Spacing launched December 3rd, 2003. Tonight they will be celebrating the release of their latest issue (and their output of 13 issues over five years!)

Pick up a copy of the latest issue at the event, around Toronto at Pages or direct from their webstore.

Here’s to another 5 years for one of Toronto’s and Canada’s great magazines.

Spacing’s fifth anniversary party and new issue!
The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West at Dovercourt
December 10th, 7pm-1am
$5 for subscribers or $10 (includes mag)
(RSVP: please note that, in accordance with Spacing’s liquor license, you need to RSVP to this event by email to rsvp@spacing.ca)

A Rolling Perspective artshow kicks off this Friday.

After touring through Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal among others A Rolling Perspective makes its final stop, Toronto this Friday. This is a photography show with a twist. Color Magazine and Etnies asked skaters to shoot a self portrait of themselves from their own perspective, skateboarding. There are hundreds portraits in the collection from skaters across Canada, the United States and as far off as Japan (Mark Appleyard, Ryan Allan, Andrew Norton, Kevin Wong, Harry Gils among them). The show will open Friday night as a kind of art crawl. It kicks off at Stussy, then at Adrift and closes out with an afterparty at the Baitshop.

A Rolling Perspective
opening reception FRIDAY DEC. 5, 2008

A Rolling Perspective is showing through the month of December at Stussy and Adrift.

The Useless Wooden Toys skateboard artclock benefit show for Skate4Cancer at Adrift in 2007.

The online Adrift Archive continues, and the show Saturday is fast approaching. Nike SB and Adrift are presenting a photo showcase celebrating Adrift Skateshop’s first four years of skateboarding, art shows, and live music. Looking forward to seeing images from Ryan Allan, Canice Leung, Andrew Norton, and David Waldman. Toronto photographers past and present and only a few who are contributing images.

The Adrift Archive
November 29th
7-11pm
116 Spadina Avenue

The moment of truth has finally arrived. Ten teams from across the country participated in SHOOT TO THRILL, a skateboard film challenge presented by Color Magazine. The Pro division of the competition was shot analog. Shooting a short film in just 72 hours would have been hard enough for each team of 5 participants (3 skaters, a director and photographer). To try that near toxic mix using only 10 rolls of 16mm film would be a nightmare! Much like regular film you the masterpieces or disasters are only truly discovered after the film is developed.

The stress is over, the editing done and the winner of the $8,000 SHOOT TO THRILL prize has been chosen. Check out the amazing skateboarding and art for Free tonight at the Bloor Cinema. All 10 short films will be screen and the winners of both the photography and movie will be revealed. It will be great to see what Canada’s pro skateboarders have put together. Looking forward to seeing Team Vancouver’s film shot by Fred Montagne (“French Fred“) as well as Toronto’s team featuring Corey Sheppard.

RED BULL SHOOT TO THRILL
Presented by Color Magazine

TORONTO, NOVEMBER 21st
Bloor Cinema
506 Bloor St W
9pm
all ages – FREE

Touched By Fire is a program which strives to encourage and celebrate the work created by artists with mood disorders. Many well known artists in art history, from van Gogh to Georgia O’Keefe, have been faced with mood disorders.

The online gallery continues to grow but this Thursday is special. The success of the 2007 gallery show has prompted Touched by Fire to repeat it this year. Come out to the Gladstone to check out great paintings, photos, mixed media and other creations at this year’s Touched by Fire.

Touched by Fire
“An Art Show And Sale Of Works Created By Artists With Mood Disorders”
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto ON M6J 1J6

Additional Gallery Viewing: November 14th and 15th
1pm to 5pm (2nd Floor)
November 14 2008 To November 15 2008 | 1-5PM Daily | 2nd Floor

The CBC have tracked the fall of the TSX in pictures. You can see the one month 17% carnage from several views around Bay Street and the Financial District. Hoping this horror story ended with October but a horrible sequel could be added in the months to come. I’m sure the Christmas decor is already lining the malls as I write this. Time will tell if the consumer hibernates this winter.

Glad I took some time out from the hustle, bustle and market mayhem yesterday. Picking up my film cameras (and my digital) was a welcome change to the mindless grind. I always try to experiment with a new photo technique on 1024, in the past it was cross processing, pinhole photography, shooting B+W film… Never hurts to have a creative distraction.

TenTwentyFour was originally a Lomography based event in 2002. The international photo day in the life is now open to all formats/cameras and I’m proud to have been a contributor for most all of them. It’s been awhile since I shot film and even longer since I’ve tinkered with my Diana. The “mystery” of film is part of the allure and I’m anxious to see what images will look like when shot with regular 35mm instead of 120 film. Of course it will be exciting to see the images from around the world once the gallery for 2008 gets assembled later this year.

Looking forward to the Adrift Archive show as their tribute site reveals some highlights circa 2004 to 2008. Adrift is celebrating it’s past life in Kensington Market with an art show in November’s. The old shop was host to great parties, great music, and great skateboarders. Contributing photographers from Ryan Allan, Canice Leung, and David Waldman so the show is sure to impress. Hopefully Adrift can continue to raise the bar and represent Toronto’s skateboard/art scene for many more years.

The spirit of the night. A custom shirt made for Nuit Blanche still dripping with irony.

Another year, another Nuit Blanche. Nuit Blanche put art on the map and quite well I might add. From free movies at AGO’s Cinematheque, free admission at the Gardiner Museum or the light show at City Hall there was plenty to see. I have to say that I’m impressed with many of the exhibits this year.

I’ve faired well in the aftermath considering that I traversed nearly all the zones and stayed awake almost the whole spectacle. Whether it was flashing lights, dance, theatre, spoken word or zombies I hope you had a chance to enjoy the show. My fellow Torontonians (about a million strong?!) had an interesting art adventure in the dark. It was great to see so many people on the street, meeting new friends on the TTC and taking in interesting art. Art a niche issue? If you have to ask, you’ll never know…

World Press Photo is back at Brookfield Place in the Albert Lambert Galleria. I haven’t heard who the Saturday speakers will be yet but last year’s afternoon presentations were informative and flushed out a lot of the stories behind the images. Last year there were new speakers every weekend and it was well worth going more than once.

Looking forward to catching the World Press exhibit this year but Nuit Blanche will be my destination of choice Saturday, especially the Cabbagetown spots. Interested to see what some local artists have dreamed up for tomorrow! Don’t think I’ll be alone either. Last year some 800,000 people hit the streets to check out Nuit Blanche and a MILLION are expected this year. TTC don’t fail me now!!!

World Press Photo 2008
Until October 22, 2008
Free
Allen Lambert Galleria
Brookfield Place
181 Bay Street, Toronto

Nuit Blanche
From sunset at 6:52 pm on Saturday, October 4
to sunrise on Sunday, October 5, 2008
Free
155 different installations all over Toronto in three Zones

(Additional Info at various satellite booths at Toronto City Hall, Queen’s Park, Union Station, Exhibition Go Station and Trinity Bellwoods Park at Queen W and Strachan)