Culture – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

Modern Legend – Lawrence Schiller

THIS IS ONE COOL DUDE. You may not know him, but his photos are legendary.

During the transformative 1960s, Lawrence Schiller captured the nation’s political and cultural front lines: whenever a headline-making event occurred, he was there.

At The Modernism Home Show at the Palm Springs Convention Center this past weekend we saw a lot of eye candy every which way we looked. Including an original art piece of …. candy. However wonderful all the latest furniture, knick knacks, art and jewelry were (photos to follow), my highlight was meeting a man whose work I’ve admired throughout the years. None other than renowned photographer, Lawrence Schiller. And what a pleasure it was.

Meeting him brought up a memory of when I was a teenager living at home and my brother at the time was very Marilyn Monroe obsessed. I forgot that I had gifted Brad Schiller’s book “Marilyn & Me” and there before my eyes was the very book, along with his new book entitled “Lawrence Schiller Photographs.” Such a déjà vu. Can you imagine the stories this man has?

“I knew Marilyn over a two-year period. I met her first on a movie called ‘Let’s Make Love.’ I photographed her at that time on and off through the time of her death. I was 22 years old and she was 34 or 35.” Schiller is 88 years old now.

“You’re already famous, now you’re going to make me famous,” photographer Lawrence Schiller said to Marilyn Monroe as they discussed the photos he was about to shoot of her. “Don’t be so cocky,” Marilyn replied, “photographers can be easily replaced.” She was wrong!

From Marilyn Monroe in the nude to Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring, Schiller’s work features legendary moments, including Paul Newman and Robert Redford playing ping-pong, and a haunting image of Lee Harvey Oswald after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He documents the powerful advocacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, alongside the private world of LSD experimentation.

Tippi Hendren + Alfred Hitchcodk by Lawrence Schiller.

“MARILYN & ME” is– an intimate story of a legend before her fall and a young photographer on his way up.

The year was 1962, and Schiller, 25, was on assignment for Paris Match magazine. He already knew Marilyn—they had met on the set of Let’s Make Love—but nothing could have prepared him for the day she appeared nude in the motion picture Something’s Got to Give. Schiller’s extraordinary photographs and vibrant storytelling take us back to that time with tact, humor, and compassion. With more than 100 images, including rare outtakes from the set of Marilyn’s last film, the result is a real and unexpected portrait that captures the star in the midst of her final months.

Photos: d. king (of Schiller’s photos; obviously).

https://lawrenceschiller.com/

Modernism Week is on until February 23rd. For tickets to events please visit:

https://modernismweek.com/

Art & Culture

David Hockney: Perspective Should be Reversed.

Do you see what I see?

Perspective is the way we look at something, and since we’re all unique, we all view things differently. So I’m not sure that you see what I see or if it’s even reasonable to think that you should. What does the artist intend for us to see is the question. I love the beauty, the simplicity and the complexity of each and every Hockney work of art. His work often explores themes of light, space, and the everyday moments of life.

David Hockney is a renowned English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. Born on July 9, 1937, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He is also known for his contributions to the pop art movement of the 1960s and his innovative use of color and perspective.

The exhibition highlights Hockney’s lifelong experiments with non-traditional perspectives for depicting the world and foregrounds his early interest in expressing his identity as a gay man.

David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed presents a wide body of works produced during a six-decade-long career. It features nearly 200 of the artist’s works in a variety of media, including prints, collages, photographs, iPhone as well as iPad drawings.

He changed my perspective on how I see art. I would not have previously considered creating art with a simple iPhone or iPad as Art. Quite amazing actually. It’s just a different medium and not so simple for just anyone.

Photos: d. king

On until March 31, 2025

https://www.psmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/david-hockney

This is one of the most beautiful Art Museums I’ve ever been to.

Food + Drink

THE CHEF AND THE DARUMA

Thoughtfulness, Timing, Tradition, Taste…Tojo’s…

This was part of the Vancouver International Film Festival 2024

Words that represent Vancouver’s Japanese-Canadian Celebrity Chef Hidekazu Tojo.

