Video and sound is created by Circuit Bent Media. Visit their website here.

Yesterday the YWCA had a grand opening of their beautiful new place. We went by to see the finished furniture at Winona Place. Here’s some pictures:

More spring activities for crafty people in this wonderful city! We just heard from Design By Nature at Evergreen Brick Works that they are looking for talented designers, furniture makers, artisans , and installation artists to create functional public furniture and sculptural installations that reflect the site’s sustainability mandate.  These public pieces must incorporate existing, recycled or reclaimed materials.

Please see attached sheet for more information. The deadline has been moved to May 10th, 2012 for submitting a proposal. Information about submitting a proposal can be found here: http://www.teknionhub.com/designbynature/index.htm and more info about the call can be found here: http://www.teknioncre8.com/index.php/2012/04/12/design-by-nature-contest-get-back-to-your-design-roots-for-a-chance-to-win-2500/

Go get’em!

DesignbyNature_CallforProposals

Katherine, Parimal and I all went to Ryerson for Interior Design. We’d like to invite you to their 2012 Year End Show. Definitely worth checking out!

in[sid] Impression

Opening night: Thursday, April 26 | 6:30 p.m.
Exhibit: April 26 to 29, 2012

Every year, Ryerson School of Interior Design celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of its students through a three day exhibit. Curated by faculty and organized by students, in[sid] connects students with industry leaders while displaying the diverse design solutions to a broad selection of contemporary issues from all four years of the program. This year the show examines the concept of Impression, concentrating on the transformative effects an experience can have on an individual.

As young designers, we are looking for a way to leave our impression on the world. Impressions have a variety of manifestations – including first, last, fleeting or deep – all of which are formed by our experiences. Experience the impressions the school leaves upon its students, and the impressions graduating students will leave behind at Ryerson.

For more information, visit insid.ca.

Please step in[sid], engage, and make your impression.

Location:   Ryerson School of Interior Design, 302 Church Street, Toronto, ON

6:30 p.m to 8:00 p.m Industry Event
7:30 p.m. Entrance to General public

$10 at the door. Free for industry.

Public Displays of Affection is seeking an individual to join our team as documentary film maker, videographer, and social media responsible for upcoming projects. You will document our work during workshops and administration, and update our website with videos and blog entries weekly. Minimum requirements: 2-3 years experience in making online videos and preferably schooling in the fields of film and media.   Work with similar organizations is an asset.
Please send resume, references and links to your previous work. This will be contract work and pay to be negotiated.

Please let your network know about this!

Thanks,

PDA

IMPORTANT NEW ADDITION TO THIS POST!:
Q&A Session for Cart Fabricators and Designers
Thursday, April 26th @ The Drake (main lounge)
Time: 7:00PM

Oh there is some good stuff coming up soon! We just met with one member of the team behind “The STOP’S Night Market” the other day, and she got us really excited about this event, and we think you will too! If you are a designer and would like to get involved in a good case, read below! (PDA will be present in one way or another, even if it is just to document this beautiful idea!)

On June 20th, The Stop will be transforming Honest Ed’s laneway into an exotic hub, inspried by the various Night Markets from around the world. Think the bustling streets of Bombay; the blinking lanterns of Hanoi; the explosive aromatic spices of an Iranian market. The streets will be teeming with the sounds, sights and smells of a Night Market. We’ve put together Toronto’s top chefs (Yours Truly, Parts & Labour, Country General, Guy Rawlings, Nick Lui…so on so on) and local brewers and now are putting a call out to Toronto’s furniture & industrial designers to help fabricate food carts that will be used throughout the market. .

What we need are a series of carts and stands made with the philosophy of reclaimed components with a genuine feel that are inspried by the worlds markets. We have Brothers Dressler, Heidi Earnshaw, Connie Crisholm, Fugitive Glue, some other independents and architect companies on board. We’re looking for a commitment by end of April and will have a Q&A session for all of the designers the week of April 23rd. Location TBA

We have attached a design package which outlines the event, the design dimensions, parameters and some pictures as an inspiration starting point. But the design of these carts are up to you! These outlines are just a starting point

Please get in touch with Jackie and Jane and send them your contact info and whether you’d like to get involved:
Jackie Pal – jackiepal20@gmail.com – 647 – 668 -5225
Jane Wong – jane.k.wong@gmail.com-416 871 3033

If you are interested in participating please download the Design Package below:

TheStopNightMarket_DesignPackage

Finally! We installed the PDA chandelier at the 40 Oaks worship space, which is a part of our project PDA for 40 Oaks. So much work! So much tying glass! But such a gorgeous (if we may say so) result! Please take a look for yourself.

