Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 67

Roots/Folk - Aya Maguire: The Sandcastle King (Independent - 13 July 2018)

Roots/Folk
Aya Maguire: The Sandcastle King
(Independent - 13 July 2018)
Singer-songwriter Aya Maguire has a clean and expressive soprano that perfectly matches her songs. With deep roots in the folk genre, her compositions are melodic and offer an imaginative range of sounds and textures.

Oh My Heart sounds like a medieval folk song - high and melodic with a heavy rhythmic pulse. It nicely complements the plaintive theme of the words. Two To Fold has a hypnotic 3/4 meter and she adds fuzzy electric guitar to push it beyond the limits of traditional folk music, the rhythmic tension rising to a climactic end.

The Boulder, Colorado based singer-songwriter has been playing music since she was a child, first taking it to the public at open mic nights during her college hears in Portland, Oregon. Later on, she sang at cafés in Seattle before making her way to Boulder in 2015. Her influences include artists list Joni Mitchel and Feist.

Along with her vocals, Aya is a skilled guitarist, displaying some nimble finger work on many of the tracks. She creates a distinctive sound by blending traditional folk with elements of pop and even a flash of guitar rock now and then, her clear soprano weaving its way unhurried above it all.

The Start is a song that swings between contemplative, almost plaintive sections, with a momentum that swells near the middle.

I can feel the water rise high up at my waist
So I try, to hide my eyes, smile on my face
-from Water Rise

Internecine Child is a highlight, with a moody sense of melody and harmony, while piano and a driving beat create a sense of urgency. She sings about love, relationships, and fragile emotions, putting the focus on her voice with a simple arrangement of acoustic guitar and soft drums, with soft vocal harmonies.

Colors is another standout track, weaving vocal harmonies and contrapuntal elements into something like a modern day madrigal. Underneath the serene vocal line, the lyrics offer a raw sense of emotion and a disarmingly confessional style. Themes of castles, lords and ladies, kings and such runs through it all, even as she talks about contemporary relationships.

It's a debut release that should signal more good things to come.

Personnel:
Aya Maguire: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, cello; Brian McRae: Drums; Bradley Morse: electric bass, standup bass; Pamela Machala: keys; Liz Berube: vocals (harmony); Courtlyn Carpenter: cello; Tess Van Laanen: violin; Taylor Marvin: electric guitar, tambourine

Track Listing
1. Oh My Heart
2. Two to Fold
3. The Start
4. Water Rise
5. Colors
6. There's no such thing as a Portland Thunderstorm
7. Child's Play
8. Foundations
9. Internecine Child
10. How You Breathe
11. The Sandcastle King

#WonderfulWorld50 Celebrate Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" 50th Anniversary Queens NY May 14 to June 30 2018

From a media release:

#WonderfulWorld50
In New York City?
Celebrate Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World"
50th Anniversary All Over Queens
Three Queens-based organizations collaborate to bring the legacy and music of Armstrong into all 62 branches of the Queens Library System
May 14 to June 30, 2018

• Get FREE Tickets To All Events At The Link

QUEENS, NEW YORK: Queens Library has joined forces with Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Kupferberg Center for the Arts @ Queens College to launch a systemwide celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in all 62 branches of the library with free workshops, concerts, lectures, video, and surprise events between now and June 30th. The celebration includes pop-up events in all 62 branches of the Queens Public Library plus free workshops, concerts, lectures, video, and surprises staging now through June 30th.

"There's so much in 'Wonderful World' that brings me back to my neighborhood where I live in Corona, New York," Armstrong said in 1968. "Lucille and I, ever since we're married, we've been right there in that block. And everybody keeps their little homes up like we do and it's just like one big family. I saw three generations come up on that block. And they're all with their children, grandchildren, they come back to see Uncle Satchmo and Aunt Lucille. That's why I can say, 'I hear babies cry/ I watch them grow/ they'll learn much more/ then I'll never know.' And I can look at all them kids' faces. And I got pictures of them when they was five, six and seven years old. So when they hand me this 'Wonderful World,' I didn't look no further, that was it."

