Scout Network Blog» Montreal

MAC Cosmetics : Tour De Fabulous

Claire — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:26:46 +0000

MAC Cosmetics is becoming known for its high-octane splashes of color and adventure into makeup territory. Their ad campaigns feature dramatic splashes of makeup and their preferred photographic subjects–in-vogue celebrities and hipster models–are seen sporting avant-garde haircuts and costume-esque clothing amidst a variety of twisted fairytale scenarios.

Whether engineered specifically to promote lipstick, eyeshadow or just going crazy with makeup in general, the ads for this Canadian company, which started out producing makeup for fashion photography, developed out of the need for high-performance, versatile and forward-thinking cosmetics products that would withstand the length and intensity of professional photoshoots.

Twenty-eight years after coming into existence, MAC is now one of the largest makeup manufacturers on the globe. With stores from Montreal to Europe and Japan and countless shimmering colours of eyeshadow, lipstick, glitter, eyeliner, and other fun makeup products, it’s not hard to see why.

Smashing the 4/4

Claire — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:35:24 +0000

Within the microcosm of the evolution of every musical genre come a cycle of celebration, conformity, segregation, ingenuity, artistry, boredom, and rebellion. This is what has been going on in house and techno music at least–since they became the primary sources of 4/4 electronic dancefloor rhythms found clubs in the late 80′s and ’90′s.

By 2010 the scene had gone through pretty much every phase and was reaching the ‘rebellion’ stage. This was the moment where Dubstep came in and stole the limelight, infecting youths and aging hipsters with a tenacious desire to rebel against the cyclical rhythmic structures of the 4/4 beat. But alongside the clubs full of sweaty youth jamming out to dubstep as if their lives depended on it, a new, quiet rebellion is taking place. The revenge of the breakbeat.

Breakbeats have been around since the beginning of electronic music, but has (until recently) been often associated with dirty hippie ravers wearing dreadlocks and fat pants. However, an interesting phenomenon has been recently emerging: breakbeats have matured, morphed, and are now being integrated with increasing regularity into typically 4/4 DJ sets. What does this mean? Artists like Tipper and Ectomorph can celebrate a revival of some of their older tracks being ‘rediscovered’ within this emerging style.

4/4 DJs can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the excitement of mixing a set that includes a variety of rhythmic structures. And newer producers like Extrawelt and Answer Code Request can rebel against monotonous rhythmic structures by writing broken beats, and can even market and promote these tracks under the umbrella label of ‘electronica’ so that house, techno, minimal, and electro DJs won’t be afraid to mix them into their sets.

Winter Boots Done Right

Claire — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:30:08 +0000

Sorel's Classic Joan of Arc

Fashionistas claim that fall is the best season for style due to the necessity for layering invoked by that chilly autumn breeze… Montreal winter, however, is a whole other story.

FACT: Montreal is famous for its frosty blizzards that cover everything in sometimes more than a foot of the fluffy white stuff in a few hours’ time. This provides its own set of fashion challenges.

FACT: When it snows this much, chances are you are going to have to leave the house in the snow whether you like it or not. Snow-clearing can take anywhere from several hours to several days.

FACT: Walking around with frozen and/or wet feet sucks !

WELL-KNOWN FACT: Walking in stilettos is difficult to begin with. In a foot of snow it is virtually impossible, and definitely not recommended.

WIDELY-PERCEIVED FACT: All winter boots are ugly.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Whether you want romper-stompers, moccasins, or subtle-yet-city chic insulated fashion boots, there are several choices out there for the fashion-savvy wintergoer.

So regardless of what the rumors say, you can feel warm and look good – which are two of the keys to enjoying the frosty wonderland that is winter in Montreal.

Manitobah Mukluks : Stylish Furry Warmth

for a city-chic winter look, I recommend Stuart Weitzman

Hrdvsion : Strangely Seductive Sounds

Claire — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:25:47 +0000

To many aficionados of electronic music, he is best identified as Mathew Jonson’s little brother. But to those who love the bizarre, discordant, oft electro-infused tinges of his music, he is Nathan Jonson–better known as Hrdvsion. He grew up in Victoria, BC, playing a variety of musical instruments such as piano and washtub bass. But it was his dad’s MIDI keyboard that piqued his interest in sound production. He started fiddling around with it at the age of eight. His interests revolved more around destroying than creating sounds; smashing melodies and rhythms together in unconventional ways, more as a sort of sonic experiment than an attempt to create music that was cohesive and appealing to the listener.

Amidst all of this tomfoolery, Nathan was inspired by a particular gift given to him for his seventeenth birthday by his brother and his mother: Squarepusher’s Big Loada and Normal Daddy.

