Browsing articles in "MUSES"
FACTORY PARTY PHOTOS BY STALMAN
Amongst the mayhem last Friday night at the Factory Party I saw a beautiful green couch with no one sitting on it. After djing two crazy sets I seriously needed to take a rest. I sat down and no one was really around. Then suddenly my old friend Lee and her boyfriend Tyler started snappin pics. I’m not too sure if you remember but Tyler Stalman took a portrait of me a few months ago. Here are some of the pictures from last Friday night.
haven’t you heard
patrice rushon
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsHpgEGoTek]
wait till you hear the fender rhodes solo at 3:33
sweet thing
the last month has been the sweetest. chaka you light up our sunny afternoons.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWVuvw3P9Wo]
ps. chaka was such a babe. i saw her perform at universal studios in l.a. when i was 12. ask me about it sometime.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldRl9UqJEV8]
our new york holiday
my sweet friend ola and i met up in new york.
ola took this while we were walking down eastern parkway on saturday october 11th… i think it is the most perfect holiday photo. 
if you look closely i am holding my yashica super 8. i was shooting 8mm during the trip. heres a still of the film I shot at the of montreal show. kevin sung a ballad on the back of a white stallion named Amaretto at the roseland ballroom.
THIS WEEKS MYSPACE MUSE
Myspace asked me if I wanted to be their Muse this week.
To read the interview check out www.myspace.com/fashion.ca
MTV2 SHOOT
Over the past weekend I had my acting debut! The commercials will air mid August on the MTV2 network. They were directed by Anthony Scott Burns and Dr. Steven Hope. I can’t wait to see how they turn out!
EXCLUSIVE PARLOUR MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
I'm not sure when the Summer issue is out but I thought I would post the actual interview Andrea Dorrans and I did... My blog is the only place where you can read this full interview... I will keep you posted to when the magazine is out! xo*melncoly JUNE 5 2008 P: I want to ask about your current inspirations, I'm looking for specifics (like Russian Constructivism, or Japanese pop-art, or the newest --- album, etc.) thanks! M: *Currently I'm really inspired by the art of Japanese Rope Bondage. Alchemy. Outer space. Surrealist films. My favorite Surrealist film makers are Maya Deren, Jean Cocteau, Jan Švankmajer, and Alejandro Jordowsky. I've been reading a lot of Anais Nin books lately. I couldn't put her diaries down. She has even inspired me to keep a current diary. I am collecting her Hardcovers. Especially this one series. They are designed by Milton Glaser. You know the famous Graphic Designer who created the I heart NY logo. The layout throughout the book is so amazing! Such a pleasure to read. I will always and forever be inspired by Bjork. The Japanese artists Tadanori Yokoo and Jun Takahashi are incredible. One of my friends runs the record label Audio Dregs so he sometimes sends me links to download new albums. All the artists on his label are amazing. I've been listening to this one Album remixed by DJ COPY out of Portland non stop for the past week. He took a bunch of old Bone Thugs in Harmony tracks and made them something else entirely. I am very lucky to have such amazingly creative friends. Unfortunately most of them don't live here, they are scattered through our planet. But they are a huge inspiration to me. Whether it be their music, animations, comics, illustrations or neon colored silkscreens. Every so often I get a package in the mail which contains their latest works. My studio is like a gallery. I have all their posters and art all over my walls. I think Im gonna have to start hanging the posters on my ceiling soon! (laughing) P: Your current collection, Muse, contains three pieces, why so few? M: *The Muse Collection actually contains about 12 pieces so far. My website is still getting updated with full content and product shots. Sometimes being independent has its ups and downs. You have to go with the flow. P: Yes! Tell me about the ups! M: *the ups depend from day to day. its usually the little things... P: like ... M: *like getting a letter in my mailbox from a friend (customer) in Japan saying how much she loves the piece she just ordered. or having the sunlight shine through my windows and wake me in the morning. or staying up in the wee hours of the night because i just can't stop creating. but mostly following your own voice - paving your own path. to be independent you really have to be self motivated and there is a whole lot of responsibility! P: Tell me about the importance of having a connection with the customer? M: *i put a lot of love into my work. i make it, i design it... my work means a lot to me. If I could hand deliver all my pieces I would. It is so nice when I get a order from someone local. I often meet up with them for coffee or a glass of wine. It is so nice to have dialogue with the people who appreciate my work. In the end I find I make new friends in the process. Quite often "friends" send me emails or sometimes even packages in the mail. Overall it is really