If you’ve ever visited Montreal during the winter months, then you know that it can be cold, dark and dreary, but each year the Luminothérapie festival discovers new and entertaining ways to dispel the gloom and lighten up the season. This year, artists Olivier Girouard and Jonathan Villeneuve have collaborated to create a temporary art installation that encourages public participation. The Loop was inspired by 19th century zoetrope machines, early cinema devices that used images in a spinning frame to create the illusion of motion. Loop participants sit in circular pods and move a bar back and forth to spin the device generating a colorful, strobing light show.
The entire Loop installation will move on to other Canadian cities, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and the U.S., but it will be accessible in Montreal until January 29, 2017.
images via Quartier des Spectacles
10 reasons why books make the best gifts
Over the years, I’ve sold copies of a number of versions of Lewis Carroll’s masterwork Alice in Wonderland, but I’ve never owned this 1899 illustrated U.S. edition. Published by M.F. Mansfield and A. Wessels, New York, this wonderful version has 12 full-page illustrations of color drawings by Blanche McManus.
You can see a complete copy of the book online on the website for the University of Florida George A. Mathers Libraries digital collections. I spent many hours lost in the stacks of the libraries at UF during my undergraduate days. The surprisingly good collections were the best thing about the University, along with the free range alligators on campus.
h/t to Michael Pederson
This year has seen so many devastating losses for the world in the arts and culture communities. A British Twitter user who only goes by the handle ChrisTheBarker has paid homage to the some of the many greats who died in 2016 with a recreation of the iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. His assemblage includes David Bowie, Prince, Sharon Jones, Gene Wilder, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Leon Russell Leonard Cohen, and of course Beatle’s producer George Martin. And to acknowledge the tragic political events of 2016, a funeral floral arrangement “Brexit” replaces “Beatles” , while a “Make America Great” hat is featured just in case anyone forgot for a moment what the Trump Chump voters have done.
For 150 years, New York City’s major retailers have been going all out decorating their store windows for the holiday season. This year thanks to Google everyone around the world can virtually experience the festive sights of Manhattan. Just click here to visit NYC’s Window Wonderland.
Budapest photographer and part-time bus driver Rizsavi Tamás has captured the dazzling beauty of Hungary’s capital city during the holidays in a new series of stunning photographs. You can see more of his terrific work on his Facebook page.
all images ©Rizsavi Tamás
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