Filed under: Photography | Tags: Alexander Zizka, art sponge, montreal, Photography, portrait, street
My friend Alex is originally from Vancouver but presently residing in Montreal (where I’ve had the immense pleasure of getting to know him). His pictures have many different moods and styles. Always with his Rolleiflex in hand, Alex captures spontaneous street photography as well as more conceptual shoots, producing a nice eclectic mix of awesome pictures.
Filed under: Photography | Tags: cloud, Hervé Demers, montreal, Photography, smoke, winter
Beautiful photography by a Hervé Demers, coincidentally also living in Montreal !!
I chose these pictures from his photostream because they represent a farewell to Winter for me. The sun is sticking around longer each day, the sky is blue but it’s not freezing… the snow is evaporating to let the green grass grow.
Hervé’s great work was found on the Flickr group.
Filed under: Photography | Tags: Art, art sponge, Film, interview, Larry Dufresne, montreal, photographer, Photography, polaroid, portrait, quebec, teabags
When did you start photography and why?
I started by studying literature and discovered I had a very visual writing style. Photography seemed to be a natural development for my artistic skills. I also travelled a lot in the last few years and took lots of pictures with the different film cameras I bought along the way.
Have you kept writing?
I enjoy writing as much as photography, and like to combine them. I work on my writing in the same way I work on my photography: by breaking up certain words and giving the reader a new perspective on them, like creating a different language.
Why Polaroid? Digital vs. film?
I think digital is a great tool because it reassures you when you see the pictures right away. But I have a hard time finding inspiration in personal projects when working with digital. Its like writing on paper or typing, its not the same experience or feeling. You take pictures differently when using digital equipment or film.
How do you work on your photos? What’s the approach you take?
I like to create stories through my pictures. Sometimes I even use pictures I didn’t take, old pictures that people want to throw away. I add text or blend another picture on top order to create my own story. Its like playing with legos or making a puzzle, I use different parts I find to assemble a unique piece.
Shooting in Polaroid and film makes every picture very precious, so if I make a mistake like an over-exposure I try and use it to my advantage. I try and give pictures a new life by adding text or texture.
Mistakes with film are much more significant than with digital, it hurts more to mess up with film. You always learn from your mistakes when shooting on a roll of film.
However most of the time I’ll spend more time thinking about the significance of my pictures after taking them.
What motivates you? What inspires you?
Writers like Réjean Ducharme, typography and illustration. I believe that artists shouldn’t lose focus on the work around them, you need a visual culture to work with photography and other visual arts.
Larry is from Montreal and I had the pleasure of meeting with him to do this short interview. If any of you out there are from Montreal, make sure to go check out his exhibition in the Divan Orange (its up until the end of April). I’ll go as soon as my exams are over !
his portfolio (under the name petochok)
Filed under: Music | Tags: arcade fire, Art, art sponge, band, funeral, haiti, indie, intervention, montreal, Music, rebellion, rock, une annee sans lumiere
Now thats a band worth mentioning.
Its also a band with 7 members, that should give you a little idea of the sound-range we are talking here. Not only do they have an insane amount of instruments in each song, they all know how to play each of them and they create a perfect harmony between them. I think the first song I heard of Arcade Fire was Rebellion which is a great upbeat song in itself, but its even better if you listen to it with the previous one Haiti (the song ends with the beginning of Rebellion).
– Haiti
– Rebellion
Actually just listen to their whole album Funeral, its a beautiful musical piece. Their second album Neon Bible keeps that great original sound, and adds a little Religion questioning to it (not only in the lyrics, they recorded part of it in a church).
– Intervention
And finally to top it off, they sing parts of songs in French !! I am originally from France, and I study in Montreal, where the band is based at present.
– Une Annee Sans Lumiere [Funeral]
Art Sponge 