Minoru Blvd

Linens

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:08:00 +0000

01 Texture Detail
02 Dish towel (Lithuania)
03 Napkins (Lithuania)
04 Knitted dish towel (Sweden)

I am absolutely in love with this material. Having splashes of linen throughout your home is a small luxury that I really hope you don't pass up on. Note, however, this is far from a superficial endorsement. Thanks to Janaki, I've been working with linens for quite sometime now, but it wasn't until I used a linen kitchen towel to dry up a dish and clean off a cutting board that its beauty and superb functionality set in.

To the touch, linen feels like a superior material. There is something quite satisfying that comes from using a product which works well after all the talk about handcraftsmanship and production in small batches has ended. So far I have invested in a few dish towels, a set of napkins, a table cloth, and a bath towel. I'm hoping to soon acquire linen drapes for my bedroom, as well as what I am most excited about, bedsheets.

Linen is a textile that looks divine, is good for the environment, is beneficial for your health, and though it may cost more due to its labor-intensive manufacturing, is worth every penny. I was lucky to have been introduced to it this past summer, and now I just can't seem to get enough. And if your looking for something to display you're new linens, Analogue Life, a Japanese design shop for everyday items, has got you covered.

Spaces of Work, Life & Study

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:24:00 +0000

01 Le Marché St. George
02 Minoru Blvd Headquarters
03 The Ridington Room

Without even knowing it, I think I have somehow managed to summarize my past month within this set of photographs. They each tell a remarkably sequential story about my inner conflict: whether I want to continue pursuing academics at The University of British Columbia or pursue my passion of design and photography full-time. The decision is like dark turbulent cloud hanging over my head each and every minute I have any time to think. Put simply, it's utterly daunting.

The first photograph is of my work space at Le Marché St. George. I'm planning to write an open letter of appreciation to the Parsen & Roy family, in the near future, so I'll keep this brief. Working in their home has transformed my life like nothing before it. Every day that I get to share with their family is an absolute delight. The space is incredible, the coffee and food is some of the best in Vancouver, and most importantly, the people who are connected with the shop are unforgettable. I'm completely in love with my place of work.

Looking at the three images as a set, it's the second photograph which is the most interesting to me. Not because of any particular item in the space, but because it seems to be a aesthetic amalgamation between the photos which precede and follow it. I used to make my purchases based on a very Victorian style, which in a way embodies the academic side of my person. Now more and more, I find my interior inspirations rooted in Danish & Japanese design. Less is more has been a personal theme of mine for decent amount of time now, but I am just beginning to comprehend minimalism and how the idea translates in real life.

I feel fortunate to attend an university with a beautiful campus. The Ridington Room is one of the many places of study offered at the university. It features stunning natural light, a well-suited collection of paintings, and handsome furniture. All these aforementioned details make for a very inspiring setting to pursue academic endevours. It is common to find students drinking a healthy mix of coffee, tea, and water (amongst other beverages) whilst rigorously reading textbooks and taking notes on paper notebooks or laptop computers.

Lately, my heart is being pulled towards following my desire to create. I've talked the idea over with close friends and family, but dropping my studies is easier said than done. I haven't been convinced to leave my schooling behind. So like the second picture, I'm torn between two worlds. The funny thing is I thought I made my mind up about two weeks ago, but through chance I saw a gentlemen in complete focus working fervidly on his reading. His obvious passion for learning made me reflect on my situation and has kept me attending my classes. I don't know how long it will last. I think, however, if anything, I am coming to terms with the fact that even if I don't entirely abandon my pursuit of a Political Science B.A., I need to take an academic leave in the not-so-distant future.

Quote N° 02

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:45:00 +0000

01 Author, Sebastien Tellier

⌘ | Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle

Recently, a friend of mine was suffering from heartbreak (though, I think minds were changed and their relationship is back on). I draw my understanding of love from La Ritournelle. The origins of the philosophy of Ritournelle can be traced back to Jean-Jacques Rosseau and later with Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari. Though, mostly in a musical sense there is a romantic philosophy developed in their notions. Notions inspiring Tellier to write what I consider to be a contemporary musical treasure, followed by a remix from Mr. Dan, and eventually leading to Ace Norton directing one of the most beautiful visual interpretations of music.

I initially came across La Ritournelle when researching material to post on a small music site I used run a few years back. One of the things always I did was try to bring some perspective, which is how I came across a really informative post about the song where Fio Abril, the site's author, stated the following:

"The music evokes the feeling of a kind of dreamlike state of being you don’t want to end. But you know that situation has to end sometime. Imaging you’re just falling in love and your love get’s answered. You feel on top of the world and you just don’t want to get off it. You repeat or reconstruct that feeling over and over again, kind of mantra-like, to keep it with you, but deep down you know it has to stop somewhere. If not in a fight or an argument, a more moderate normal relationship or finally death itself."