I loved everything about this world premiere documentary except telling a friend of mine that I’d meet her next door to the theatre for Italian, when I was actually craving sushi. Especially after watching Tojo prepare his mouth-watering dishes on screen. Tojo is more than a sushi chef. He’s an Artist. He started out working at restaurants in his home town of Kagoshima, Japan before becoming a chef at various restaurants in Vancouver, until opening his eponymous “Tojo’s” in October, 1988. There, he was able to have control over putting his signature spin on everything. After 18 years at the same location, in 2007 Tojo moved his restaurant to a new custom-designed setting a few blocks east of its original location. The place has been packed since day one.

Good food is always memorable. Great food is unforgettable. I was once treated to an extraordinary birthday dinner sitting at the counter at Tojo’s with Tojo preparing all the dishes himself; carte blanche. The dinner included sake too. That’s when I realized that there’s sushi and then there’s sushi. There’s also many other dishes that are delicious that don’t include raw or cooked fish. Tojo does it “His Way.” It’s not so much a restaurant as it’s an experience. His food is elegant, modern and fresh –using local ingredients. He’s a weekly regular at the Farmers Markets.

Tojo’s has earned admiration along with a cult following over the years. The restaurant has become a foodie destination. Photos with celebrities like Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Martha Stewart, Anthony Bourdain and countless others who’ve enjoyed his creations line the walls. but none with me..so far

He’s credited with inventing the California Roll when one of Tojo’s regular customers mentioned that his wife didn’t like to each raw fish. Always aiming to please, Tojo tried to Westernize the roll by adding the non-traditional ingredient of avocado and turning the roll inside-out to hide the nori (seaweed). Not only did he succeed in creating a new popular roll, it’s become a mainstay pretty much everywhere since then. He’s a true pioneer.

However, this documentary doesn’t only focus on food. It also talks about Tojo’s life and legacy, his upbringing, Japanese culture in general and an interesting and unsettling look at Canadian-Japanese history.

I always like to personalize my blog posts (if I can). In this case, I lived in Japan for six months in my mid 20’s and that’s where I reluctantly tried sushi for the very first time. There were very few restaurants in Vancouver that served sushi then. I embraced the culture and the food immediately. Aside from sushi, I also loved the noodle houses. I took a sushi making class and was super excited to share my talent for making it for my parents when visiting them in Montreal. They never ate raw fish before, so I started out with making California Rolls (including the more challenging inside out rolls) using semi-cooked tuna (baby steps) and my trusty sushi roller and the sharpest knife in the drawer. They appeared to be very impressed with the presentation but I don’t think they enjoyed the taste. It’s taken a while for Westerners to get accustomed to eating raw fish. Now there’s so many Japanese restaurants in Vancouver, but not all are created equal.

Where does the Daruma come it, and what does it represent? There are references throughout this documentary about those little round dolls you’ve seen before with the missing eyes. They sometimes topple over but get right back up. There’s a message here. The Daruma is seen as a symbol of good luck, happiness and endurance. People traditionally buy these lucky dolls at the start of the year, make a wish as they color in the doll’s left eye, and then work towards their goal. Once the goal is achieved, they fill in the other eye. The Daruma is modeled after the famed Buddhist monk Daruma, who founded the Zen sect 1,500 years ago. The doll has also become commercialized by many Buddhist temples as a setting of new goals. It’s really a symbol of gratitude. Tojo always has a Daruma to show his appreciation for setting and accomplishing goals . I think I’m going to get one too. My first goal will be to get the doll and my second goal will be to start setting new goals. So that should mean that I can color in both eyes right away. So easy!