With a grant from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Queens Library, the Louis Armstrong House Museum and Kupferberg Center for the Arts @ Queens College have curated a program comprised of multiple opportunities to celebrate Louis Armstrong's music, history, and belief in "listening to all kinds of music." Performances include lectures by staff and LAHM (include Spanish) and 12 performances by world-class musicians who reflect the diversity of cultures and communities who make up the fabric of Queens. Special arts activities include collage making and other opportunities for participants to share what "makes their world wonderful," and what makes Queens a wonderful world. A video about the song's history and its relationship with the political and social upheaval of the 1960s will be shown in select branches. In addition, programming includes pop-up concerts in all branches.



This year's celebration includes concerts from a selection of exciting local musical artists, each drawing inspiration from Louis Armstrong and underlining his influence worldwide. Highlights include David Ostwald's Grammy-nominated, traditional New Orleans-style group, Louis Armstrong Eternity Band; Min Xiao-Fen's reinterpretations of jazz classics in "Blue Pipa: From Harlem to Shanghai and Back;" Indian-inspired jazz from composer and guitarist Prasanna; pan-African percussion/vocal group Akoko Nante Ensemble; folk band Radio Jarocho mixing the sounds of the Mexican countryside with New York City jazz; and a series of lectures (in both English and Spanish) from experts and archivists from Louis Armstrong House Museum  across Queens.

Here's the current list of free upcoming events as part of the #WonderfulWorld50 program,

May 14: Blue Pipa: From Harlem to Shanghai and Back (Fresh Meadows Library)
Blue Pipa: From Harlem to Shanghai and Back
Collected from the many regions of China, Min Xiao-Fen's compositions are inspired by Chinese folk, regional operas and Taoist music. The pipa master/vocalist/composer from Nanjing and her trio perform her thrilling new project "From Harlem to Shanghai and Back," which reinterprets the work of legendary jazz trumpeter and composer Buck Clayton, Chinese composer Li Jinhui, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The result is a bold cutting-edge Chinese fusion that transcends time and borders. Featuring Dean Johnson on bass, Steve Salerno on guitar, and Min Xiao-Fen on pipa, sanxian and vocals.
Blue PipaMay 18: A Lecture on the Life and Times of Louis Armstrong (in English; at Glen Oaks Library)
May 24: David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (Langston Hughes Library)
David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band
Grammy Award nominee David Ostwald and his ensemble The Louis Armstrong Eternity Band come to Queens Public Library to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Louis Armstrong's original recording of the iconic song "What a Wonderful World." This is a song inspired by the Great Satchmo's life in Queens - a song that still inspires millions of people around the world! David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, one of the few traditional New Orleans-style bands on the contemporary jazz scene, breathes new life into classic works by Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, and Bix Beiderbecke without missing a beat, always true to the joy and heart of the music!
David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity BandMay 26: Radio Jarocho (Langston Hughes Library)
Radio Jarocho will offer its interpretation of the song as well as a lively compilation of traditional Folk music from Mexico. Radio Jarocho plays son jarocho, the rowdy, upbeat, and at times melancholic music of the countryside of Veracruz, Mexico, and mixes it with the sounds of New York's urban wonderful life!
June 2: A Lecture on the Life and Times of Louis Armstrong (in Spanish; at Jackson Heights Library)
June 4: A Lecture on the Life and Times of Louis Armstrong (in Spanish; at Astoria Library)



June 9: Akoko Nante Ensemble (Jackson Heights Library)
Akoko Nante: Pan-African Music & Percussion
Akoko Nante Ensemble, a Pan African percussion/vocal group, based out of Queens, presents music that has been harvested from the continent of Africa and through its diaspora. They will offer their rendition of 'What a Wonderful World' as well as songs from locales as diverse as the court of the royal palaces of Ghana, the groves of old Haiti, and the seaside shanties of Cuba. Their high energy performances will allow the audience to learn more about the origins of this unique musical genres while being wildly entertained!