The idea, between the music, its video and his thoughts appears to be seamless. The philosophy that stemmed from the mind of Rosseau changed my views about life and love drastically. The most amazing thing is that it was a simple piece of writing that helped elevate Sebastien's work to new heights. At the end of the day, I hope to write something that reaches out to people, and through my quote installation I hope, at the very least, to inspire you with the thoughts that have inspired me and continue to do so.

So to my friend and all of you going through heartbreak from a relationship or life, I offer you this: please understand that life is cyclical by nature and, as Abril stated in his words, everything is meant to come to an end. What is most important is that you cherish the joy while you have it and have the strength get through the darkness because it, too, will pass. Savour every moment for it shall not return, except for in memories and they too will disappear in time.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters & Mast Brothers Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:00:00 +0000

01 Handsome packaging
02 Chocolate in pieces
03 Fleur de Sel detail
04 Freshly roasted beans
05 Coffee & Monocle Magazine

⌘ | Mast Brothers Chocolate

Over the past year, my love of coffee has escalated to unforeseeable heights. Coffee, for reasons likely connected to my family's Central American origins, has been around me since my earliest of memories. There's something just wonderful about the lush aroma that fills a space whenever coffee is brewing, especially when coffee is good. For the most part, my coffee experience at home was never all that special. Then again, coffee culture really hadn't taken off during those unknowingly deprived years. However, that is all history, a good cup of coffee or two throughout the day is a part of my life that I enjoy significantly.

I ran out of coffee a few days ago, and usually pick up the most full-bodied offering from Intelligentsia Coffee available at Elysian Coffee, but today decided to finally try beans from Stumptown Coffee Roasters for the first time. I went in to Mr. Lee's General Store & Haberdashery, one of the the few locations in the Greater Vancouver Area that carries the brand. Sitting on the shelves next to the bags of Stumptown Coffee were brilliantly packaged bars of Mast Brothers Chocolate. I've seen the Mast Brothers product featured on a few sites, and while they look divine, they are even better to the touch. The dense, rich feel of their wrapping paper cannot be fully appreciated until you hold a bar yourself. After a brief conversation about the coffee and the chocolate with Molly, a member of staff at Mr. Lee's, I was convinced to purchase both. I took home a bag of Stumptown's Guatemala Finca El Injerto Bourbon beans and a bar of Mast Brothers' Fleur de Sel.

Deciding to educate myself on both brands on the commute home, I ended up watching a well-produced and informative film on the Mast Brothers Chocolate (visit link on the left) that added to the anticipation of trying their product. I should be honest here, I'm not really a chocolate person. If it's around, I'm happy to have it, but it's not something I desperately seek out. Nonetheless, after watching the dedication and passion the brothers Mast bring to their craft, I felt I was about to have a better and possibly taste-altering experience with chocolate.

While water heated up for the coffee extraction process, I had my first bite of the Fleur de Sel. The beautiful hand-harvested sea salt sprinkled directly on the back of the bar hits the palate sharply. As the chocolate melts on your tongue and incorporates with the salt, the fruity flavour of the cacoa begins to articulate itself. The salt may be a turnoff or found to be distracting for some, but it serves its purpose. You have to allow time to let your palate become accustomed to the combination of flavours offered here. The Guatemala Finca El Injerto Bourbon by Stumptown has its own chocolate and light citrus notes, which is why I thought they would work together. But tread lightly here. I would definitely allow for the salt and chocolate of the bar to fully infuse together before you take a sip of your coffee, as the combination of salt and coffee is typically unorthodox (although, not so uncommon in some countries as organometallic chemist and food enthusiast Dr. Martin Lersch explains). Still, if you take your time, you will enjoy a complex amalgamation of flavours.

In the end, the Mast Brothers have instilled with me a completely new appreciation for dark chocolate, which I never thought possible, and the earthy, full-bodied Stumptown coffee was splendid. I sat on my patio this afternoon and enjoyed both along with Monocle Magazine's October 2011 issue- perfection.

The Social Feed x Nelson The Seagull

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:47:00 +0000

01 Mingling before the meal
02 Roasted Lamb shoulder
03 Dinner plating
04 Communal dining
05 Lee Snelgar & Coral Sidora

⌘ | The Social Feed

Yesterday, I was commissioned by the gentlemen of The Social Feed to document their third event at Nelson The Seagull. I have been meaning to feature Nelson The Seagull for some time, and truthfully, I plan to in the near future, which is why I'm going to keep my thoughts on their staff and establishment to a minimum here. The Social Feed is the wonderfully simple concept of highlighting some of the best eateries our city has to offer and having dinner in a communal setting. Needless to say, dinner tonight was nourishing both the soul and our appetites.

