torp3918

nevver:

The New Devil’s Dictionary

If you are not a fan of the hot weather we have been experiencing in some parts of the country, you will love this Dollarama find.  Forum member Dinobuzz found Frogg Togg’s Cooling Chilly Pad Towels at their local Dollarama for just $3.  These cooling towels regularly retail for $12-15 and have decent reviews.

Chilly Pads are made from a hyper-evaporative material that retains water while remaining dry to the touch. The Chilly Pad is an innovative way to cool down while enduring outdoor heat and/or high levels of physical activity. When wet, the towel begins to evaporate and cool, providing cool, soft comfort to the user. When it stops cooling, simply re-wet the towel in hot or cold water and wring it out. Within minutes, it’s cool again.

Since they are dry to the touch, they won’t ruin your makeup (any more than sweating in this weather at least) and are great if you are looking to cool off while exercising in the heat or cool down your little ones.

Click here to see all recent Dollarama finds.

For his ongoing series The Fourth Wall, Hamburg-based photographer Klaus Frahm shatters the illusion of stagecraft by taking us behind-the-scenes of several European theaters. Shot from the vantage point of the stage looking toward the audience, the photos reveal the stark contrast of ornate auditoriums and the technological scaffolding that facilitates a major theatrical production. Frahm captures the elaborate configurations of lights and the surprising enormity of the fly space hidden just behind the red curtain that can be up to three times larger than the seating area.

Frahm says the intention behind his photography “is to give way for a new perspective, to entertain, to offer a fresh sight on familiar things,” and to “reveal something laying under the surface.” The Fourth Wall project began in 2010 when he was documenting a new theater for an architect which involved a series of shots facing the wings and other angles from the stage. When reviewing his polaroids later that day he was immediately struck by the image-within-an-image contrast of the warm, fully-lit theater seats and the cold, hidden infrastructure. Klaus had ingeniously turned the tables: suddenly the audience was the spectacle and the stage was reality.

You can see more from the Fourth Wall series on Fram’s website. If you enjoyed this, also check out the work of David Leventi. (via It’s Nice That, thnx Kevin!)

Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic has been eliminated from Wimbledon. The No. 7 seed lost 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-3 to 26th-seeded Nick Kyrgios of Australia on Friday.

Ben Butler (previously) is fascinated by the complex structures that emerge from simple and delicate processes. This phenomena can be found in the elaborate systems produced by ant colonies to human cities, small quotidian actions accumulating into overpowering structures. Unbounded, Butler’s installation on display at Rice University Gallery in Houston, Texas, uses this same idea by assembling over 10,000 pieces of poplar wood into a matrix-like structure. This massive arrangement coalesces into an unexpectedly mesmerizing array of grids that stretch to fill the gallery space.

Butler approached this installation, as he commonly does within his practice, without initial sketches or ideas of what he would like the structure to look like. He played with the materials, discovering configurations on the spot. Although the grids within Unbounded were pre-made in his studio, the way they were configured and connected horizontally was all in response to the space. This way of acting in the present ensured that the structure’s outcome would be organic, and not purely responding to a preconceived shape.

Poplar wood was chosen for the installation because of its malleability and abundance, which gave Butler the ability to fiddle with a material that seemed endless. This idea of endlessness also tied into the title he chose for the piece. Butler wanted the piece to have no defined boundary or vantage point, but encourage the audience to walk around and within the structure, discovering it from all angles.

Butler received an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003. He currently lives and works in Memphis, Tennessee and Quogue, New York and has an upcoming exhibition of his sculptures and drawings at The University of Mississippi Museum, Oxford opening in September 2015.

Unbounded will remain on display at Rice University Art Gallery in Houston, Texas until August 28, 2015. (via designboom)

Yoga studios can be found in almost all Toronto neighbourhoods, as the practice has become more and more popular over the years. Perfecting the art of yoga is easier than ever with studios that offer classes as intense or straightforward as you need, many of which are also hubs of community activity.

Here are my picks for the top yoga studios in Toronto by neighbourhood.

See also: The best yoga studios in Toronto

THE ANNEX
Kula Yoga in the Annex has a loyal following. With two rooms to practice beginners and more advanced yoga, Kula also offers hot yoga classes. Their $8 power yoga class will have you sweating and moving through a serious yoga flow. There are a lot of classes offered throughout the day, and even 10 p.m. classes for the night owls.