June 14: David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (Flushing Library)
June 16: Akoko Nante Ensemble (Glen Oaks Library)
June 19: Blue Pipa: From Harlem to Shanghai and Back (Windsor Park Library)
June 25: A Lecture on the Life and Times of Louis Armstrong (in English; at Forest Hills Library)
June 29: David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (Peninsula Library)
June 30: Prasanna (Flushing Library)
Prasanna, a guitarist and composer with a prolific and diverse body of work, will offer his interpretation of the song as well as a medley of unique Indian Carnatic music. Prasanna has earned worldwide praise not only for his expertise in performing the ancient and demanding art of Carnatic music on the electric guitar but also for the special and instantly identifiable way with which he blends Carnatic music with contemporary western and world music.

Dancer Luke Garwood Talks Dance, Augmented Reality, and ELVIS & THE MAN IN BLACK May 2-12 2018

Dancer Luke Garwood Talks Dance, Augmented Reality,
and the upcoming show,
ELVIS & THE MAN IN BLACKChoreography by Laurence Lemieux & James Kudelka
May 2-5 & 9-12, 2018 at 8pm
Presented by Citadel + Cie through Bright Lights (Toronto)
• Get Tickets to the Show

"It's a contemporary dance take on popular music." Toronto dancer Luke Garwood's talking about his upcoming appearance in Citadel + Compagnie's remount of Elvis and The Man In Black in May. The works inspired by the icons of American music were sold out in their 2014 and 2015 runs.
Luke Garwood (second from right) with Citadel + Cie in rehearsal for Looking For ElvisAll images by John Lauener, courtesy of Citadel + Cie, featuring dancers Michael Caldwell, Zhenya Cerneacov, Luke Garwood, Tyler Gledhill, Daniel McArthur, Andrew McCormack, Connor Mitton, Erin Poole, Christianne Ullmark. 

Both works take a look at pop culture icons in perhaps surprising ways. Looking For Elvis focuses on the young singer and uses interviews and casual moments of speech to reveal a different side to the legendary figure. The choreography by Laurence Lemieux explores the dichotomy of the public performer vs the pressures on the real person inside the celebrity bubble. It seems like a particularly apt subject for exploration today.

Choreographed by James Kudelka, The Man In Black uses music from one of Johnny Cash's later albums where he covers the work of other songwriters. It's an interesting backdrop to an exploration of a complicated cultural figure who was sombre, yet accessible.

Luke performed in the earlier versions of Looking For Elvis, and he's been a mainstay of the Toronto dance community for years. It's a community he approaches from two avenues - the traditional mode of dance, and the world of digital electronics.

"About four years ago," he explains, "I went back to university." That meant entering the Digital Futures program at OCAD (Ontario College of Art & Design). His focus was - and is - in delving into the multiple ways in which to explore digital media, the body, and movement.

Physical Computing - Project 1 - "BMO" final build. A PING sensor on the front of BMO collects values and sends them to two servos and two RGB LED's. Created for OCAD University by Luke Garwood and Matt Crane. (February 2016)



The addition of technology hasn't so much produced a new different career path as adding new dimensions to his work in dance. "I"ve always seen it as, there's a conversation that's happening, and I want to be part of it."

The two disciplines are really just two different routes available for study. As an extension of artistic exploration, Luke's digital adventures led him to augmented reality. "I'm using that technology as a medium of performance," he explains.

He uses it something like how Pokemon GO works, where augmented reality can place objects in a room, and also be anchored to specific concrete objects within a space. Luke's choreography interacts with the augmented reality, bringing the technology back into the body. At times, he's used mobile phones or tablets that make augmented reality portable.

