Sky Crying, the Waves are Rising-Smile Stealers, Allison Moore 2010
Tyr receives the smile-Smile Stealers, Allison Moore 2010 I recently had a chance to screen the first 14 minutes of SMILE STEALERS. After a year of work with Jasa Baka, Gutstrings, and the Parlour Treats crew. it was nice to finally see the film come alive in the projection. A succesful night that invited active members of studio Graff to show the video art.
Ateliers Graff vous invitent à visionner les oeuvres en vidéo d’art de cinq de ses membres, soit Guillaume Brisson-Darveau,Thomas Corriveau, Arthur Desmarteaux (Étienne Rochon), Pascaline Knight et Allison Moore.le jeudi 22 avril de 17 h à 19 hGalerie Graff 963 rue Rachel Est à Montréal (métro Mont-Royal). L’entrée est libre et ouverte à tous.L’atelier-projections a été initié en 2009 par les Ateliers Graff dans le but d’offrir à ses membres qui explorentla vidéo d’art une plateforme pour présenter leur travail. C’est aussi une occasion de discuter de certainesproblématiques entourant la création dans un esprit de collaboration et d’échange typique des Ateliers Graff.Vous pourrez voir, au cours de cette soirée, des oeuvres accomplies et des projets expérimentaux, témoignantdes pratiques multiples des artistes en art imprimé dans un contexte actuel où l’influence des arts médiatiquesest devenue incontournable. Pour cette édition, la programmation est particulièrement orientée vers desoeuvres réalisées en vidéo d’animation, un médium qui entretient, tout comme l’art imprimé, des liens serrésavec d’autres pratiques picturales telles que le dessin, la peinture, le collage ou l’image numérique.Fondé par l’artiste Pierre Ayot en 1966, Graff est l’un des premiers regroupements d’artistes au Canada.
I finally uploaded a demo video of my video game online. Timber Jack is a video game in the style of role-playing games. Investigating ethics and economics in silviculture. You are a lumberjack. You must cut down trees with an axe or chainsaw. The game world is designed combining my illustrations, and cut-out textures. +Produced at Studio xx 2008-2009 during "Digital Ludology" intensive workshop series in Blender Game Engine with Julien Beausejour.
Here is a photo journal of my residency in Toronto with artist collaborator Arthur Desmarteaux. Thank you to Graff Print Studios in Montreal and all the great staff at Open Studio for making this exchange possible. Also big Thanks to the Canada Council of the Arts for making the travel possible, and to Frederick and Sylvia for sharing their apartment for 2 weeks! [FYI: most photos feature Arthur printing....but I will assure you it was a total team effort to print 36" x 48", our biggest yet, thanks to the arm and vacuum table at Open studio!]
We drew the final outline image on clear print vellum
The final image is surreal landscape influenced by Miro's abstract figuration style
The first 3 colors we printed were made by stenciling out areas using screen filler
More pink!
The squeegee arm and vacuum table at work.
The first layer of color is a pink gradient sky, followed by a 2 gradient sandy desert landscape
Needed lots of table space...
We are now ready for photo emulsion. The last 4 colors will be registered using the clear print vellum layers we hand painted.
The print after the first color blue
After printing blue, red and yellow; slight transparencies allowed for more colors from the three primaries.
We touched up some details in white, before printing the final outline black.
The print before the final outline black.
We finished at 2am sunday night before our train back to Montreal.
[Sorry no images of printing final black! too tired.]
Thanks to registration tabs, all 6 prints look great.
After some laborious cleaning frenzy, we pack up and catch the night street car up Spadina.
The christian Science Church we talk about UNREALITY next sunday.....too bad we won't be in town....
Arthur Desmarteaux printing in the studio [large vacuum table for silkscreen printing 36"x48"!!!]
Nice kitchen nook for lunch breaks with view onto Richmond
Sunset view on the south side of the AGO [Frank Gehry's new building] The new museum is open free Wednesday night!
Sunset view of north side staircase of the AGO [Frank Gehry's new building]
We take lunch in Kensington Market almost daily....mostly for the Market Bakery treats.....
Already the week is going by so fast. We have been in Toronto 10 days printing at Open Studio, and exploring the city. Here are some photos from my residence experience with Artist Arthur Desmarteaux at Open Studio.
