BILLET 4

What would happen if you fell into a wormhole? Would you find yourself being transported to a distant land? What would the process look like? Would it be a perpetual blackness? Or would colours and shapes explode and whiz by you? There’s no answer to those questions here, but staring at a sculpture by Los-Angeles based artist Jen Stark might offer you possible theories to those questions.

Jen Stark’s 3D sculptures can be likened to the experience of looking at a series of objects found in nature through a microscope in your junior high biology class…If you ingested copious amounts of hallucinogens before class. Her sculptures, which are predominately created with paper (although she has experimented with wood, metal and plexi sculpturing as well), collapse into themselves in dizzying, cyclical, jagged and colourful ways. They stretch out from a base, beckoning the audience into their limitless pinpointed centers; daring the viewer to decipher where a corner begins and ends.

The effect of Stark’s sculptures is that of overwhelming immersion into the symmetrical, rainbow-infused kaleidoscope. Such intricacies and tactile layering can offer an appearance of infinite sequences, infinite processes and infinite destinations. Staring at a piece by Jen Stark may cause spiritual epiphanies; they may suck an audience in – much like a wormhole – and spit them out into a baffling world of optical ecstasy.

 Jen Stark also engages in 2D artwork – paintings, murals and billboards being a few of her mediums. These 2D creations, while unable to share the same intrusive and ever-stretching characteristics as Stark’s 3D sculptures, they still present chaotic, colourful landscapes, which seem to melt across the field onto which they are drawn.

It is no surprise that Stark was awarded the prestigious South Florida Cultural Consortium’s Visual and Media Artists Fellowship in 2008, as her meticulous, otherworldly approach is truly unique and offers a transcending experience of art. She has had solo exhibitions at the Cooper Cole Gallery in Toronto, Ontario; the Martha Otero Gallery in Los Angeles and the City Arts Center in Oklahoma City, among many others. Follow Jen Stark on Instagram @jenstark and visit her website (http://www.jenstark.com/) for more awe-inspiring work.

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-jen-stark/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 3

Miguel Becer, 31, is a talented Spanish fashion designer that you should be following. As the artistic director of his own label, ManéMané, since 2012, he became the pride of Spain in such a small amount of time and is now a true reference for the Spanish fashion industry. He won the “Who’s On Next” contest in 2015, an event organized once a year by Vogue in collaboration with Inditex to reward younger talents. Based in Madrid but constantly traveling the world, he is followed by more than 16 000 people on his personal Instagram. He is definitely the cool kid to watch.

Miguel Becer lives for fashion. It does not bother him when he needs to  have late night drawings, pattern making or sewing sessions. Creating garments represents his way of translating his concerns and happy thoughts about the world’s current situation. The brand gives the customer a continuity of product thus maintaining its own identity and rigor in the quality of the traditional  fabrics’ choice – wools, silks and cottons – and thorough finishings of the garments.

The brand was born during Becer’s graduation year at Arte 2, an art school in Madrid, during his fashion design and creation program.  A very personal story is behind the name ManéMané – this is what Miguel Becer called his twin brother when he was a child. He thought choosing this name for his brand would never sound boresome to his ears since it is a part of his life.

Four years ago, at only 28 years old, he managed to gain a foothold in the industry. He had his own runway show for the first time at the Samsung Ego event during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, where novice designers receive great visibility and the opportunity to showcase their collection on a professional catwalk. He immediately got the attention of national and international popular magazines, that helped him gain the recognition he deserves. Since then, each season, Becer and his team have been reinventing Spanish traditional codes, by mixing them with current trends’ inspiration.

For his Fall/Winter 16 womenswear collection, Becer went for a cheerful collection, catching teenagers’ interest with a mature modern edge added to it. The ManéMané girl is young and fun, a feature that is reflected in traditional stylings, sprinkled with hints of Spanish folklore and deconstruction of the patterns. The garments are patchworked, creating a perfectly under-control mess of fabrics mixed together. The designer presented a combination of influences from the most diverse inspirations – from completely deconstructed hip-hop pieces to traditional Spanish plaids, strips that hang from absolutely everything and open leg seams. The logo of the brand is omnipresent in different sizes on almost every piece. The shades of green, blue, burgundy and black are seasoned with touches of yellow to highlight and give shape to the color palette.
The young designer exercises a balanced view between creativity, sensitivity and business. ManéMané presents collections each season that shine for their consistency and stylistic sensitivity. Miguel Becer understands how fashion is an exciting instrument beyond clothing.

For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/profile-manemane/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

BILLET 2

The Fine Print launched its second print publication, The Transition Issue, on May 25th at White Wall Studio in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal.

Throughout the night, impeccable service was provided by our friends at Forand Événements while the delicious cheeses, charcuteries and nibbles were curtesy of the lovely Elle Traiteur. This is our second time doing business with both local entrepreneurs and we highly recommend their services for any of your personal or corporate events, they truly make an incredible difference!