Luke's other projects involving technology and dance include an installation that was part of the dance made in canada / fait au canada Festival. It involved the Exquisite Consequence Game, where the technology captures a dancer's last move. The next dancer coming to the installation then matches the last move, and adds to it their own 20 second sequence, leaving a new last pose for the next dancer to build on.
Luke Garwood, image by David LeyesFamiliar to Toronto dance fans, Luke Garwood has performed professionally with such companies as: Banff Festival Ballet, Toronto Dance Theatre, ProArteDanza, Typecast Dance Company, Signal Theatre and Coleman Lemieux and Company. Independently, Mr. Garwood works in Toronto and Berlin and has collaborated with choreographers such as Valerie Calam, D.A. Hoskins, Allison Cummings, Susie Burpee, Jacob Niedzwiecki, Brendan Jensen, Heidi Strauss and Christoph Winkler.

From DanceWorks - Chasing the Path (February 17, 2018)
Choreographed by Hanna Kiel 
Performed by David Norsworthy, Kelly Lynn, Luke Garwood and Ryan Lee
Music Composed by Greg Harrison 

TRAVEL: From FlightNetwork - The World's Ultimate Bucket List For 2018©

TRAVEL:
From FlightNetwork
The World's Ultimate Bucket List For 2018©
Flight Networks has come up with the World's Ultimate Bucket List for travelers, including 50 destinations and trips that range from experiences like watching a centre court match as Wimbledon and quaffing a beer in Muninch at Oktoberfest to taking in stunning Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or soaking up the salt flats in Bolivia.

• Check out the whole list here.

To create the World’s Ultimate Bucket List for 2018, Flight Network consulted 800+ of the world’s leading travel journalists, agencies, bloggers, and editors- the people who do this for a living- to gain insight from their opinions and expertise. By consulting the world’s top travel professionals, Flight Network produced a bucket list for the modern era  — meant to captivate and inspire travellers all over the world.
Tiger's Nest, Paro Taktsang, BhutanHere are a few examples to whet your appetite for travel:
Visit Tiger’s Nest
Paro Taktsang, Bhutan
The Tiger’s Nest Monastery, also known as Paro Taktsang, is one of the most spectacular sites in the Himalayas. A sacred site to this day, the Tiger’s Nest is built on a cave believed to have been where Guru Rinpoche traveled to on the back of a tigress to meditate for 3 months, hence the nickname “tiger’s nest.” This event is historically known as that which introduced Buddhism to the Bhutanese people. Not only is this one of the world’s best sanctuaries to learn more about Buddhism and Bhutanese culture, but the site itself is awe-inspiring and sensationally arousing. A set of white, gold and red structures cling to the side of a sheer cliff side 900 m above the floor of Paro valley, all backed by stunning, emerald-green jungle and epic mountain views. Being present here will make you feel soulfully isolated and in charge with the magnetism of the planet’s greatness.
Mountain Gorilla in Virunga National Park, DR Congo Gorilla Trekking in Central Africa
Virunga National Park, Rwanda, DR Congo
Traveling involves considering the impact of your vacation on the local people and environment. When you check out the Virunga National Park in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) you are not just hoping to experience the legendary Mountain Gorilla in one of its last natural habitats on earth, along with more than 10,000 other species of animals. The Virunga National Park, listed as endangered UNESCO World Heritage, and the tourists is draws, is contributing directly to the local economy and helping to preserve and maintain the natural habitat.
Tokyo, Japan Ignite Your Senses in Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan
A trip to Tokyo is like taking a spaceship into a technicolour metropolis. It’s glowing, neon-lit streets, bold, colourful fashion, and towering ultra-modern buildings are something out of a sci-fi film. By day, you can explore Harajuku’s edgy boutique fashion stores, scale the world’s tallest tower — Tokyo Sky Tree — come face-to-face with a giant robot, or spend hours in an electronics store that resembles more of a multi-sensory theme park than your regular Walmart. Exploring the intensely frenetic streets of Tokyo will create a stimulating and exhilarating sense of adventure as natives and tourists rush by to take in all that makes up Tokyo.