I have a two-week residency at OPEN STUDIO in Toronto with artist collaborator Arthur Desmarteaux. The two of us are invited through an exchange with Atelier Graff in Montreal. We are making large-scale silkscreen prints. Images coming soon! Great studio space, nice community, and Toronto is awesome [street cars buzzing down Spadina, dumplings and kimchi in korea town, Kensington market and 5$ sushi lunches....not to mention the balmy 25 degree weather] good change of scenery.
Nationally / Internationally known Montreal based artists / printmakers Allison Moore and Arthur Desmarteaux’s artwork compliment each other in their exploration and creation, combining vivid colours, line, narratives of social and political conscience of everyday life blended with absurdity, humour, the bizarre, and surreal. Moore and Desmarteaux provide alternative storytelling and cultural observation from both ones immediate environment and popular culture creating a beautiful and fantastical artform. Both artists have been the recipient of numerous creation grants / awards / residencies and are exhibiting internationally. All part of DefSup's “Urban Infill Art in the Core” projects, join us for a Gala Opening Reception Fri. Feb.5 at 7pm, with three new exhibitions featuring regional / national / international artists - Moore and Desmarteaux will be in attendance and giving an Artists Talk. Refreshments, music, performances and of course...Art!
I am back to Montreal after an incredible 2 month residency in BELEM, Brasil.
Please check out the Amazon Blog for stories and eye candy.
Thank you so much to CALQ and IAP for all the support to making this opportunity possible.
EXTREMELY great thanks to ARMANDO SOBRAL, who arranged all my time in Belem, and went above and beyond making my stay comfortable and enjoyable.
The shock of temperature change from 35 degrees jungle humidity to completely frozen -20 below and snowy DRY....destroyed my body! My entire skin peeled off in a matter of days. It was kinda disgusting and fascinating at the same time.
It is all surreal now. was it all a dream?!
I now spend my days locked to my computer in my Montreal apartment, with tea and a hot water bottle editing the SMILE STEALERS.
I have started a new blog dedicated to my adventures in the Amazon. Follow this link to keep posted, see photos and images of my research. Looper Amazon
I am invited to spend two months at the IAP (Institute of Art of Para) in Belem, Brazil. It is hot and humid, and the city is vibrant and colorful. I will keep updates of my process and experience here. Follow the blog to keep updated.
I am working in collaboration with Parlour Treats and Gut Strings to create an EPIC experimental short film, involving animation, projections, song and dance.
Smile Stealers is a short story about a girl who has a destiny to become a warrior. Her name is Tyr, like the Norse God of War. She battles the sky, saves a unicorn, escapes a Paper Moon photo booth trap and fights the Queen of a Moon and slays her children to set the smiles free. The children become stars in the sky.
Smile stealers combines analogue special effects and projections/animation with digital video and after effects animation. It will involve black and white silent film/video with transition to color, song and dance, analogue overhead projection, analogue and digital animations.
Nissan gave 50 artists in Canada a brand new 2009 CUBE.
It is totally weird and funny. I never had a car.
I just drove 6000km with my mom and aunt to bring the cube from Victoria, BC to Montreal, QC. A legendary Ladies Road trip across America. To read stories and see photos visit the CUBE BLOG. If you are in Montreal, get in touch for the LOOPER CUBE mobility project.
This is a new demo of my video game progress at studio xx. This week I had a lot of fun adding my hand drawn textures into the game. Now it is time to design the full landscape. But the tree is falling! [Thanks to Julien Beausejour for master programming help.]
Timber Jack is my Video game developed using Blender Game Engine.
The game is in Progress.
I am creating this video game as part of my residency, Digital Ludology at Studio XX. Game Design by Allison Moore Programming by Julien Beausejour
The Current images are temporary. My game will eventually feature hand-drawn illustrated textures for the character, trees and landscape. The game will also feature tree-hugger hippies and forest creatures who defend the trees. Progress is recorded by a point system during a restricted amount of game time. Using 2D paper-cut animation style in 3D environment.
Smile stealers will be a live action animation short film. It will combine analogue special effects and overhead projection/animation with digital video and after effects animation.
Smile Stealers is a short story about a girl who has a destiny to become a warrior. Her name is Tyr, like the Norse God of War. She battles the sky, saves a unicorn, escapes a Paper Moon photo booth trap and fights the Queen of “A Moon” and her Moon Children to set the smiles free.
By encompassing song, dance, theatre design, animation (both digital and analogue projections) we strive to create a Gestamkunstwerk; a total work of art that encompasses all aspects/dimensions of the arts.
THIS IS A sample SCENE from the film. Production will start JUNE.