Most Ridiculous Shoes Ever Made? - MSN Lifestyle Video

These shoes definitely fit the "weird" criteria of SSWC.  I think the artist's commentary on fashion/beauty is successful, because it showcases the crazy lengths people go to so that they may be viewed as popular or beautiful in today's society.  Watch the video (originally posted on MSN.ca's Lifestyle page) below and leave a comment - let us know what you think!

Toronto Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2012

View of Old City Hall from Nathan Phillips Square.

The Vampire and I took our yearly trip to Nuit Blanche on September 29th... and were sadly disappointed this time around. It wasn't as well organized as previous years, and it seems that Torontonians (at least the younger set) completely missed the point. We saw more teenagers passed out on the street -or writhing in their own vomit- than exhibits... and I don't exaggerate. I think it's awesome to go out and have fun with your friends (and goodness knows a little intoxication never hurt anyone), but the immersive vibe was sorely absent. I don't know whether to blame the system for failing to cultivate creativity and artistic appreciation in kids from the iGeneration, or the organizers for moving what's supposed to be a street party mainly indoors. This latter point was truly an unfortunate feature of the evening... The majority of exhibits were indoors this year - including 4 of the main exhibits located in the bowels of the Nathan Phillips Square parking garage. 90+ minutes is much too long to wait to see an exhibit that is open to the public for less that 12 hours, especially when nothing much else was going on along the routes. In my opinion, restricting people from interacting with these exhibits completely defeats the purpose of having Nuit Blanche in the first place since it is meant to be an organic and participatory event. I really hope next year will be better. It's sad to admit that Toronto -a place that is filled with so much talent and creative energy- does not seem able to adequately showcase its artistic abilities. As a proud Torontonian, I am quite frankly embarrassed by this.

All that being said, I would like to end this post by highlighting some of the positive features and enjoyable experiences we had during the night. Firstly, the tiff Bell Lightbox had some amazing film installations. The Vamp and I only got to see one: "Cent une tueries de zombies" (by Mike Lane and Colin Geddes), but it was well worth it. The pamphlet for this cinematic event described it like this: "Zombies have overrun pop culture and are feasting on our collective consciousness. Seek vengeance: watch 101 zombie death scenes on the big screen." It was well edited and delightfully gruesome... Watching the film re-ignited my passion for zombie movies, so you can guess what I'll be spending my time doing in the next little while.

Other noteworthy installations included "Green Invaders, 2012" (a light installation inspired by the iconic 80s 'Space Invaders' video game), "Outsiders2012, 2012" (an interaction installation featuring life-sized human forms appearing to be made out of saran wrap that were passed around the city all night), "Tower of Progress, 2004 & 2012" (a 16-foot sculpture by Laurent Gagnon built from parts of discarded machines), and a very cool video light installation in Nathan Phillips Square that featured interwoven clips of jellyfish, galaxies, and atomic bombs.

To finish off our evening, The Vamp and I headed to our fav midtown watering hole: The 3 Brewers. We had some delicious nachos and a pitcher of their *exceptional* tasting (and reasonably priced) home-brewed amber ale. If you haven't visited The 3 Brewers yet, we highly recommend that you do!!!

Please enjoy these photos of our Nuit Blanche 2012 escapades (below). :-)

"Green Invaders, 2012" by Yves Caizergues (Lyon, France).

        

Lady Gaga window display at the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC).

Close-up of Lady Gaga display at HBC.

Old City Hall at night. 

UFO landing pad, a.k.a. New City Hall at night.

Video light installation in Nathan Phillips Square.

Another view of Old City Hall from Nathan Phillips Square. 

Brewing equipment @The 3 Brewers (Yonge & Dundas).

Display @The 3 Brewers showing artifacts found during site excavation.

Trip to the Huronia Museum in Midland, Ontario

Last summer, the Vampire, el Presidente, Ricvictorian and myself took a trip to the Huronia Museum in Midland, Ontario. Midland is located approximately 2 hours north of Toronto on the picturesque shores of Georgian Bay. The museum is small, but densely packed with local artifacts and information regarding the area's First Nations Peoples (Huron & Ojibway), the marine history of Georgian Bay, art from the Georgian Bay region, and Euro-Canadian culture pertaining to Huronia.

The Huronia Museum's website describes the museum as having a replica of a 'pre-contact' Huron/Ouendat village, including a lookout tower, wigwam, and full-size longhouse. In addition, they house an exhibit gallery featuring tens of thousands of historic artifacts ranging from photographs, native archaeology and art by members of the Group of Seven, and others.