Contemporary Classical - Jane Antonia Cornish: Into Silence (Innova Recordings - August 25 2017)

Jane Antonia Cornish: Into Silence
(Innova Recordings - August 25, 2017)
Composers: Jane Antonia Cornish
Performers: Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Caitlin Sullivan, Claire Bryant, Hamilton Berry, Vicky Chow, Anna Elashvili

• Buy the CD

Jane Antonia Cornish's Into Silence is a gorgeous collection of reflective and emotional music that explores notions of time, silence, light, reflection, and trascendence.

Memory of Time, for solo violin and four cellos, is lovely and elegaic in its emotional range, with soaring strings and a harmonic heart that evokes the space and distance of time. Into Silence I, the second track, is a standout, that elegantly explores silence in sound using piano and electronics.

Scattered Light, for solo cello, relies on the stringed instrument to produce a sense of movement, but without agitation. The emotional colours of the tracks are spacious and meditative rather than tumultuous. The pieces are all linked thematically, but also by an ensemble of violin, piano, four cellos, and electronics.

Elegia, like the first track, explores memory, but with a more reflective and questioning emotion that hints at loss over time. Into Silence II is a track for solo piano, and uses the instrument to evoke the solitary nature of silence.

Luminescence uses solo cello with three cellos and electronics in a haunting track. Ms Cornish uses musical colours with a soft edged brush on this release. Even here, with mournful harmonies and chord structure, the track sounds more philosophical than sad, as if reaching for the light.

Jane Antonia Cornish is a British Academy Award winning composer who grew up in England and lives in New York City. In the world of film scoring, Cornish composed the music for many films, including the drama “Fireflies in the Garden”, starring Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe.

Her compositions are created with an economy of effects, subtly textured and possessed with a serene sense of light and space.

Into Silence
Choreographed by New York City Ballet's Ask la Cour. 
Performed by New York City Ballet principal Ask la Cour and American National Ballet principal Sara Michelle Sarafina.

Classical Electric Guitar: Trevor Babb: Warmth (Innova Recordings - Aug 25, 2017)

Trevor Babb: Warmth
(Innova Recordings - Aug 25, 2017)
Composers: Steve Reich, Paul Kerekes, David Lang, James Tenney, Trevor Babb, Carl Testa
Performers: Trevor Babb

• Buy the CD

Warmth is Trevor Babb's debu solo recording, a collection of works for multiple electric guitars. The music fuses the rock and roll energy of the guitar with new classical compositions, and the results are quite mesmerizing.

The first trck is Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint, a piece that he wrote for Pat Metheny back in 1987. The original was for a live solo guitar part performed against 12 recorded guitar tracks and another two bass tracks. In his liner notes, Babb says that, instead, he looked to create different sound qualities for the guitars involved, and tookit on as a compositional project where he layered multiple tracks. It's complex and absorbing music with a sense of urgency.

Paul Kerekes' trai is a more meditative piece. The tones of the guitars is almost bell-like, and the instrument's rhythmic and percussive qualities are used to hypnotic effect. David Lang's warmth, for two guitars, is contemporary in flavour and criss crosses the border lines between classical music, jazz, and progressive rock.

Babb's own contribution, Grimace, is a piece the composer describes as being inspired by a mask he'd seen at a museum exhibit. The electric guitar quartet plays with either an E-bow or brass slide. At first, there is a relatively controlled counterpoint that holds the piece together, with the guitars in a more twangy mode than the other pieces. Gradually, the counterpoint degenerates until the lowest string is loosened on each guitar to the point that it can no longer produce a sound.

The CD is rounded out by James Tenney's Septet and Carl Testa's slope 2, which explores the boundaries between music and noise by inserting improvisational excerpts into each part.

It's fresh and fascinating listening, and an impressive showcase of what the electric guitar, with supporting electronics, is capable of in the realm of classical music.