BEACHES
Prana Fitness in the Beaches offers classic yoga as well as more intensive full body TRX workouts and classes catered to kids and teens. There's also fun and unique monthly workshops like Sacred Sound Saturdays that include an evening of live music, chants, meditation and yoga!

BLOORCOURT
Union Yoga offers a great variety of classes, known in the community for being very welcoming of all levels of yoga. Beginners find it easy to settle into their yoga class at Union thanks to the gentle environment and friendly instructors who are happy to make adjustments. There are hot and regular yoga classes and chair yoga...yoga practiced while sitting on a chair!

DANFORTH
Akasha Yoga is a therapeutic yoga and seminar studio located across from the Carrot Common on the Danforth. Akasha focuses on Nidra yoga and includes Tai Chi and Pilates classes. The studio is one long space where shiatsu and therapeutic massages take place as well as a small number of classes offered throughout the day.

DUNDAS WEST
Studio Blue is a recent addition to the Dundas West fitness scene offering unique classes like Yogacamp which combines bootcamp and yoga. And, ballet yoga, a combination of yoga, ballet and pilates. Owner Jessica McIntyre went from successful marketing businesswoman to yoga teacher and studio owner, and turned a plain office space on Dundas West into her studio with blue accents to get the feel of blue sky and deep sea.

ETOBICOKE
Branch Yoga is still a new player in the game, having only been open for a year, but has received positive feedback and enthusiasm from the community for their knowledgeable and fun staff. If you're new to yoga, Branch offers a Yoga Basics class where you can learn key poses, or go through the schedule of Vinyasa, Aeriel and Restorative yoga.

THE JUNCTION
Breathe Yoga Studio offers a variety of workshops inclusive for all level types like how to nail the king of yoga moves - the headstand. They also offer "yoga for stiff men," a must if you're not as bendy as you'd like to be (or used to be). You can also receive massage therapy and a session in an incredibly relaxing and detoxifying infrared sauna. It's the perfect way to amplify your relaxation.

KENSINGTON
Spiritwind in Kensington Market offers restorative yoga and meditation in an environment that specializes in traditional Chinese postural alignment principles like Tai Chi and Kung Fu. Spiritwind combines an Eastern and Western approach to yoga with its Yoga from the Heart Canada class and allows a Pay What You Can drop in rate.

KING WEST
Moksha at King West removes you from the urgency and rush of King West and transports you into a quiet space for 90 minutes of hot yoga. They also have monthly workshops that welcome your mind & body into the different seasons, and offer acupuncture in the workshops.

LEASIDE
Power Yoga focuses on doing one thing really well - hot power yoga starting at 6 a.m. The studio has been a staple in Leaside for six years, and has since opened five studios from Etobicoke to Muskoka. At Power Yoga you'll get a Baptiste Power Vinyasa style which is a powerful and energetic flowing class focusing on breath.

LESLIEVILLE
Yogathletix is an intimate space in Leslieville that offers hatha yoga and intense power yoga classes as well as ballet barre workouts. They practice what they describe as "Goldilocks Yoga," not too spiritual, not too physical, but just right for what you need.

LIBERTY VILLAGE
Tula Yoga has three locations across downtown with its most recent opening in Liberty Village. At Tula Tula offers a mixture of hot yoga and pilates classes, community yoga and creates corporate yoga programs. You can even take in a hot rock yoga - a yoga class set to rock music.

LITTLE ITALY
Octopus Garden near College and Ossington focuses on healing and exercise through yoga as well as meditation classes and teacher certification programs. After taking in a yoga class, you can book a session with a naturopath, physio or massage.

OSSINGTON
YogaSpace has been around for 20 years on Ossington and offers intensive teacher training program. Classes are held in a spacious studio with all types of vinyasa and restorative yoga classes. And, after your intensive workout, you can book a massage offered at the studio.YogaSpace offers $8 community classes taught by recent grads of the teacher training program.

RONCESVALLES
Yoga Village is more than just a yoga studio but a...village of health practitioners coming together under their love of yoga. Yoga Village offers naturopath services, energy healers and registered massage inside a 100-year-old church with a pilates studio. They believe in the inclusion of all who want to practice yoga and have implemented a Pay What You Can system for classes.

ROSEDALE
889 Yoga offers a range of services. Whether you're looking for a great yoga-core fusion class or meditation, or a massage, 889 is a warm and inviting space.