These records inspired Nathan so much that he began to craft a sound that is somewhat reminiscent of these obscure pioneers such as Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. He released his first album in 2002 at the tender age of twenty. It took him eight years to release another, but the gap between his two albums is immense: the first is an experimental foray into the origins of sound and noise, whereas the second is a highly refined electro-tinged journey into the underground sound of Berlin, where he currently makes his home.

Curious? Check out some of Nathan’s work on his Soundcloud. He often posts bootlegs of popular songs as free downloads as a gift to his fans. So open your ears, open your mind, and welcome to the world of Hrdvsion.

H&M : Beauty Rendered Digital

Claire — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:22:00 +0000

On December 6th, 2011, a news bulletin was released with allegations that H&M has been using real models’ heads attached to artificially rendered bodies in their recent ad campaign–models whose unrealistically slender proportions make it nearly impossible for them to be real. At first the accusations seemed exaggerated and preposterous. Aren’t there enough real models who are slender enough to suffice? Apparently not to model H&M’s latest swimwear and lingerie collections.

H&M press spokesperson Håcan Andersson defended the company’s position, pointing out that these virtually rendered images–a combination of real life models photos, still images, and virtually rendered photos, are only being used online and not for any print, TV, and other media, where real models in their entirety — head, and body, are shown.

Whether or not people find this offensive, it is incredible to recall the history of the Swedish multinational, whose global success parallels that of its older Swedish cousin, IKEA. But what’s he secret behind H&M’s success?

Low-priced basics (the equivalent of IKEA, but with clothes), collaborations with world-famous designers and celebrities like Karl Lagerfield, Versace, Viktor & Rolf, Comme des Garcons, Kate Moss, and Jimmy Choo, and a very open concept to design. Designers are given a lot of freedom in choosing how to make the clothes, resulting in more creative original choices. And with strategic distribution methods–H&M in Vancouver will have different stock than the ones in Montreal, or Paris, for example–it’s hard to resist going in for a peek around given the fact that for about $50 you are pretty much guaranteed to have a bag full of goodies that you can put on right away and enjoy.

Puffed Sleeves Extreme

Claire — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:14:41 +0000

I remember as a kid in the 1980′s being incredibly excited when I got my first pair of puffed sleeves. There was something about the shape of the puffs that made my shoulders feel proud. I enjoyed how if I poked them, I could change their shape, and how they gave me a distinctively triangular silhouette. So I bought everything in puffed sleeves. Dresses, blouses, T-shirts. And then *bam* the trend was over. Shoulders went flat, and designers moved on…but not for long. Puffy sleeves are back in full force, being sported proudly these days by celebs like Rihanna and Lady Gaga in their most extreme proportions; and more subtly by designers like Marc Jacobs and Christian Siriano. Personally, my sentiments here are mixed. While I appreciate the aesthetic drama and freedom exuded by puffy shoulders, as an adult I feel that perhaps this look is best reserved for celebrities, supermodels, and little girls.

Lawrence: Step Back in Time to Dine

Claire — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:11:42 +0000

What do you get when you cross an old English pub with a classy restaurant, and plunk it in the heart of a vastly multicultural city like Montreal? The result is a restaurant with a soft glow emanating from the transparent incandescent bulbs hanging stylishly above the bar. A restaurant whose food represents a true fusion among English, French, and North American influences. Start off with a sassy cocktail or a glass of one of the several scrumptious wines available by the glass, then whet your palette with some fresh marinated scallops, potato cake and creme fraiche, a little beef tartare, or maybe some beetroot soup. Once you’ve gotten warmed up, I sugggest filling your belly with the sumptuous fish stew. Made with striped bass, sturgeon, mussels, steamer clams, squid, and shrimp, it will both warm you up and fill you up. Or you may want ot try something a little more traditional, such as the Beef offal, served along with mashed potatoes, cabbage, and picked shallots. For dessert try a cheese plate or the pear and walnut cake with ice cream. Run your fingers along the smoothly varnished wooden table, paying notice to the fine details: the tables are made from refurbished rectangles of what used to be a bowling alley floor, water glasses that were once pickling jars, and the custom wallpaper in the bathrooms.
Admire the seemingly helter-skelter array of vintage lampshades that make themselves at home above the bar. Lavish in the 1940′s glamour and manners of the staff. Not in the mood to spend your fortune on dinner tonight? Grab a snack and a pint instead at Lawrence’s sister pub, Sparrow. But I definitely recommend eating at Lawrence if you have the chance. The food, service, and experience, are unforgettable.