Classical Piano - Emanuele Arciuli: Walk in Beauty (Innova Recordings - July 28 2017)

Classical Piano
Emanuele Arciuli: Walk in Beauty
A spiritual hike through the Southwest and Native cultures
Composers: Connor Chee, Peter Garland, Kyle Gann, Michael Daugherty, John Luther Adams, Raven Chacon, Martin Bresnick, Louis W. Ballard, Jennifer Higdon, Peter Gilbert, Carl Ruggles, Brent Michael Davids, Talib Rasul Hakim
Performers: Emanuele Arciuli

• Check out the CD

Italian pianist Emanuele Arciuli fell in love with the American Southwest. This was no mere infatuation; Emmanuele began to collect art pieces and searched for music from the area. Walk in Beauty is the result of the musical end of that search, including fourteen compositions.

Emmanuele's selections include works by indigenous or First Natins composers, and others who have done their homework and put research of the area into their pieces. The Native American composers include Connor Chee’s fantasy on a Navajo theme, Raven Chacon’s experiments with noise and feedback from the piano mechanism, Brent Michael Davids’ jazz miniature, and ballet transcriptions by the late Dr. Louis Ballard, a composer of Cherokee and Quapaw descent.

As intended, the music serves to evoke the land and its people. Chee's Navajo Vocable for Piano No. 9 is hauntingly expressive, bringing the vast sense of the landscape and sky to mind. Arciuli is a virtuosic interpreter, wringing emotion from even the simplest of passages.

Peter Garland's Walk in Beauty is the centrepiece of the first disc, a piece in three movements that explore diverse impressions of the Southwest from lightning to peyote rituals.

American composer John Luther Adams, whose work is often inspired by the weather and natural phenomenon, contributes Tukiliit, a dramatic work of emphatic notes and open spaces. In Inuktitut, Tukiliit means, “that which has meaning,” and is specifically used to mean stone objects that have meaning, such as the popularized Inukshuk.

Raven Chacon's Nilchi' Shada'ji Nalaghali (Winds That Turn on the Side from Sun) is intriguingly both electronic and expressive, a dramatic and emotional work.



Noted composer Louis P. Ballard is represented in two pieces, The Osage Variation, a beautifulkly melodic contmporary meditation, and Four American Indian Piano Preludes. The four short preludes - three of them less than two minutes long - offer a sparkling modern interpretation of traditional themes.

The program is rounded out with complementary works by Jennifer Higdon, Carl Ruggles, Peter Gilbert, and Sufi convert (and former student of Feldman and Ornette Coleman) Talib Rasul Hakim.

Emanuele Arciuli has established himself as one of the most original and interesting performers on today’s classical music scene. His repertoire ranges from Bach to contemporary music, with a strong affinity for composers from the United States. Having gained the respect of distinguished composers such as Helmut Lachenmann, Frederic Rzewski, John Adams, and George Crumb, Arciuli has had many new works written for him, including piano concertos by Michael Nyman and Louis W. Ballard, whose Indiana Concerto he premiered in 2008 with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He lives and teaches in Bari, Italy.

Contemporary piano technique and composition meet the timeless themes of the American Southwest and its native people with gorgeous results in this intriguing release.

Kyle Gann’s chant to save the earth uses Hopi rhythmic methods,

Notable Electronic Sounds: Nova Scotia Rap

Notable Electronic Sounds
Nova Scotia Rap Jeremy and Jeremy are a coupla musicians outta the 902 who are taking their sound out of the garage and out into the world over the last few years. From their bio:

Notable  Electronic Sounds is a duo of musicians from Nova Scotia who are both  named Jeremy. A few years ago, they decided to combine SCSI's (Jeremy  Cayea, left) interest in Synthesizers with Dr.Z's (Jeremy Zwanenburg,  right) interest in rhyming poetry with their shared love of funk, hip  hop and electronic music (not to mention video games and many other things nerdalicious) to bring forth this beast into the world. We didn't  know what to call ourselves for a long time, but it turns out that most  of what we do falls under the Nerdcore umbrella. Sounds good!