The beautiful video above is created by Circuit Bent Media. They are PDA’s in-house videographers and are behind all our video documentation of projects. Pay their new site a visit! They are always seeking new connections and collaborators, so if you like what you see then like them on facebook!

Lilly from Lilly’s lunches is getting a brand new lunch carrier for her business! Check it out here.

Photo Credit: Gelareh Saadatpajouh

Then we came back with models that were built and developed by the students, asking for feedback. This was an inspiring evening of designing, considering, dining and deciding! We were so very pleased with the number of people showing up to both the events and the level of engagement in what we were trying to do, and we can’t wait to bring in the furniture at the beginning of April!

We would like to thank the staff at YWCA for making the charettes so successful, and of course everyone that came out! We value your opinion! A special thank to the “PARC Ambassadors” who came out to our first introductory event and gave such a moving and wonderful recommendation of PDA!

Our friends at the TCRC are having an opening celebration and fundraiser for their beautiful community building 40 Oaks in Regent Park, on Monday April 30th from 6.30pm – 9pm.

This is an amazing opportunity to support the great work of the CRC, see the finished building, and last  but not least to see the beautiful furniture that was created through the PDA for 40 Oaks project.

NB: For those who were disappointed to not find the PDA designed chandelier in the worship space when we were having our exhibition in January – now is the time! We have installed and it is ready to be viewed in all it’s sparkly, glittering glory! (stay put for updates here on the blog!)

The price for a ticket is $100. The evening includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and special musical performances by jazz singer Jackie Richardson, Canadian Musical Icon Michael Burgess, and conductor David Warrack.

There will also be an unveiling of iconic sculpture “Helping Hands” created by sculptor Ralph Hicks (see picture below).

For more details and purchase of tickets visit the 40 Oaks website.

3pm, Sunday April 1, 2012

Part of Pre-Occupied: An Exhibition of Ideas, Objects and Occupations

Hosted by Parkdale’s newest pop-up gallery
“Pre-Occupied” is a pop-up exhibition inspired by the Occupy Movement which explores how pre-occupations are manifested in objects. Presented by the Cadence Collective and hosted in an alternative venue, the exhibition runs from March 11- April 1, 2012. The closing reception on April 1 will feature artist talks and discussion.

Artists include: Kasia Czarnota, Department of Unusual Certainties, Brothers Dressler, Hugo Didier, Heyday Design, Taliaferro Jones, Amanda McCavour, Sally McCubbin, Public Displays of Affection (PDA), Liz Pead, and Ruth Scheuing.

Exhibition: There is value in claiming space for expression and allowing room for ideas to be discussed, to grow and to transform. While social media have been credited with facilitating recent protests around the world, the occupation of physical space – the undeniable presence of people and camps – has captivated attention and underlined the commitment of demonstrators. Inspired by the Occupy Movement, this exhibition considers how pre-occupations are manifested in objects. How do ideas occupy space? How are they shared and made tangible through the creation of objects, both as process and in final form? How do those objects act as catalysts to help transform and revitalize space and discussion? Two slogans serve to organize the work: “Resistance is fertile” and “It’s not a protest, it’s a process.” By exploring a series of definitions of “occupy,” connections are drawn between the act of making objects, and issues of expression, communication, employment, community and production.

Closing reception and artist talks: Artists featured in the exhibition, including the Brothers Dressler, Department of Unusual Certainties, Sally McCubbin, Public Displays of Affection and Liz Pead, will participate in “Artists Rants.” Each speaker will have five minutes to share their ideas and “pre-occupations” before the “hot potato” is passed on to the next participant. The audience is invited to engage in the discussion. The closing reception will follow.