SCARBOROUGH
Mitra Yoga is a popular hot yoga centre in Scarborough that offers hot Hatha yoga, core intensive yoga and a class special to Mitra, Yoga Tune Up, a blend of yoga and corrective posture exercises in a heated atmosphere.

ST. CLAIR WEST
Spynga will get you energized. Not your regular yoga workout, prepare to push yourself, combining spinning and yoga in a large and bright studio space. The signature Spynga flow combines 30 minutes of intense cycle and 30 minutes of gentle yoga with background music or you can upgrade to Spynga HIIT and Super Spynga Flow classes.

WEST QUEEN WEST
Misfit Studios is owned by Amber Joliat who has sustained a loyal following in her small studio located inside an old church. Joliat has created the perfect balance peace, serenity and a hardcore workout. Yoga is offered everyday with either a slow-paced flow or fast dance-like movements to get your heart pumping!

YONGE AND BLOOR
Iam Yoga is relatively new to the area and one of the larger yoga studios with three studios to choose from - hot, warm and non-heated - in an exposed brick, modern setting. The chalkboard of daily inspirational quotes is kept at the front, and the studio has an extensive schedule of detox, core and regular yoga flow.

YONGE & COLLEGE
Yoga Sanctuary offers a great education in the practice and philosophies of yoga and meditation. If you covet personal space, Yoga Sanctuary is bigger than many other studios: high ceilings, large windows, big rooms and a serene space located in the penthouse of a heritage building at Yonge and College. All levels and types of yoga are offered including, Ashtanga, Hatha and Vinyasa.

YONGE & DAVISVILLE
Prashanta Yoga is a boutique studio tucked away in a corner on Davisville Avenue and Cleveland Street. Classes are limited to eight students so each person gets attention from the teacher throughout the practice. Prashanta offers Yoga Basics, Hatha, Flow and Swing yoga as well as Kids yoga classes!

YONGE & DUNDAS
Yoga Tree has five different locations dispersed throughout the city and in Vaughan. They offer a variety of hot yoga classes throughout the day, and a one month intensive teacher training. The space near Yonge and Dundas is huge with an open lounge seating area and everyone's favourite, a juice bar!

YONGE & EGLINGTON
Fireflow Yoga is an Ashtanga-based located in a clean and bright second floor space. Morning, afternoon and late evening classes make scheduling simple.

YORKVILLE
Mindful Movement is led by owner, Leslie Parker who specializes in Budokon yoga which is a fusion of yoga, martial arts and meditation. Class sizes are kept small, and private & semi-private classes are also available.

What did I miss? Add your favourite yoga studios in the comments.

Photo of Yoga Tree

In a 21st century take on the traditional Zen sand garden, artist Bruce Shapiro invented the Sisyphus Machine, an elaborate kinetic drawing machine that uses magnets to drag rolling steel marbles through a thin layer of sand to create complicated mandala-like patterns. Shapiro, who was once a practicing physician, has spent the better part of 25 years experimenting with computerized motion control and many of his Sisyphus Machines have been installed in locations around the world including a large device in Switzerland back in 2003 and at Questacon in Canberra, Australia in 2013. It appears the artist is currently working on a tabletop consumer version and if you’re interested you can sign up for his mailing list here. (via Core77, Fast Company)

Don’t show these to your kids unless you want them to be completely underwhelmed by every balloon animal they see for the rest of their lives. Japanese balloon twister Masayoshi Matsumoto makes some of the most intricate balloon sculptures I’ve ever encountered. From prickly iguanas to glowing sea creatures it seems no life form is too difficult for Matsumoto to faithfully interpret using nothing but balloons. You can follow more of his work on Tumblr and on FB. (via Neatorama)

Housed in the former home of the 10-story International Shoe Company, the sprawling 600,000 square-foot City Museum in St. Louis is quite possibly the ultimate urban playground ever constructed. The museum is the brainchild of artist and sculptor Bob Cassilly who opened the space in 1997 after years of renovation and construction. Although Cassilly passed away in 2011, the museum is perpetually under construction as new features are added or improved thanks to a ragtag group of 20 artists known affectionately as the Cassilly Crew.