As for alcohol sponsors, we would like to recognize the presence of local brewers Cheval Blanc and Smac Cidre from La Face Cachée de la Pomme. Rise! was generous enough to provide us with some delicious kombucha for our guests.

Local brands Lafaille and Slush B. set up shop during the night, selling their garments and handbags respectively.  Paintings by Tereza Tacic, an installation by The Doodys and a video installation by Lauren Pelc-McArthur were curated as an exclusive one-night-only art exhibition. International DJs Ours Samplus was behind the decks to keep our crowd dancing all evening long. 

One last big thank you to The Ants for helping with the coordination of this awesome night!

We love you all and thank you so much again for coming, means to world to the entire team. We hope you enjoy The Transition Issue!

Pictures by Laura Mogollon and Gabrielle Beland 


For more pictures, go to: http://thefineprintmagazine.com/the-transition-issue-launch-party/

Please contact Estelle Gervais by email for more information. 

Tous nos amis au lancement! 

BILLET 2

The Fine Print launched its second print publication, The Transition Issue, on May 25th at White Wall Studio in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal.

Throughout the night, impeccable service was provided by our friends at Forand Événements while the delicious cheeses, charcuteries and nibbles were curtesy of the lovely Elle Traiteur. This is our second time doing business with both local entrepreneurs and we highly recommend their services for any of your personal or corporate events, they truly make an incredible difference!

As for alcohol sponsors, we would like to recognize the presence of local brewers Cheval Blanc and Smac Cidre from La Face Cachée de la Pomme. Rise! was generous enough to provide us with some delicious kombucha for our guests.

Local brands Lafaille and Slush B. set up shop during the night, selling their garments and handbags respectively.  Paintings by Tereza Tacic, an installation by The Doodys and a video installation by Lauren Pelc-McArthur were curated as an exclusive one-night-only art exhibition. International DJs Ours Samplus was behind the decks to keep our crowd dancing all evening long. 

One last big thank you to The Ants for helping with the coordination of this awesome night!

We love you all and thank you so much again for coming, means to world to the entire team. We hope you enjoy The Transition Issue!

Pictures by Laura Mogollon and Gabrielle Beland 

Tous nos amis au lancement! 

BILLET 1

The world seen through the lens of artist and art historian Ange Ong is not much different from ours. She sees mountains and alleyways; we can see those. She sees a cutting board resting on the sink, and a glass on the table; we see this. She sees a museum attendant sitting behind a sparse information desk; this is not new. It is not her subjects that shape something unseen, because they surround all of us all the time, but Ong’s interaction with the quiet everyday that is transportive and gives clementines and white-walled hallways pause.

The figures of Ong’s photography are isolated and colors are flattened, as if the scenes were layered with pastel tissue paper. Like pressing mute while movie gunshots fire, Ong’s minimalism simplifies food, cityscapes and packed beaches to become impossibly serene.

Her work is often more than just a pretty face. Performance piece “Illegitimate Surfaces/ChorGwo” involved Ong’s participation in the illegal business of pasting posters (she used photographs of a flower meadow) on city walls of Hong Kong. The work’s journalistic writings and photos of documentation comment on occupancy as protest and ephemerality of image.

Ong is currently working between New York City and Hong Kong, taking photos, curating performances, and collecting and creating to form a body of experimental arts writing.

ESTELLE GERVAIS

LE PIGEON

Sweatin' teen spirit - board of the week

Just purchased the Givenchy Madonna clutch after HUNTING it down for days and I'm BEYOND EXCITED.

 Hopefully in a close future, ill be able to pair it with these other bebes. I wanna start a family and adopt all of these into my home. 

Acne "Collage" Tee, Givenchy Madonna clutch, 3.1 Phillip Lim Skirt, Jeffrey Campbell Cantu boots and cover myself in Luv AJ jewels. 

Gonna be a grunge summer for me and I'm sweatin' teen spirit ! 

Hedi strikes again - Saint Laurent Paris new advertising approach

Unless you live in another galaxy, you are aware of the big changes that have been taken at Saint Laurent Paris (RIP Yves) in the past year. Hedi Slimane is hated or loved, you just have to pick your side at this point. I was literally shocked and very mad when the YSL name was changed. Like come on, were not gonna change Chanel to Coco Paris. Its just something you don't do. You don't change a religion's name. You just don't. 

Now that everyone has accepted the irreversable, Hedi strikes again. Now, i believe, in a hell of a good way. The whole "using celebrities" for ads thing has been done over and over again. Let's just all forget that and feel the magic.

Anyone in marketing knows that what he's doing is a hit or miss- but really, he hasn't forgot (nor missed) anything here. New advertising campaigns feature Daft Punk (whose new single rocks my socks), Courtney Love, Marylin Manson, Kim Gordon and Ariel Pink.

Say it once, say it twice. 

LONG LIVE ROCK N' ROLL !