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.

Native Boutique in Hollywood, California

SSWC reader Chris Parkinson from California sent us these photos of "Native Boutique": A store in Hollywood that features various types of women's clothing, including a "crack rack" which has this-and-that type items that they are trying to move to a lower price. Apparently, they have epic jewelry too. These pictures feature Native Boutique's 2012 Hallowe'en displays. Thanks to our US friends for your contributions... Keep the photos coming! :-)

Please send your photo submissions (including your name and location) to: screamingskullsweirdclub@gmail.com

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

The Alternative Limb Project

Jo-Jo Cranfield for 'the alternative limb project'.

Viktoria Modesta for 'the alternative limb project'.

Kiera for 'the alternative limb project'.

Prosthetic covering by 'the alternative limb project'.

While scrolling through my RSS feeds on Google Reader, I happened upon an interesting post by Neatorama regarding "beautiful prosthetic limbs". I have always been fascinated by amputation from a neuropsychological perspective, but also aesthetically speaking... Perhaps I have ASTAR to thank for this morbid curiosity (see video below - anyone who grew up in the 80s will instantly be transported back in time!)... 

Regardless of my strange personal tastes, I can't imagine *anyone* who wouldn't be drawn to the beauty of 'the alternative limb project'. Directed by Sophie de Oliveira Barata (in the UK), this amazing service combining form and function provides amputees with a creative and personalized alternatives to traditional prosthetic limbs. The hyper-realistic limbs she creates can help amputees feel more "whole" again, while the alternative-style limbs can - according to her website - "help break down social barriers". These limbs are certainly conversation pieces to say the least.

I really believe in the work Sophie is doing. I think that these beautiful works of art truly have the power to heal by helping individuals to regain their confidence and reforge their identities following the tragic loss of a limb. A person will never be the same after surviving an amputation, but Sophie's talents and dedication have the ability to turn this difficult situation into an empowering experience. 

misspulga's New Skull Clutch

Check out this awesome skull clutch recently acquired by misspulga!!! It's in the Alexander McQueen style, but made by Baci Couture. The construction is solid, and it comes with two straps of varying lengths that you can switch or remove depending on your outfit/mood. Perfect for a night out on the town... Hallowe'en, New Year's Eve... or just any day of the week (if you're like me).

I had seen these online in various colours, but didn't know where to purchase one until I stumbled across them at The Shoe Company... while hunting for glow-in-the-dark zombie pumps (which sadly, they did not have).

As a side note, if anyone knows where to purchase zombie pumps in Toronto, please leave me a comment... I would purchase them online, except I want to be able to try them on first to make sure they fit! >:-)

The Life of a House Centipede

House centipede

Werewolves aren't afraid of anything, right?  Well, this lone werewolf was creeped out the other morning when getting into the shower in the dark (early morning candescents tend to blind me somewhat so I leave the lights off).  I thought I felt something crawling along the top of my foot and up my ankle trying to escape the flood of water running along the bottom of the bath, and flicked my foot.  Upon getting out of the shower, I hit the lights and checked the bath to discover yet another house centipede.  It seems early in the spring and fall a number of these suckers find their way into my house.

I decided to do a little research, and discovered they are actually very shy.  They are nocturnal, and prefer dark, moist areas.  Like spiders, they prey on other insects, including ones you don't want in your house, like cockroachs, silverfish, and termites.  Apparently they don't cause any harm, despite the fact they can scurry extremely fast when they want to.  Contrary to popular belief, they do not crawl up the drain pipe and into your bathroom.  I read that they can live up to SIX YEARS!  Are you kidding me?

And apparently, some people keep them as pets!

Okay, okay... perhaps I'm overreacting a little.  All I need to do is finally purchase that dehumidifier that I've been meaning to get, and problem solved, right?  No more having to check the bath every morning before showering.

Aren't you just a little creeped out by these arthropods too?

Click on the link below to read on how to care for your own little arthropod.

[Link to Centipede Care Guide] 

Claviceps purpurea: The Ergotistic Rye Fungus

Claviceps purpurea

Who would've guessed that this little fungus is the reason I am the way I am.  Apparently, the Claviceps purpurea is a fungus that grows on rye grain under certain conditions.  A part of this fungus, known as ergot, can cause ergotism in humans if consumed.  Ergotism is a type of poisoning that can result in diarrhea, headaches, tingling skin, vomiting and apparently, among other things, the belief that one is a werewolf.

Cool, huh?  Wanna be a werewolf like me?  Eat some contaminated rye grain.

Ian Casselman's Anatomical Guitar Shirt

Ian Casselman is the epic drummer of Marianas Trench. What caught my eye in this picture is not his mustard-yellow pants (although arguably, mustard makes everything better), but rather the totally rad spine/ribcage guitar t-shirt he is so fashionably sporting!

I want that shirt! It brings together two of my favourite things - anatomy and guitars!  If anyone knows where to procure this shirt, please comment or drop us a line at: screamingskullsweirdclub@gmail.com.

Original photograph of Ian Casselman from: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m726xaqIuX1qeb130o4_500.jpg

[Link to Marianas Trench's website]

[Link to Ian & Mike's Twitter]