewellery designers, carvers, photographers, potters, furniture designers, glass blowers and printmakers open their studios to the public an the vibe of the already cool-as-hell neighbourhood rises to unprecedented levels of awesomeness. The Crawl covers Terminal Avenue to Burrard Inlet between Main Street and Victoria Drive. That’s a lot of ground to cover and a lot of artists to meet. This year there will be over 300 participating, so we figure it’s a good idea to meet a few in advance in order to better familiarise ourselves (and perhaps you) with what to expect. Meet Kari Kristensen. This is her first year as a participant. We caught up with her while she was taking a breather in Paris and asked her about what she had planned for her inaugural Crawl weekend.

Three things about your neighbourhood that make you want to live there: I’ve lived in East Van since I moved here 9 years ago. I love East Van. I am walking distance to the drive and all of its great restaurants and food shops. There’s also an expanding restaurant scene happening on Hastings Street, which is fantastic. I am close enough to my studio that I can walk or bike there. And lastly, I live across the street from Trout Lake which is great for exercise for me and my little dog.

How many years have you participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl? I’m excited about this year being my first as an artist. My previous studio was on Granville Island, a terrific little shop for printmakers called Dundarave. I moved into 1000 Parker Street almost a year ago for a change of venue and to specifically be part of the Crawl. of course, I’ve gone to the Crawl almost every year.

Three words you would use to describe the ECC to someone who had never attended: Fun, inspirational, eye-opening. Of course, I’ll have to get back to you after the 20th to see if my opinion has changed.

Why is Vancouver a good city for art? Vancouver, and BC in general, has a rich art historical foundation that’s endlessly impressive. This is the the city of Jack Shadbolt, Arthur Erickson, Emily Carr, Toni Onley, Bill Reid, Robert Davidson…you can’t help but be inspired when you see their work around. Read more

GOODS: Fernwood’s Parsonage Cafe Gets A New Look By “Inoui Design Collective Inc.”

Inoui Interior Design & Project Management | Vancouver 778.558.5070 | Victoria 250.590.7378 www.inouidesign.ca

The GOODS from Inoui

Victoria, BC | The ladies of Inoui Design Collective Inc. are finally ready to reveal the new look for The Parsonage Cafe in Victoria.  Home of the worlds greatest chocolate chip cookies as well as the 2010 Canadian Barista Champion, this local gem has been completely overhauled. A sleek wood interior with industrial accents including a new custom concrete bar, reclaimed factory lighting and custom art by The Woodpile Collective, have helped give this Victoria legend a look that’s in line with their amazing brand, service and did we mention coffee?  Go get some! Read more

EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL: A Few Minutes With “Astrosatchel” Designer Janna Hurtzig

The Eastside Culture Crawl (November 18, 19, 20) is hands-down one of the best things about Vancouver during November. During The Crawl, painters, sculpters, jewellery designers, carvers, photographers, potters, furniture designers, glass blowers and printmakers on the eastside open their their studios to the public and the nightly vibe of the already cool-as-hell neighbourhood rises to freakin’ awesome levels. The Crawl covers the area between Terminal Avenue to Burrard Inlet between Main Street and Victoria Drive (handy map). This year there will be over 300 artists participating. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of artists to meet, so we figure it’s a good idea to meet a few of them in advance so as to better familiarise ourselves (and yourselves) with what to expect. First up:  Janna Hurtzig of Astrosatchel.

“Inspired by nature, the Astrosatchel label combines Scandinavian design, Asian pop culture influences and a Canadian cottage feel”. Janna is the driving force behind the iconic eastside tote bags, wallets, diaper bags made from vegan friendly Naugahyde vinyl.

This year, Janna is has thrown a little bit of cashmere into the mix with her Winterluxe line of scarves, mittens, arm warmers, pillows and rugs made using recycled cashmere. Scout was familiar with the Astrosatchel totes and purses (there are more than a few of Janna’s designs floating around the Scout office), but cashmere? It didn’t take much more than a mention of the word paired with Janna’s reputation as a stylin’ seamstress to send us snooping through her eastside studio.  Here’s what we found out…

Three things about Railtown that makes it so awesome: “It seems everyone down here is creative in some manner, so there’s lots of people to draw on for their talents and input. It seems everyone feels a high level of community, which always makes things better. I enjoy working here, and find the semi-industrialness of the area inspiring.”

How many years have you participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl? This is my 7th Eastside Culture Crawl, and it gets better every year.

Three words you would use to describe the ECC to someone who had never attended: Eclectic. Creative. Voyeurism.

What are you most excited to be working on right now? I’m excited to be working on my Winterluxe recycled cashmere line. Sourcing the sweaters is always fun because I never know what I’m going to find, and I love that I can turn something that was once really nice back into something wearable again. In trying to use ‘all the good bits’, I developed my shag technique, which I’ve turned into cushions and rugs.

What inspires you? Seeing poorly designed things inspires me to make things that are better. I draw a lot of inspiration from Canadiana, retro-modern aesthetics, and vintage accessories. At the end of the day, I design for myself and my own needs, which have become more practical, yet decadent over time: my cashmere shag rug is probably my favourite thing I’ve made in ages.

What sort of music do you listen to when you work? I listen to tons of music, mostly indie bands. Sometimes I wish I could listen to two things at once. There’s so much more great music to listen to online through sites like Spinner, Bandcamp and Grooveshark.

Why is Vancouver a good city for art? I think the sheer number of artists working in the city makes Vancouver an excellent place. Art is definitely part of our culture here.