Where: 173 Macdonell Avenue, Toronto (please enter by the side gate)

The exhibit is temporarily occupying a pop-up gallery in a new studio/gallery space in an alley garage in Parkdale, designed in collaboration with Johnson Chou. This exhibit will be the first ‘occupation’ of this alternative venue.

When: Closing reception and artist talks – Sunday April 1, 2012, 3-5pm

Exhibition hours: March 11 to April 1, 2012, Weekends noon- 6pm, weekday hours by appointment.

More information: To find out more about the exhibition and to book appointments, please visit www.preoccupied.ca

Organized by: Founded in 2008, the Cadence Collective is a fluid collective of thinkers, artists and curators who collaborate on interdisciplinary community art projects. For more information, please visit www.cadencecollective.ca

With the support of: The Ontario Arts Council.

Inspired by the Occupy Movement and the act of claiming a physical space to express ideas, “” is a pop-up exhibition that deals with various themes of occupation. It explores how our preoccupations (concerns, desires and actions) are manifested in objects.

Featuring work from known artists such as Kasia Czarnota, Heyday Design, Hugo Dieter, Brothers Dressler, Public Displays of Affection (PDA), Sally McCubbin and Amanda McCavour, Liz Pead, the exhibition is organized by the Cadence Collective and hosted in an alternative gallery space at 173 Macdonell Avenue, Toronto from March 11 to April 1, 2012.

Admission is free. Hours are weekends from noon-6 pm, weekdays, by appointment.

Closing artist talk on April 1, 2012 at 3pm

Please visit the website for more information: www.preoccupied.ca

As a result of PDA’s collaboration with George Brown Studio Lab, 3 students, Mark Butterworth, Michael deLima and Amy Allicock, came up with this original and interactive design for the PDA for 40 Oaks Exhibit posters. They are made of Plywood, chalkboard paint and assorted picture frames. The photos are taken by Denise Santillan.

This is one of the 16 Multipurpose Cabinets that designer and professor Connie Chrisholm‘s class at Sheridan College donated to the suites in the CRC’s brand new community building 40 Oaks. It is made from Cherry wood and Laminate.
DESIGNED BY: Connie Chisholm & BUILT BY: Joe Bauman, Jeffrey Burt, Chris Charuk, Bettie Cott, Mark Finnigan, Kamal Fox, Laura Langford, Roxanne Loncar, Kyle Peters, Tom Rocjik, Richard Ruminski, Franky Sanche, Steven Wilson, Chris Vanderwal, Aviv Zimmerman
COMPANY: Sheridan College

This is a community-engaged piece , which will be going into the new CRC building in Regent Park, 40 Oaks.

This bench was designed through community collaboration. Last summer PDA worked with members of the CRC community through the design process. After much brainstorming, analysis, discussion & sketching the group was able to come up with a design that would meet the needs of the CRC’s entry bench. We then moved to the Dixon Hall Mill Centre to build models, prepare the salvaged church pews to be transformed and construct the benches almost to completion.

PDA would like to thank Simone Ferkul, Bahar Ghaemi and Vincent Monastero for their support in the design process; Steven Johnston and Justin Teschner at the Mill Centre; David Loewy and Adrian Kenny at Ryerson; as well we would like to thank Amy Markanda for helping us with the final construction and finishing details.

The “aDOORable storage bench”, as Designer Randall Otulakowski has playfully named his piece, is made from Salvaged doors, jamb,and stair treads. Randalls company is called 747 square feet. The piece will be going into the finished 40 Oaks Building in Regent Park.

This funky couch is made by The Big Stuff, and is going into the CRC’s new building 40 Oaks in Regent Park. It is made from reclaimed materials.

Just like the Worship Chairs these chairs were donated by Kathy Webster of the Yonge Street Mission’s Double Take. They are called “Something Borrowed, Something Blue” (because they are salvaged from a wedding rental place) and refurbished by Adi Baker and Sissel Marie Tonn.

The stylish table is called “Lotus” and is made from Salvaged Red Oak and Steel. It is designed and built by Andrew Morson. It will be going into the finished 40 Oaks building.