**World Premiere** at Fifth Avenue Cinemas

Taken from the VIFF Website:

For 36 years, Tojo’s has been a mainstay in the Vancouver food scene, beloved by critics, foodies, and a plethora of celebrities. A pioneer of Japanese cuisine in the West, chef Hidekazu Tojo helped bring sushi to the mainstream and is known as the inventor of the California Roll. Still working in his seventies, chef Tojo is inspired to look back on his life and ponder the legacy he will leave behind. He recalls his early years as a Japanese immigrant, coming to Canada at the age of 21, and his ambition to create a singular culinary path. We also accompany the chef on a return trip to Japan, where he connects with locals and explores new food trends.

Shot in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and Japan, The Chef & the Daruma is a mouth-watering film tracing a journey of immigration, identity, and reinvention. Mads K. Baekkevold, in his first feature documentary, creates a loving tribute to a man who has devoted his life to sharing food.

You can still find Tojo at the counter. Here’s a link to a Limited-time special Fall menu at Tojo’s restaurant:

https://tojos.com/daruma

Join VIFF News

Get the latest updates on our Festival, year-round programming and more – and get $5 off two VIFF Centre year-round film tickets. Sign up here:

https://viff.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3344b76c6b5bdf78e58637067&id=2f28b8d64f

Sushi Photos taken from Tojo’s Restaurant Website

Film Reviews

VIFF: CONCLAVE

DRAMA, SUSPENSE, INTRIGUE…

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of viewing two fantastic films that are part of the VIFF Special Presentations – Emilia Pérez & Conclave. Both films have extraordinary stories and the actors were truly outstanding. While these two films are completely different from each other (as they should be), they share a common human thread. I’m still wrapping my head around Emilia Pérez so I’ll focus on CONCLAVE for this post.

The movie was shot entirely in Rome. The story centres around a sitting Pope who becomes an unexpected deceased Pope which leaves the Cardinals to deal with what to do about that?

In the Roman Catholic Church, a conclave is when its cardinals from around the world assemble to discuss the thorny matter of choosing a new Pope. The conclave elects the new Pope from members within its ranks. As this process usually takes several days and multiple ballots, it is thick with drama. Whoever is first to garner two thirds of the votes, wins. But this story comes with a lot of layers before, during and after the new pope becomes the chosen one.

When Cardinal Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading one of the world’s most ancient events (selecting a new Pope); he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Church. This movie is a Vatican Thriller with some unexpected turns – purposely left out for you to be surprised. Because…don’t you love surprises?

The excellent cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini and Carlos Diehz.

I also wanted to see this movie because of my personal connection with Isabella Rossellini, whom I got to know years ago when she was filming a movie here in Vancouver. She hired me to do a variety of things like; look after her daughter, plan a party, run errands, pick up an ex-hubby at the airport, etc. Her long time regular assistant had to go back to New York for business so I took over for a bit shortly after being introduced to Isabella when visiting my camera operator friend on set. She was very pleasant – even made me dinner one night. I had so much fun, and my then-boyfriend made no secret of having such a crush on HER…I had to introduce them before breaking up with him.

Rossellini plays a nun. Coincidentally, her mother (the great Ingrid Bergman) also played a nun garnering an Oscar nomination for “The Bells of St. Mary’s.” Like mother, like daughter.

THIS MOVIE is a must-see and a possible Oscar contender. I’ll even go so far as to predict that Ralph Fiennes will get a best actor nomination and John Lithgow a best supporting actor nomination. Let’s see how that plays out.

Carlos Diehz is a Mexican actor who only ventured into the craft of acting in 2020, and landed a lead role in this movie through a global search. He plays an important role.

Taken from the VIFF website:

When the sitting Pope shuffles off this mortal coil, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is handed the responsibility of marshalling the Catholic Church’s most influential figures and orchestrating the arcane process of electing a successor. Sequestered in the Vatican, several cardinals—including John Lithgow’s Cardinal Tremblay—turn cutthroat in their bid to lay claim to the papal throne. As conspiracies come to light and factions are formed, the unassuming Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz) harbours a secret that may have seismic consequences.

