Glamouflage (Safer Space DJ Nook)

DJ Mary Mack in her natural habitat

This is the work I made for Perspectives II, a show with half of my cohort in OCAD University's IAMD (Interdisciplinary Masters in Art, Media, and Design) program, at Gallery West, in Toronto. The nook is made out of a fabric that I silkscreen printed by hand, including speaker cozies that I stitched together and blinged out with sequins and fringe. I also made pocket squares to give away at the opening reception, so the installation and party could live on in memory beyond its brief duration.

In my practice I've been experimenting with ways to join my practices of silkscreen printing and the distribution of signifying wearables with organizing dance parties and other means of facilitating social exchange and safe(r) space. I'm also considering how these activities can be documented and live on in memory, both public and private.

Some handsome gentlemen (and fellow graduate students): Jason Deary, Jonathan Lockleyer, and Faraz Anoushah Pour

My co-DJ for the opening party, super-talented and tasteful colleague Faraz

a friendly DJ (with a Zahne record!)

speaker cozy close-up

In other circumstances, this nook will also accommodate projections, such as this queer deer dazzle stop motion animation I made in March. Here is an example of how that looks:

Digicamo Couture

Well, not exactly couture, but I did finally realize my long-term dream of making full outfits from my patterns, in honor of an art show that I organized with half my cohort in OCAD University's IAMD (Interdisciplinary Masters in Art, Media, and Design) program, to celebrate and showcase a bit of what we've been working on this year. The show happened April 23-27 at Gallery West, in Toronto's Parkdale neighborhood. I was really happy and honored to be in such good company of my talented colleagues.

Here is the outfit. To make this dress, I traced an existing dress that I like, and sewed around the edges. I left the bottom unhemmed, but will probably clean it up. This dress also features a contrasting belt made from the pink digicamo, and the bandana is a piece of the fabric I silkscreen printed for my installation in the show. The piece I created for the show was another long-term dream, a silkscreen printed hyper-patterned DJ nook. See images in the next post.

Cabin Fever Danceparty

The Cabin Fever dance party, co-organized and hosted by Zoe Hayes, at her cabin-y home in Toronto, gave me an opportunity to put the snuggies into action, albeit in an already fairly comfortable and safe space-y context. We enlisted other collaborators to create elements of the party, such as Hazel Meyer, who created a chalkboard mural that was the photobooth backdrop, and of course Kaija, Zoe's housemate, a filmmaker, who set up the camera of the Photo Booth and helped in the documentation. Simone Roughouser DJed with me, bringing the heat!!

We decorated their home with quilt aesthetics, such as tissue paper triangles laid over a light box, I brought friendship bracelet-making fixings, which were very popular, and Zoe and I also met a few weeks in advance to make homemade pierogies. Other pocket foods and cozy drinks were in supply, as well as a barrel fire out back.

The snuggies were worn by a few, but they made good use of their attention-grabbing comfort - although honestly I don't think any of my friends who wore them could be categorized as the "shy guy" at the danceparty. The snuggies are ready for a larger scale project! Stay tuned for a final camouflage party in this space before they sadly have to move out this Summer.