The menu was a complete treat. The offerings started off with a Camembert, fig and prosciutto crostini, followed by the first course, a modern take on a South African classic, Umngqusho, which featured a leek base, samp, beans, chorizo and kale. The main course was a perfectly roasted shoulder of lamb (vegetarians were served an array of mushrooms as a substitute for the meat) on a bed of smashed root vegetables with a caper and mint dressing. The night ended with a generous serving of Malva pudding, a sticky toffee pudding made with Cointreau and apricots.

My mouth started watering as I remembered all the wonderful flavours Lee Snelgar and her team put together for this dinner. They showed their culinary expertise with a well-executed meal from start to finish. I was humbled by everyone's hospitality. The ambiance of the whole event makes me look forward to the possibility of another collaboration with The Social Feed. Lastly, tonight I learned that Reggie Milligan of The Social Feed is off to Toronto to get their concept started there, and wish him the best of luck with all of his endeavours.

Old Faithful Shop: Container Gardening 101

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:30:00 +0000

01 Garden containers x Honda
02 Planting the container
03 Savannah Olsen & Lisa Giroday
04 Dane Baspaly of Lark

⌘ | Acqtaste

Photographs and an interview I took and conducted, respectively, for ACQtaste magazine with Savannah Olsen & Lisa Giroday of Old Faithful Shop are now public. The piece is centered around their first workshop covering the basics in Container Gardening in an urban setting. Chuck Ortiz, the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of the Toronto based publication, has really presented our first collaboration quite beautifully on his site (acqtaste.com). I encourage you to take a look to learn a little something about how to get started on your own container gardening. It was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and hope to repeat next summer. The highlight of the workshop for me was getting to spend some quality time with fine group of people, whilst doing something completely positive. I would like to extend a sincere thanks to Chuck Ortiz, the entire Old Faithful Shop staff for a most pleasurable collaboration, and lastly for Dane, who by bringing his cherished Honda, took the afternoon a few notches up in the picturesque department.

Quote N° 01

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:02:00 +0000

01 Author Unknown

I've never been one for sharing quotes, unless, and my closest friends and family would annoyedly tell you, they stem from the musings of Mr. West. When it comes to celebratory situations Ye's music comes to mind quite naturally. For example, after finishing the last exam I would take in community college ever (roughly a year and some ago), I distinctly remember doing my best excessive impersonation of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" Jeezy adlibs and all in the college's mostly deserted parking lot. Reason being the news of that I'd been accepted into the University of British Columbia was still fresh, and I had a feeling that I performed superbly on the examination. Thankfully, every thing turned out in my favor, and thus my celebratory dances and karaoke were warranted. I digress, the point is I've never bothered to dedicate an entire post to a quote.

However, after spending a fair amount of time in the archives of Hearblack a few weeks back I decided that it's something I would like to do more often, because the quotes I read on their site struck a chord. I'm hoping to do the same for some one out there. But I can't just put up an image and call it a day. I'm thirsty for substance and opinion. And I figure that if I'm feeling this way, then chances are there are a few of you you out there who feel the same. At least, that's what I think most people have been brainwashed into believing - myself included.

Now, I came across this quote for real, that is not for the first time, but the first time it actually had any real meaning, when it was used in one of my preferred television shows at the moment, Breaking Bad. I can't really explain to you why, but it got my attention, and I haven't been able to get it off my mind. I find myself using it in everyday conversation. But perhaps most importantly it's a quote that sums up my approach to design. My designs might not look like much, but I put hours on end into developing my craft. There's been sleepless nights just like this one that I've sat in front of the screen sometimes frustrated and other times joyous. Tonight, I'm delighted to announce that it was the latter.

I developed an achromatic version of this very incarnation of Minoru Blvd late last night. The subtle addition of color may not have happened if I didn't cave in to my coffee addition and scholastic procrastination. But the stars aligned, the sea split open, and the trumpets soared from the heavens, when that little part of me I would like to kick in the head most days, decided to try one last thing. And so there was color and with color came satisfaction and with satisfaction came this piece of writing. That one little idea paved way for this whole story.

There isn't much else to communicate. I will tell you that sometime in the late afternoon last night, I felt like I fell off (design wise), and right now through a last minute turn of events I can honestly say I'll be going to sleep feeling content, and not the half empty feeling in your gut content. This is genuine. Welcome to the new Minoru Blvd.