Over  the course of the next few years, we began releasing our music to the  world via SoundCloud, and a handful of people listened even though we  had no clue what we were doing. That was really cool of those people! We  continued working on our craft, trying to challenge ourselves and  produce better and better material.

Monsters, from 2017:


They combine ear worm beats and brainy lyrics delivered with a convincing intensity. They're geraing up to release more singles throughout 2018.

Along with their musical adventures, NES has just launched a series of product videos revolving around making electronic music. The first live video stream captured their impression of the Roland TR-8S Rhythm Performer

Stay in touch:
Facebook Soundcloud YouTube Here's Listen, their first video:

Alt Hotel Ottawa unveils the art collection by resident artist Jason Cantoro

From a media release:

Alt Hotel Ottawa unveils the art collection by resident artist Jason Cantoro
132 custom pieces have been created for this chic hotel in our national capital

Montreal, April 11th, 2018 - Groupe Germain Hotels and MASSIVart are proud to present the artwork of Montreal's multidisciplinary artist Jason Cantoro. Exhibited in 132 rooms of the Alt Hotel Ottawa, the collection consists of a series of 3D origami folded photographs which are installed directly on the walls.

Canadian hotelier, Groupe Germain Hotels, has sought the expertise of MASSIVart to develop a unique and authentic collection of art pieces that represent the aesthetic of the Alt banner. In order to create personalized works of art, the MASSIVart team designed an artistic space in collaboration with Jason Cantoro. Upon immersing himself in the hotel's sleek urban atmosphere, the artist was immediately inspired and worked to create pieces that would reflect these spaces. Cantoro has brought to life exclusive art which perfectly complement the Alt Hotel Ottawa's urban design, while delicately emphasizing Canada's heritage- a nod to the national capital where the hotel is located.

These works are part of a series he named The Paper Trail, originally developed by the artist in Belgrade during his stay in 2017. This series tells the story of common pieces of paper we carry around in our pockets. Sometimes collected, sometimes discarded, these papers are imbued with both personal and collective meaning. By enlarging them to extravagant proportions, the artist allows the viewer to examine the details while plunging them into a sweet nostalgia.

"The fact that an artist can draw inspiration from the place where his works will be exhibited makes it possible to create links between the artist, the environment, and the community. This collaboration has enabled the hotel to acquire custom art for the pleasure of their guests while highlighting the work of a local artist.", stated Philippe Demers, CEO and principal partner of MASSIVart.

As Groupe Germain Hotels are on a constant quest to offer their guests an experience where comfort and design are prioritized, the collaboration with Cantoro made for a quintessential pairing with the hotel's dynamic and colourful look. In several rooms, The Alt Hotel Ottawa incorporates art pieces and design elements by Canadian artists such as Altexpo, an art collective, as well as Monter, Descendre, a unique interactive device designed by the Canadian design studio, Daily tous les jours. All guests - from art and design connoisseurs to passionate amateurs - will enjoy an upscale experience during their stay at the Alt Hotel Ottawa.

About  Jason Cantoro
Born in 1979, Jason Cantoro is a Montreal-based visual artist of French Canadian and Italian origin. He lives and works in Montreal. He co-founded Cinqunquatre with Alice Jarry (2004-2016) and Studio Le Club in 2016, located at the legendary Shiff Building at 305 Bellechasse. His studio is a free creative space where he also acts as a mentor for emerging artists and print master. He collaborates with multiple actors of the artistic scene and representatives of both private and public sector, and private art buyers. He also creates commissioned art pieces for collectors and enthusiasts. His artwork is pretty eclectic and goes from the street in situ interventions, public art structural pieces, mural work, wallpapers, to high-end silkscreen pieces on cotton/wood panels, paintings, photographic images, origami folds and hybridization of those techniques. He works both art and branding/design and sees those spheres as nursing each other.