In his follow up to the Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger delivers another immaculately crafted, psychologically complex morality tale. Gifted with a gloriously refined screenplay by Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Berger elicits finely calibrated performances from a powerhouse cast that includes Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini. And while Stephane Fontaine’s cinematography ensures a succession of sublime compositions, it’s the dramatic tension resulting from faith running afoul of corruption that keeps us riveted.

The festival is on until October 6th (that’s tomorrow) but there’s viff movie screenings all year long. Check it out:

https://viff.org/

Film Reviews

CAN I GET A WITNESS?

Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is celebrating 43 years of showcasing exceptional cinema in an exceptional environment – beautiful Vancouver. You’ll see some of the best cinema from around the globe, one-of-a-kind live performances, talks, industry sessions, and other unique events celebrating film and film culture. I try to never miss this festival.

This year, due to other events and circumstances I’m starting later than planned. Better late than not at all, right? Last night I went to a theatre close to where I live (VIFF is expanding their viewing theatres to include a few more – other than the downtown area – YAY!) I saw CAN I GET A WITNESS? at Fifth Ave Cinemas to full capacity seating. The timing of this movie is supposed to take place in the very near future; maybe too near for most. I didn’t realize that it was filmed in Powell River; a city known for its natural beauty, world-class rock climbing and home to the Sunshine Coast Trail, until the credits.

This particular film has been creating some BUZZ.

I like to say…,.Remember the Past, Think about the Future, but Stick to the Present.

Kiera Jang as “Kiah”- Photo courtesy of VIFF

Sometimes the present sucks! Especially if you’re about to turn 50! And you probably don’t even know what I mean by this if you haven’t seen the movie. Turning 50 is a milestone for everyone who is lucky enough to turn 50… but in this movie it means much more than a milestone. It’s the end of an era – namely, your personal era.

Everyone should see this film. This movie is full of surprises as it reflects on the past and all the damage we’ve done to the planet, but looks to saving the future. And like life in general, you have to take the good with the bad. CAN I GET A WITNESS? premiered at TIFF, but knowing that it would be showing in Vancouver, I purposely waited to see it at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, now part of the VIFF lineup.

With Ann Marie Fleming. Photo: Kiera Jang

It is certainly a coming of age movie, but not what you might think, and I don’t want to give it all away. Writer, Director and Co-Executive Producer Ann Marie Fleming wants to give you something more crucial to contemplate It’s nothing to do with anti-aging (an overdone concept to begin with) like some of the more recent movies I’ve seen that deal with starting over after 50, such as “The Substance” or “The Last Showgirl” which is basically you’re over…once you’re over 50 (with themes that resort to doing anything to keep youthful and another when you must start over from scratch after having done the same job for 30 years). But what if after you turn 50, your life really is over?

This is one of the more profound movies I’ve seen in a long time – maybe ever. It covers many current world and personal issues while giving viewers lots to think about. However, it’s as gentle as it’s extreme. As beautiful and insightful as this film is; it’s equally scary and sad. Even though the timing is set in the near future, it appears a little old fashioned; or as the VIFF Guide says; remarkably folksy. Yes, it is; especially considering the subject matter. It also has some charmingly animated objects that show up here and there…a sprinkling to give an unexpected, more dreamy innocent effect….along with the more dramatic nuances. Contradictions that make perfect sense in a sometimes senseless world.

My thoughts are that you will leave the theatre feeling different and questioning human choices and giving more thought to how we can improve the planet. At least that’s my hope…because if life imitates art, we’re all in trouble. If art imitates life, we may have a chance.

From the VIFF Guide:

Ann Marie Fleming takes us to a time when humanity has survived the global environmental crisis, but only at a steep price. As the film opens, Kiah (Keira Jang) is preparing for the first day of a new job, while her mother Ellie (Sandra Oh) is readying herself for a new journey of her own. Over the next two days, Kiah and her co-worker Daniel (Joel Oulette) perform their duties as official witnesses; together, they’re helping fulfill a global mandate to protect all life…

CAN I GET A WITNESS? is a film in which the important facts emerge gradually; as it builds to its powerful conclusion, the pace is leisurely and the style is deceptively casual. Fleming has a great ear for dialogue, and she directs with a strong attention to the nuances of human interaction. Jang and Oulette give subtle and convincing performances, and Oh is wonderful as always.