Black Summer Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:51:00 +0000

01 Burgundy Truffles from the South of Italy

Those of you with piqued interest in the culinary arts, are more than likely versed with the endlessly alluring truffle. This Sunday, after shooting product photography for one of my clients, I was handed the rare gift of black summer truffles (Tartufi Neri Estivi). I've been fortunate to consistently be hired by people who appreciate and treat me well. But this gesture meant a great deal to me. Cooking with ingredients of the highest quality is becoming more frequent in recent times, and I hope the trend continues. Drevs, the client aforementioned, informed me that these particular truffles were imported from South of Italy. You might find this hard to believe, but I haven't had the time to cook with them yet. My schedule continues to be a collage of work in both my professional and academic life.

With that in mind, I think I have settled on using the truffles finely sliced over a bed of homemade pasta dressed in olive oil and garlic. A simple well executed idea. I came to this conclusion upon remembering a conversation I had with Drevs that took place on our way to a local market to pick up missing pieces for food styling last Sunday. In the chat, Drevs, a man of impecaable culinary taste, explained his notion of the perfect pasta. He argued, like a proper Italian, that a true al dente could not be achieved with out of the box pasta, and I agree with this for the most part. I'm sure delicious pasta can come from a package, but freshly made pasta is typically a wonderful experience.

I would normally offer a promise of capturing the process, but lately I've been enjoying the act of living. I read or heard a quote earlier in the week where someone said their favourite photographs were the ones the camera wasn't around for. The author escapes me, but their words linger. What it seems to communicate is that there's always an exchange in place. Though, this may be obvious, it's something I don't sit and think about. It normally just happens. I began to question whether, in the end, I will have benefited from being behind the lens or enjoying my time in an organic fashion. If there is an objective truth, I don't have the answer. Thoughts?

Asiatic Head

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:11:00 +0000

01 Front
02 Sculpture Detail
03 Perspective

Wandering around campus before my afternoon classes began, I found myself face to face Gerhard Class reproduction of Otto Fisher Credo's Asiatic Head (1977). Surrounded by an exposed wood walkway linking two buildings, it sits there like guardian in it's wonderfully symmetrical environment. I took my camera out of my bag and shot. It wasn't rehearsed. It was a completely organic and instinctual moment. The first photograph was taken from a moderate distance, which is followed by a more intimate shot. The last, oddly my favourite, is a play on what the pieces' own perspective might look like- enjoy.

An Evening With Sook-Yin Lee

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:39:00 +0000

01 Sold Out
02 Sook-Yin Lee
03 Crowd
04 A handsome guest

⌘ | Lark

On the cool summer evening of August 27th, Veronika and Dane of Lark entrusted me with documenting their event a fundraiser for InspireHealth (they raised $3000). The night started off with a healthy dose of small talk and silent auctioning as everyone in building waited patiently for the arrival Sook-Yin Lee. When she arrived everyone was seated and a string of inspired talks commenced by Sook-Yin herself, the representatives of InspireHealth and previous patients.

Then, after a brief intermission, she began to serenade us. Her vocal presence from the first note was bewitching. With seemingly little effort, she transcended what was destined to be a intimate evening into something deeper and more emotional than I ever expected. It wasn't, however, a serious event by any terms. It was perfect in its own way both humorous and solemn (we learned during the introductions that her sister had been recently diagnosed with cancer). This wasn't your average celebrity appearance. The event was close to Sook-Yin's heart and it resonated in her performance.

A little later her film "Year of the Carnivore" screened. Depending on how long you've been a reader, you should now by now that I have an acute passion for cinema. From the outset, I knew I would enjoy her film. The trailer itself wet my pallete enough that had I not been invited to shoot the event I would have attended as a guest without hesitation. The entire audience laughed and connected with her semi-autobiographical work. The screening was followed by a very honest Q&A with Sook-Yin where she proceeded to talk about her creative process, sexuality, and life.

I left the venue full a belly full of wine and the priceless feeling of inspiration. It's incredible what a small window into lives of others can do for you. I'd like to extend a thank you to Veronika for allowing me to be a part of this memorable evening and to Dane for sending me home with a lush bottle of red - a gracious gesture.

Alpha

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Valdizon) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:08:00 +0000

01 A fresh start

The summer weather might be lingering, but the fact remains, tomorrow, I embark on another school year. I thought it appropriate to commence carte blanche. If you've been following me on twitter, this is not the incarnation of this site I was speaking so highly of. This is, however, what I need right now. At it's most basic form Minoru Blvd has been my journal; for all intents and purposes, I plan to treat this medium as such and promise to consistently open my mind and life with you. With that said, I offer you, my readers, my sincerest gratitude for your patience and continued support.