Is there a local designer or artist that you admire above all others? I love the work that Melissa Wong (aka Mel King) is doing. I’m lucky to have some of her geometry based drawings and paintings, but whenever I see her new work, I start thinking “where could that go…” I love abstraction, so her work is something I never get tired of, which is good. I wake up looking at a large piece of hers every morning and it helps me get excited about coming to the studio and being creative.

Three places you like to take out of town guests to show off the art scene in Vancouver: My building (339 Railway) because I know all the artists here personally. This always gives a deeper level to me when I see their art. I like to take people to various arts markets, and events like Eastside Culture Crawl, or Shiny Fuzzy Muddy. Hot One Inch Action (the button trading show) is a riot. There are always lots of openings and events in Gastown, so I think hitting a couple of those is a fun way to spend an evening, and the variety keeps it interesting. I really like Catalog gallery, I always fall in love with whatever they’re showing.

OTHER INTERESTING VANCOUVERITES

The “Caste Pojects” Duo Opens Up A Cool Pop-Up Design Shop At 10th And Kingway

An email from Caleb Beyers, who we last saw at Gastown’s Catalog gallery…

So, I wanted to write and let you know about my latest project: a pop-up shop that I’ve opened with my wife Hanahlie, under the banner of the design studio that we run together: Caste Projects. It’s in the temporary retail space that’s set up in the Rize building on the corner of 10th and Kingsway (the same building in which The Cheaper Show was held this year). We’ve gathered together products from a bunch of local designers (as well as a few national and international ringers). I would say that most of the stuff falls into the hand-crafted design goods category, but it’s all got a pretty specific, polished-but-not-fancy aesthetic. We’re also showcasing some products that we’ve designed, including some hand-felted animals, laser-cut perpetual calendars, a hand-felted rug, a sofa/day-bed/bookshelf, shelving made from molo design refuse, and a giant wool bear.

It looks some pretty sweet curation went down. Participating designers include Henderson Dry Goods, Tannis Hegan, Zillion, Red Flag, Stranger Things and many, many more (including our pals from The Found And The Freed).

We’re really looking forward to checking it out! Visit their website here, and cruise their Tumblr there.

Cool Thing We Want #282: Adorably Tiny L41 Home As Seen At The “IDS West” Preview

We’re very happy with the home we have, but we saw this 220 sqft sustainable, high-design, high-quality, energy-efficient L41 home designed by architect Michael Katz and artist Janet Corne at the IDS West preview show last week and now we can’t stop thinking about how great it would be to scoop up a little piece of dirt on one of the Gulf Islands and plunk this ultra-compact abode on it.

EVERY COOL THING WE WANT

Cool Thing We Want #278: Local Artist Julie Morstad’s Sweet “Milk Teeth” Drawings

Love the sweet and macabre illustrations by local artist Julie Morstad. A collection of her Marcel Dzama-reminiscent drawings is back in print and popping up around town. We spied some at Dandelion Emporium (2442 Main) the other day. Milk Teeth ($17) is published by Drawn and Quarterly.

ALL THE COOL THINGS WE WANT

Cool Thing We Want #267: A Vintage Coffee Bean Bag Chair From Ireland’s “Blanaid”

We scoped these sweet Blanaid armchairs on Etsy this morning for $622 apiece. Unfortunately, they’ve already sold. Even more unfortunate is the fact that, when they make more (and they are making more), they are only shipping them within Ireland. It’s a bummer, sure, but as Ducasse once said: “plagiarism is necessary; progress implies it.” Here’s hoping this inspires a local person to make something similar! Give us a call when you do.

Cool Thing We Want #265: For The Girls Who Just Love Having Their Ears Nibbled

Baguette Earrings | One Elf | $13.50 | Etsy

Now you can proclaim your love of baked goods by dangling them from your ears. These lovely, crusty loaves are available from Vancouver’s own One Elf.  And they don’t stop at baguettes! Check out their Key Lime pie and corn dog earrings too.

Smoke Break #811: “Cargoh”, The Curated Marketplace For Local Artists & Designers

Surfed Cargoh today? You should. Even though the etsy-ish, curated social marketplace for independent artists and designers is still in beta, it’s clearly pretty awesome. What you see above is their video profile for Vancouver’s Indigo (done by Gastown’s own Catalog Creative). She’s a local artist, writer and dancer who “currently works in many mediums including stencils, posters, acrylics, oils, photography, printmaking and more.” Have a browse. It’s a cool way to get familiar with some of local imaginations and a great way to peruse their wares.

City Briefs: Get Ready For Even More Dream City On False Creek

by Scott Daniel | Vancouver’s been generating its intense form of urbanism so fast it can feel as if there’s almost no space left on the downtown peninsula.  But, there are a surprising number of “dead zones,” chief among them the waterfront adjacent to BC Place, a.k.a. North East False Creek (NEFC).

Plans for this area have been on the drawing board for years and the province is going ahead with its scheme for a casino and hotel development whether the City likes it or not.

For its part, the City is looking for the right mix of commercial, residential, and public space, and has received a major proposal from Canadian Metropolitan Properties, a huge landowner in the area.  CMP proposes 1.4 million square feet of residential space, 700,000 for commercial use, and 67,000 square feet of public space.  The goodies include a civic plaza and a Canucks practice rink/public arena (Canucks get the rink from 8 to 11am when the team is in town, the public gets it the rest of the time). More after the jump… Read more

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