About:

Ann Marie Fleming is an award-winning visual artist, writer, director, animator and cross-platform media maker who has worked in a variety of genres (animation, experimental, documentary and drama). Her work often deals with themes of family, history and memory.

Ann Marie’s 2003 feature documentary The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, based on the life of her magician and acrobat great-grandfather, won both the Grand Jury and Best Documentary Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Best Documentary Prize at the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival in Canada. And her animated feature film, Window Horses, received numerous international awards, including Best Animated film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Gijon International Film Festival in Barcelona.

Filmography: The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (2003); The French Guy (2005); Window Horses (2016).

Sidenote: I saw The French Guy AND Window Horses. Excellent, diverse films that focus on cultural values.

Link for tickets (still a few more days left):

https://viff.org/festival/viff-2024/

entertainment

A NEW SPIN ON A TIMELESS COMEDY

Father Tartuffe: An Indigenous Misadventure is playing at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver until March 24th, 2024.

Every now and again I may invite a guest reviewer on this site. Today it is Paul LeMay who I’ve asked to give his take on “Father Tartuffe” from the opening night at the Arts Club Theatre.

The arts (theatre, poetry, music, painting, sculpture, literature, dance) done with skill and imagination, are an essential part of life.

Paul’s Review:

“Father Tartuffe: An Indigenous Misadventure“ is built around a play called Tartuffe, or the Impostor, originally written by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who is better known as Molière. Molière, who lived during the reign of France’s King Louis XIV, is often described as France’s Shakespeare. However, unlike the Bard, Molière preferred comedic plays.

And comedy is the operant word here, which is important when one considers the times in which the play is being performed. I refer here to several world headline grabbing allegations made in recent years by certain First Nations spokespeople about the abuses and yes, possible crimes indigenous students allegedly suffered at the hands of unscrupulous clergy in Canada’s various denominational native residential schools. So, given the huge social controversy these stories sparked, what could possibly be considered comedic diving into that terrain?

And perhaps that’s the inescapable point worth mentioning here. Many of European settler ancestry might be inclined to believe this play might be all about pointing many accusatory fingers at the perpetrators of cultural genocide against first nations peoples, and the legacy of harm it unleashed in its wake. And who would want to squirm in their seats for two hours in some in unrelenting guilt fest? I have to admit, these were some of the thoughts that crossed my mind before attending the performance.

Well, I am here to tell you that’s not what indigenous playwright Herbie Barnes did. Rather, the play took a much more light-hearted aim at the immoral character of an exploitive Montreal priest by the name of Tartuffe, which was entirely in keeping with the original Molière play title. Tartuffe had been invited to live in the home of an extended first nations family, that was itself already in the process of trying to find out what it meant to be an “Indian” in 1967 Canada. Sure, in some respects one could argue that the Tartuffe character was a symbolic stand-in for the duplicitous white man who speaks with forked-tongue. But for many, that allusion might completely escape their immediate recognition.

Yet both the play, and its performers, did not disappoint. In fact, on both counts, both exceeded my original expectations; and it accomplished what it set out to accomplish, namely, to make people laugh. And laugh we did, even at jokes filled with all manner of culturally riské inuendo, that tastefully never quite crossed the line into taboo land. From my eyes, the play was part situation comedy, part farce, part inside jokes among native people, and together, the mix proved cathartic, if not, therapeutic.

And as the ancient Greeks knew long ago, this can help audience members (society’s members) both explore and release pent up guilts and/or mental tensions around almost any topic, in the hope they realize that we are all flawed individuals trying to make our way through life the best way we can…even screwing up on occasion despite our best of intentions. And this alchemy succeeds because such is the universal human condition. In this respect, this play and its performers, proved both healing and entertaining. What more can one ask of a play? In this regard, it was an evening well spent.