So what can you find at the City Museum? How about a sky-high jungle gym making use of two repurposed airplanes, two towering 10-story slides and numerous multi-floor slides, a rooftop Ferris wheel and a cantilevered school bus that juts out from the roof, subterranean caves, a pipe organ, hundreds of feet of tunnels that traverse from floor to floor, an aquarium, ball pits, a shoe lace factory, a circus arts facility, restaurants, and even a bar… because why not? All the materials used to build the museum including salvaged bridges, old chimneys, construction cranes, and miles of tile are sourced locally, making the entire endeavor a massive recycling project.

If you have kids (or are a kid at heart) and live in the midwestern United States or have any other means to get to St. Louis, if you aren’t immediately planning a trip to City Museum, you’re missing out on life. On my first visit last year our family hardly left the museum for two days. It is the complete antithesis to commercialized theme parks like Disneyland. You can see more photos at Gallery Hip.

Daniel Agdag Pushes the Limits and Engineers Cardboard into Dreams

Australian cardboard engineer Daniel Agdag creates mouse sized mythical machines out of cardboard and other lightweight materials.  These machines are so complex and yet so fully realized it seems as if they will spring into action at any moment.    Daniel’s newest work looks like it could be a movie set. His work transcends its mundane materials many times over. Thanks Weezbo!

For more art that pushes at the boundaries come to our Facebook Page. 

Posted by Lisa.

really-shit:

Timeout

Ty Foster explores the emotional and physical flaws of having a plastic “prison” (elizabethan collar) installed on your animal in this series.. Although these cones are meant to reduce scratching, they can be the cause of much discomfort.

British ceramicist Tamsin van Essen is fascinated by what she describes as the “the fragile boundary between attraction and repulsion,” a place where tension is created by the visible and the obscured. For her Erosion series Essen created layered blocks of alternating black and white porcelain which she then sandblasted to mimic biological forms similar to a parasitic virus in the process of devouring a host. In a even more literal example, she created a series of ceramic vessels that appear to be infected with specific bacteria.

Essen just spent three months working on a new body of work currently on view at Siobhan Davies Studios in London, and you can see additional pieces over on Saatchi Art. (via Coroflot)

All images © David Leventi, Margravial Opera House, BAYREUTH, GERMANY, 2008

David Leventi photographs the interiors of world famous opera houses, capturing the ornate design of the architecture found inside. Using 4×5″ and 8×10″ Arca-Swiss cameras, Leventi captures each opera house from the vantage of an operatic singer, photographing the space from the very center of the stage.

Leventi is not just aesthetically inspired by the opera houses he photographs, but also holds a familial connection to their structures. He is the son of two architects, and the project was started in remembrance of his grandfather Anton Gutman, a cantor trained after World War II by a famous Danish operatic tenor. Gutman performed for prisoners and officers while interned at a prisoner-of-war camp in the Soviet Union, and Leventi’s photographs are a gesture that aims to examine the spaces he was never able to perform.

Leventi’s photographic process imitates with light what a performer would do with his or her voice, light waves bouncing off of each architectural element and bringing the vast space back to the detailed image. Each photograph captures a view impossible to the naked eye, combing both line-of-sight and periphery imagery to produce images that wrap the viewer in the experience of each world famous theatre. Leventi is not just capturing the depth of the space, but also the extensive history lived within each performance hall.

Leventi received his BFA in Photography from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and is represented by galleries internationally. Leventi’s exhibition “David Leventi: Opera” will open May 7 at Rick Wester Fine Art in New York City, and his first monograph by the same name (published by Damiani) will be released this spring. (via Arch Atlas)

Romanian Athenaeum BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, 2007

La Fenice VENICE, ITALY, 2008

Curtain, Palais Garnier PARIS, FRANCE, 2009

Palais Garnier PARIS , FRANCE, 2009

The Metropolitan Opera NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, 2008

Teatro di Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati BOLOGNA, ITALY, 2014

Mariinsky Theater ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, 2009

Teatro di San Carlo NAPLES, ITALY, 2009

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía VALENCIA, SPAIN, 2014

Amargosa Opera House, DEATH VALLEY JUNCTION, CALIFORNIA, 2009

Curtain, Royal Swedish Opera, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2008

Flowing Glass Sculptures Inspired by the Ocean and Undersea Creatures

Glass artist K. William LeQuier uniquely conveys the raw emotion of a single moment in time with each of his sculptures. The power of his work is in the quality and expression of three-dimensional sketches carved from glass.  The fluid movement of the glass and the complexity of layered intersecting lines are evocative of both the harmony and the random forces found in nature.