The Skin I Live In

Claire — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:10:24 +0000

Almodovar. He could be called the master of darkness. Dark comedy, dark thrillers, addiction, convoluted murderous plots, dark-haired women and dark fantasies.

His style is distinctive and strong, his stories complex and intricately woven. His actors of choice tend to become famous after they work with him. Take, for example, Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. He was the force behind launching their very successful careers. This is not surprising, as his characters are multi-dimensional, with deep emotional ranges that vary from neurotic individuals to strippers, exhibitionists, nuns addicted to amphetamines, and–as is the subject of his latest film, The Skin I live in–psychotic plastic surgeons, dedicated servants and secret criminals suffering under a sheath of newly transformed skin.

In The Skin I live In, Antonio Banderas plays a plastic surgeon who has created a new synthetic skin that can withstand burns, high temperatures, and cuts with amazing resilience. Soft and smooth, yet nearly indestructible, this skin is the result of a series of experiments executed in the domestic laboratory of Dr. Robert Ledgard. But shadowy facts linger beneath the perfect skin of the doctor’s young beautiful female patient, played by Elena Anaya. They slowly reveal themselves throughout the film, leading to an unforgettable realization. Need I say more? I think not. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. But if you are a fan of Almodovar, this one is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Take Me To Your Atelier

Claire — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:00:03 +0000

In French, Atelier means workshop, or studio. And due to its post-industrial nature, there is a lot of affordable real estate around town. What does this mean? For artists, musicians, designers, and other young creative professionals it is possible to rent space at a reasonably low cost. The result: an explosion of creativity. Production of new ideas, new materials, new artistic forms, and new clothes! Lots of clothes are manufactured here, and some of them never make it off the ground before hitting the racks at a ‘vente d’atelier’ (studio sale).

Since November began sale season, there is no better way to save a buck than by spending a couple of hundred. If you see a little flyer with a very specific period of time such as 2-3 days with mega discounts marked as an Open Atelier, Open House, Sample Sale, or Warehouse Sale, there are chances you should mark it in your calendar and go! Whether it’s Diesel, Eve Gravel, Rudsak, M0851, or Travis Taddeo, or another local designer or manufacturer, shopping direct from the workshop of a designer has several advantages:

1) More often than not, you get to meet the designer and ask them personal questions about the garment you are buying

2) There are often opportunities to special-order runway fashions that would not normally be available to the general public

3) There is no tax, because it’s generally cash-only *this does not apply for larger names, like Diesel*

4) If you happen to fall in love with one of last season’s choice cuts, it won’t cost you a pretty penny — you will be rewarded with a mega discount

5) There is usually champagne (bubbly)

Eve Gravel, in her "atelier"

Raphael Lozano-Hemmer: Lighting Up Montreal’s Night Sky

Claire — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:10:45 +0000

He hails from Mexico city but makes his home in Montreal and Madrid. A conceptualist thinker, Raphael creates interactive installations meant for large-scale public dissemination. Imagine architecture and performance art transformed into a technofied bricolage of light in motion.

Although he has been recognized for his work with video and photographs, it is a light-based installation that has caught my attention as of late. It’s hard not to notice the array of eighteen moving beams of light cascading around the night sky. Seemingly random, the movements of the lights–which are actually the combined efforts of 10 000 watt projectors which have been moulded into movable sculptures–can be manipulated by up to six people simultaneously at will. It’s great fun to pull on one of the six long white electromechanical levers connected to the beams of light and move them around at will. Although it’s name is rather daunting to say in a single breath – Articulated Intersect Relational Architecture 18 – the piece itself is easy to understand and just so happens to be satisfying and fun to engage with.

Conveniently installed in the open pedestrian square of the Quartier Des Spectacles, the kinetic light sculpture is within easy walking distance of a plethora of tasty restaurants, clubs, and music venues, making it an ideal prancing ground for a quick game of light-laser tag with the moon in the sky. I can’t think of a more modern Montreal scenario than stopping by the square with your beau, grabbing a light each, and playing light tag in the glittering night sky, trying to touch the moon and each other’s laser-sharp beams of light. Its exhibition, which fell between 6:30 and 11pm from Oct 7-Nov 6, 2011, was a part of Québec’s 2011 Trienalle.

Lozano-Hemmer has explored similar ideas in many different ways in prior years with works such as Vectorial Elevation in Mexico City (1999), and Vancouver, BC (2010), Amodal Suspension in Yamaguchi Japan (2003), and Pulse Front in Toronto (2007). For more info about his past and upcoming site-specific installations, check out his website.