February 28 to March 24:

To book:

https://artsclub.com/shows/2023-2024/father-tartuffe-an-indigenous-misadventure

Art & Culture

Modernism Madness: The Shag House

My first home tour for Modernism week 2024 was a home I wanted to visit for a long time;

which turned out to be a fully immersive experience which felt like climbing into a 3-D painting. One painted by the artist known as Shag (Josh Agle), who reimagined this mid-century modern, tiki-inspired privately owned home to fit with his original designs.

If you’ve ever visited Palm Springs, you more than likely stopped by the Shag store on Palm Canyon. It’s a must-see on the visitors list as it contains an array of well curated limited-edition merchandise, original paintings, and fine art prints that span over 30 years of Shag’s career. I feel like it was all condensed into one home.

For this home, Shag drew upon his architectural studies and the aesthetic of his artwork to reinvent this classic 1958 home.

Modernist fans will recognize the core of the house, where Shag has preserved much of the original layout including the familiar 3-bedroom, 2-bath floor plan, as well as the tongue and groove ceilings.

While the centre of the home’s layout remains the same, everything else has been updated, expanded, and transformed, for the current homeowner, Brandon McBurney; who enjoys hosting philanthropic events.

In collaboration with Brandon and John-Patrick Flynn of Brandtopia, the Shag team has created an entirely new exterior offering grand curb appeal.

The front entry has been expanded and the original breezeway has been converted into a swank party lounge. Beyond the lounge, the addition of a casita offers a quiet retreat with a unique vantage point of the pool’s and surrounding areas.

It’s amazing what people can create with a vision, a team, some cash and cachet. Bravo for a job well done!

Photos: d. king

Modernism is on from February 15-25, 2024

For Modernism Tickets:

https://modernismweek.com/

Art & Culture

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”

AKA: DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE

Had the pleasure of attending the season opener of “THE MAGIC FLUTE”at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Saturday night with my friend Rosa.

Opera is a rare art form that inspires and exhilarates all of the senses, and more often than not; procures life-long aficionados, also referred to as fanatics. Rosa is one of those, whereas I used to be more familiar with Broadway-type shows and musicals.

Kirsten MacKinnon and Owen McCausland – **Emily Cooper Photography**

Opera is trying to make sense of the nonsense. No good opera plot can be sensible because no one sings when they get stabbed or bitten by a dragon. It’s just an imaginative fairy tale set to music with romance (usually a damsel in distress and some bad or misunderstood guy), dancing, tragedy, comedy, special effects and a little supernatural. If they throw a king or queen and a crazy bird man into the mix; all the more magical.

There were bits and pieces of all of that in the Magic Flute. If you’re not already aware; this is considered a timeless classic; one of the greatest operas ever written. It concerns the search for truth and reason (I never did get the reason though), love and enlightenment. It follows the adventures of Prince Tamino and this silly bird-catcher called Papageno on their quest to rescue Pamina – daughter of the Queen of the Night.

Audrey Luna as The Queen of the Night with Kirsten MacKinnon – **Emily Cooper Photography**

Prince Tamino plays the Magic Flute and discovers it has the power to calm the most savage of beasts. Tamino and Pamina finally meet and pledge to endure the trials of initiation into the Temple of Wisdom together; trials that have their basis in the Freemasonry movement of the 18th century, of which Mozart was a member – a sneaky way of putting that in there without even realizing it. I knew there was some trial because they kept referring to it, but didn’t understand why, or where it was going to take place. Anyway, freemasonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. More on that later…as I try not to go too off topic.

There’s lots going on in this 3 hour opera, including some monsters and 3 damsels that keep showing up out of nowhere. However, I must give special mention to the costumes and set design which were breathtaking. It is a fantasy after all I keep reminding myself.

And let’s remember that Mozart wrote it over 230 years ago.