H/T My Modern Met and Colossal

Check out our Facebook    Posted by Andrew

The brilliant minds at ThinkGeek just launched this set of 10 glass coasters printed with sequential illustrations of the brain. When stacked in the correct order they reveal a complete three-dimensional “scan” of human brain. Available here. (via Laughing Squid)

With delicate lines, dots, and geometric patterns, L.A. tattoo artist Dr. Woo creates some of the coolest tattoos we’ve seen in quite a while. The 33-year-old artist first started experimenting with tattoos when he was only 13 and would later work as a fashion buyer and designer before he apprenticed with Mark Mahoney at the Shamrock Social Club where he’s now based.

Woo is now one of the most in-demand tattoo artists in L.A. with a waitlist well over six months. There’s often a line out the door of people just making appointments in-person (a professor recently showed up with an entire class in tow). You can join a half million others and follow him on Instagram. All photos courtesy the artist. (via Quipsologies, My Modern Met, The New York Times)

Tonika Morgan was a high school drop-out. She was homeless, and now she's been accepted to Harvard University. The catch is that she only has until May 15 to come up with $71,000 for her tuition and to meet the requirements for her student visa.

Being media savvy, Tonika has taken her fundraising efforts online. She's launched a Go Fund Me campaign asking people to help her reach her dream of going to Harvard. So far she's raised a bit over $25,000, not even half of what she needs. But Tonika is used to beating the odds.

She was exactly the kind of girl that falls through the cracks. She had left her family home, was in and out of shelters throughout high school, and missed plenty of classes, which meant she was failing.

"You should rethink your future because you're clearly not going to university," her principal once told her.

But when she was told to drop out of advanced courses in her high school, she refused. "I knew I was capable of doing something," she tells me.

Now, years later, Tonika has managed to get a university degree from Ryerson. She worked jobs throughout her undergrad to pay for her tuition and bills, and excelled academically.

That hard work has paid off. She's been accepted to Harvard at the Graduate School of Education.

But going to Harvard as an international student isn't cheap. Tuition and living expenses for an international student is approximately $70K USD a year.

Tonika says she's been overwhelmed by the support she's received from people online.

"The power of social media is that I can see the names and faces of all the people who are helping me. I'm really grateful and humbled," she says while choking back tears.

You can help send Tonika to Harvard by donating to her The Mission for Harvard Tuition! crowdfunding campaign.

White Water, all images provided by K. William LeQuier

Plume

Medusa

Maelstrom

Euphoria

Curl No. 5

Cabriole

Glass artist K. William LeQuier‘s glass work is inspired by the drama of the natural world and its everyday events. His sculptures reflect this inspiration by mimicking the natural movements of the sea and its creatures. Each sculpture is held steady by a simple black armature, a hint to the artist’s hand involved in the creation of each glass sculpture.

After years of blowing glass vessels LeQuier moved to the sandblasting process where he learned he could generate textures similar to natural erosion. In addition to forming works that appear as waves, he creates work reminiscent of sea urchins, sponges, and anemones. Most interesting about the sculptures are their layered composition, a complexity that could easily be looked over due to the high level of skill apparent in each sea-themed object.

Currently LeQuier lives and works in Vermont with his wife Mary Angus. His work can be found in the permanent collections of museums across the country including (but not limited to) the American Glass Museum, Indianapolis Art Museum, National Liberty Museum, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. (via My Modern Met)

Chaim Machlev’s Tattoo Masterpieces

Chaim Machlev is Dotstolines, a tattoo artist practicing in Berlin, Germany.  Originally from Israel, Chaim had an epiphany after his first tattoo.   He had been working with computers, but after spending time in the desert (where people who have epiphanies often go) he relocated to Germany.  Once there he worked through a difficult period of breaking into the tattoo industry and learning the trade.  You can learn more of Chaim Machlev and his journey to becoming an artist in the interviews posted on his  website.

Chaim’s tattoos are extraordinary.  His inspiration is the geometry of math, the spirituality of his Buddhism practice (thanks epiphany!), and nature.    He has an ability to translate these deceptively simple designs onto the unique curves of individuals, giving each client a masterpiece.  He only works on one client at a time, and just as he had a spiritual awakening when he had his first tattoo, he believes that by giving his clients time and an undistracted environment while they get their tattoo, they too can have a deep and meaningful experience.  

Get your own deep and meaningful experience with us at our Facebook Page.  Posted by Lisa.