Please enjoy these photos from our trip! :-)

Face Carving 1

Face Carving 2

The Bone Pit

Masks on Poles

The Village

Inside the Longhouse

Local Fungus 1

Local Fungus 2

Interesting art from inside the Huronia Museum

Painting by famed First Nations artist Norval Morrisseau

el Presidente at Ricvictorian's posing with
his authentic Stereoscope

el Presidente and the Stereoscope

Epic Sand Sculptures at the CNE 2012!!!

misspulga morphing into Rowena.

Well, it's time I posted photos from the Canadian National Exhibition (long overdue, actually). They had the the most amazing sand sculptures this year... I didn't happen to catch the artist's name, so if anyone has this information could you please forward it along to me? The sculptor is insanely talented, to say the least!!! Also, please enjoy the photos I took of the rock garden, the little piglets, and a view of the midway. <3 Toronto <3

Hallowe'en Pumpkin Carving 2012 - Suggestions & Submissions

Well, it's that time of year again... Time to plan how we'll be carving our pumpkins for Hallowe'en!!! :-D Some of you may recall last year's efforts: The Vampire's stunning rendition of Victor from The Corpse Bride, and misspulga's anatomically correct (and beating!) heart. Whatever shall we create this year? Zombies? Sugar skulls? We want *you* to tell us what you'd like to see!!

In addition to hearing your suggestions, this year we want you to show us your mad skillz by sending in your pumpkin carving photos! Please leave us a comment, or e-mail your pumpkin carving suggestions and submissions to: 

screamingskullsweirdclub@gmail.com 

Be sure to include your: 

• Name (at least a first name) 
• Location (e.g., Toronto, Canada)
• Social media info (if applicable/desired - e.g., website, Pinterest, Twitter...) so we can give you credit! 

Implements of torture, a.k.a. pumpkin carving tools.

Anatomically correct heart design.

Victor (The Corpse Bride) Design.

Finished products by misspulga (left) and The Vampire (right).

Planet Obscura takes your privacy and intellectual property rights seriously. We will not publish your e-mail address or any other revealing personal information. Only your name, city/country, and social media info (if desired) will appear next to your photos on the SSWC blog. Please also remember that all photo submissions *must* be original photos you took yourself and NOT from the Internet.

We're looking forward to seeing your beautiful creations... Happy carving, everyone!!! :-D

misspulga's beating heart, 2011.

The Vampire's Victor, 2011.

Invoking the Spirit Hunt by David Ruben Piqtoukun

This past August, I met up with an interesting and friendly creature named "Invoking the Spirit Hunt" (above) while appreciating many fantastic carvings of Shamans, Sedna, people, and various animals at the Museum of Inuit Art in Toronto, Canada.  David Ruben Piqtoukun, the artist, is from Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, Canada, and used stone and caribou antler for this piece.  If statues could come to life, I feel that "Invoking the Spirit Hunt" would have a lot to contribute to the SSWC blog!

Steampunk Art Deco Spider Ring Box Sculpture

Spider Ring Box by CatherinetteRings - Open View

Spider Ring Box by CatherinetteRings - Closed View

Steampunk Ring from the Belly of the Spider 

If anyone has $1,200 USD to spare, and would like to buy me a present (anonymous donations also accepted) >:-) ... Then please click on the link below. The High Holy Holiday (HHH... aka Hallowe'en) is fast approaching!!! 

Here's a challenge for SSWC members and readers: If money was no object, what would you like to receive for the HHH? Please send your submissions to screamingskullsweirdclub@gmail.com, and we will publish your ideas.

[Link to Spider Ring Box on CatherinetteRings Etsy webpage]

Death Triumphant

Another epic piece of art.  Created around 1670, Death Triumphant hails from Germany, possibly Bavaria.  If you are ever in Toronto, Canada, you can visit this battle scarred, yet victorious-looking skeleton at the Art Gallery of Ontario, where it is part of their Thompson Collection.

[Link to Death Triumphant on the AGO website]

[via Art Gallery of Ontario]

White Fright by Shary Boyle

A few weeks ago, The Vampire visited the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and came across this gorgeous piece created by Canadian artist Shary Boyle (check out her other beautiful creepy works at the link below).  This bat is perfect porcelain; the wings are created by attaching lace to the structure, then dipping the lace in liquid porcelain, and when the piece is fired the lace burns away but the shape of the lace remains.  White Fright is a stunning contradiction - bats are meant to be dark, evil, little vessels of pestilence, aren't they?

[Link to Shary Boyle's websites] 

[Link to Gardiner Museum]

Tissue Series by Lisa Nilsson

Artist Lisa Nilsson describes her above creations as "anatomical cross-sections in paper". The pieces are made from Japanese mulberry paper and the gilded edges of old books. According to Ms. Nilsson's website, she uses an antiquated technique called "quilling" to create these masterpieces. Quilling was apparently first practiced by Renaissance nuns and monks who were essentially recycling worn out Bibles.

[Link to Tissue Series on Lisa Nilsson's website]