“THE MAGIC FLUTE” was the last opera Mozart composed. It premiered on September 30^th, 1791 – roughly three months before he died at the age of 35. Mozart is perhaps the greatest composer in history. In his short creative lifetime he wrote more than 600 works, he redefined the symphony, composed some of the greatest operas ever written and lifted chamber music to new heights of artistic achievement. That’s some resume!

SECRET SOCIETY: Both Mozart and the opera’s librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, were devoted Freemasons, a fraternity famous for secret rites and rituals, at a time when the Masonic order was frowned upon by the authorities and mistrusted by the public. Its meetings were mysterious to outsiders and the order was believed to be connected to the principles of the Enlightenment, so established political leaders were a little nervous about it. The emperor of Austria even restricted the number of Masonic lodges allowed to operate in the country.

So, while Mozart’s drama fell into the general category of “magic opera” — works based on folk tales, with plenty of stunts, scene changes and spectacular stage effects — it was also a political statement in disguise, filled with veiled Masonic symbolism, including an homage to a Masonic initiation ceremony in Act II balancing four elements (earth, air, water, fire) in perfect harmony of the universe.

“The happy medium – truth in all things – is no longer either known or valued; to gain applause, one must write things so inane that they might be played on barrel-organs, or so unintelligible that no rational being can comprehend them, though on that very account, they are likely to please” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

You don’t say…

Now until October 29^th. For tickets:

https://www.vancouveropera.ca/whats-on/magic-flute/

Header Photo: The Magic Flute full stage – Emily Cooper Photography

Art & Culture

Monday Mood – Modernism

Palm Springs is getting ready once again to celebrate all things Modernism.

Modernism Week’s signature February Event is an annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture. Modernism Week features more than 350 events including the Palm Springs Modernism Show, Signature Home Tours, films, lectures, Premier Double Decker Architectural Bus Tours, nightly parties and live music, walking and bike tours, tours of Sunnylands, fashion, classic cars, modern garden tours, a vintage travel trailer exhibition, and more.

The mission is to celebrate and foster appreciation of midcentury architecture and design, as well as contemporary thinking in these fields, by encouraging education, preservation and sustainable modern living as represented in the greater Palm Springs area.

Feb 16, 2023 to Feb 26, 2023

Here’s one I’m looking forward to and it’s free:

This will be the ultimate street party celebration. Dance in the street to These Boots Were Made For Walkin’ honoring Nancy Sinatra.

For general information and tickets (many sell out fast) please visit:

https://modernismweek.com/

New activities have just been added for Modernism Week!

Click to view the new activities.

photos + commentary taken from Modernism Website. I’ll be blogging about the events I go to separately. Enjoy!

Art, Architecture, Culture

Mod day Mood: Modernism Museum

The MOD not Modest place to be

There have been many a photo taken and several articles written about the Modernism Museum prior to my visit yesterday.

The museum, which is fairly new to Palm Springs, was created by visionary artist, designer and friend Tracy Turco, so it was already obvious to me that it would be anything but mundane.

Warming up by the Fireplace. Early 70’s where mellow yellow and brown accents co exist in this eclectic environment.

Clearly, it is a fun place to visit with exceptional attention to detail showcasing all things mid-century Modern from the late 50s to the early 70s era.

The museum is not only for tourists or locals but will serve the community as a gathering place to socialize in an inspired atmosphere located in the heart of Palm Springs. There’s a glittery disco roller rink at the back of the museum and a comfy colourful seating area which can be rented out for parties. How much fun is that?

1950’s kitchens featured fiberglass, stainless steel and aluminum and done in yellow, turquoise, pink, mint green, and other colors like red, black + white.

This beauty salon contains vintage memorabilia as well as a hairdryer that Marion Davies sat under weekly in Hollywood when she was the mistress to William Randolph Hearst.

I took plenty more photos with my Samsung phone camera but think it best that you visit and take some yourself. In a place like this it’s very easy to get carried away and therefore, give too much away.