About MASSIVart Collections
MASSIVart Collections is a specialized evaluation, acquisition, and artwork management service. In collaboration with artists, architects, and designers, MASSIVart Collections looks to explore creative ways to integrate art into different public and private spaces. It offers businesses, particulars, and foundations an alternative investment opportunity, giving them access to a unique index of renowned Québécois and Canadian artists. Ensuring the outreach of local artists, the global art consultancy and production agency MASSIVart reaffirms its commitment to promoting the development of Canadian artists.

About Group Germain Hotels
Group Germain Hotels is a family-run business that owns and operates Le Germain Hotels, Alt Hotels and Alt+ Hotel across Canada. Ranked as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed companies, the Group is renowned for the impeccable warmth and style that characterizes its hotels. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2018, the 1,100-employee company aims to become the first independent hotel to offer travelers a nationwide network of 20 hotels by 2020. Visit www.groupegermain.com.

León - 2018 Spanish Culinary Capital

From a media release:

LEÓN, 2018 SPANISH CULINARY CAPITAL
• Find Out More About Traveling To Spain

Whether you're a serious foodie or a more casual lover of good food, León, Spain’s new Culinary Capital, should make it to your to-do list.

Capital of the Province of León, the city lies on the Bernesga River in the northwest of Spain. It's noted for its imposing historic architecture, including the splendid 13th century Gothic Catedral de León, and Romanesque 10th century Basilica de San Isidoro, among many others.
Street at night, León, Spain (CC Public Domain)The city and the surrounding area are famous for tapas, busy areas of bars and restaurants, and cured meat products such as cecina and botillo.

Take the opportunity in 2018 to sample the cuisine and the culture of León. The city is easy to reach by AVE high-speed train from Madrid in just over two hours.
Tapas in the Barrio HúmedoThe Barrio Húmedo neighbourhood is very central, in the streets around Plaza de San Martín. It is the quintessential place for tapas, offering the dishes of León in small plates. Cecina, chorizo, morcilla, and other pork sausages are very frequent in tapas. To drink, from the regional wines of Castilla y León (those from Ribera de Duero, Rueda, and El Bierzo are particularly renowned) to beer, which people order here in “cortos” (small glasses).
The Barrio Húmedo in León (Arturo Castro from León, España)The essential dishes and tapasLeón’s star product may be cecina, which means "meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke" - air-dried beef or horsemeat, similar to serrano ham. Another fine product is botillo del Bierzo (a pork sausage, similar to haggis in shape), typically eaten boiled with cachelos (the local potatoes), for example. The cheeses are good, especially the Valdeón blue cheese.

Other popular dishes include cocido maragato (casserole), picadillo de cerdo (minced pork), sopa de trucha (trout soup), sopa de ajo (garlic soup), and caldereta de cordero (lamb stew).

When it comes to wines, you'll find some rich reds in this region, including Bierzo, which thrives in the many small valleys in the mountainous part (Alto Bierzo) and of a wide, flat plain (Bajo Bierzo).
Tapas in SpainSpanish Culinary Capital eventsLeón expects to organise over 150 culinary events in 2018, some of which will run all year, such as the Gaudí – Casa Botines Museum Nights, with tastings, tours, and concerts; and monthly lecture-workshops taught by prestigious chefs and concluding with a charity dinner.

- April: month of Montañas del Teleno milk-fed lamb, and the monthly vermouth route.
- May: cecina month, and an attempt to break a Guinness record of the largest dish made with cecina, plus a blind tasting.
- June: month of sweets, desserts, and pastries, and international León trout week.
- All summer: dinners with concerts in the cloister of San Isidoro de León.
Pantheon, Basilica San Isidoro de León- July: month of cheese and honey, and a garlic soup festival in the Plaza Mayor.
- August: beer month
- September: month of the vegetable garden, and bread festival to honour León’s traditional bakers
- October: month of wine from Bierzo and morcilla from León, and the “Cook with A” initiative, to underline the active role of women in Leonese cooking.
- November: month of León wine and of goat cecina. Tapas festival in León.
- December: month of beans, chick peas, and lentils, and the creation of “magic menus” in restaurants for the City of León International Magic Festival and Christmas market.