nice to have human interaction. P: Can you make a living at jewellery design? M: *Absolutely! I do a lot of freelance design work as well. P: The current state of arts in Alberta? M: *Right now everyone is on this art trip. It's nice but I think quality is better then quantity. I think Alberta is starting to be a little more recognized which I am very happy about. I was born and raised in Calgary so I have observed the community for many years. It is also very nice to hear that our government is supporting the arts in Alberta. I believe there are many talented artists here. It is a shame that they have to go elsewhere to "be" something. But at the same time I completely understand. Everyone has to make a living. There are many artists that are leaving Alberta because of the rising costs and a lot of established artist run centers are lost because the rent is increasing. P: You’ve said you consider jewellery to be wearable art; do you consider clothing wearable art, and how are the two different ... M: *I believe there are some fashion designers out there that produce works of art. The difference would be the canvas. P: Why do you have “a hard time” selling your wares in boutiques? M: *I have a hard time because they slash my price point in half right away. I put a high value on what I create. Plus I like to have direct contact with my customers. As Melncoly grows I know this will change. Eventually I will sell my work in boutiques that are in my target market. P: Tell me about this online boutique idea ... M: *My current website, www.melncolydesigns.com will be a online boutique. I am currently looking for a web designer to collaborate with. I have to reach my target market and I believe this is the best way. Most of my customers are in major fashion capitals. P: Tell me a little about missmeln … M: *ahhhh missmeln is my music project. last year i did a few collaborations with other artists. i am a singer. i write music and other times i just hit record and see what flows. my favorite collaboration was with Japan's Satanicpornocultshop. I am a huge fan of their work. I emailed Ugh through myspace and asked if he would be interested in making a track. He was really into it. He wants to do some more tracks in the coming months. You can check out my music at www.myspace.com/missmeln. I also did some vocals with Brooklyn's Mixel Pixel while I was living there last year. I would love to put out a album. Music has and will always be very close to my heart. It is a different form of expression for me. I would really love to work with some musicians from edmonton. There are some really great bands out of Edmonton! Like Shout out, The Whitsundays, Whitey Houston and The Wet Secrets. There is one thing in common with these bands and that is Lyle Bell. I think he is a genius! P: What projects are you working on right now … and in the future? M: *currently I am designing a exclusive bridal collection. the melncoly work is evolving. the work i am doing right now is more dressing the whole body. also connecting the whole body with my own style of chain adornment. i am also directing a music video for E*rock at some point this year. film is another huge passion of mine. i've been sitting on this video for a while. but in the last year or so i have learnt to not be so rushed. at times i feel very disconnected to this modern world. P: Collaborators, dream collaborators ... M: *the work i am creating currently will be photographed by todd duym. he is a photographer/director based out of vancouver/new york. he just finished taking pictures of patti smith. i am very excited to see what we come up with for the project. I have some other interesting collaborations coming up as well. but my lips are sealed until they are set in stone. my dream collaborator is bjork. i have always admired her. i would love to design a collection with jun takahashi (UNDERCOVER). I love the use of light in Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin's photographs. But mostly my dream collaborators are the ones i meet along this path of life or the next. P: Where can I buy your designs? M: *Through me at info@melncolydesigns.com! P: I heard you once met the Queen …. M: *when i was living in london i got this gig working at buckingham for the queens summer garden parties. on the last day she came out to greet us all. she came out with prince philip and all her corgis. It was awesome but it was also super crazy because the day i worked happen to be the day of the london tube attacks. after i got off (around 7pm) i walked out of the palace gates. there were thousands of people walking out of the center of london. i had to walk towards trafalgar square to meet my friends. they had the streets blocked off to traffic. it was all very surreal yet fabulous at the same time. A: What is a modern renaissance woman to you … M: *being open to creation in different forms. not setting limits. following your own heart, voice and vision. P: There is a potent sexuality to your work, the way the chains hug the curves and accentuate the lines of the body, tell me about this intimate connection ... M: *When I design my main inspiration is my human form. Jewelry does embrace the skin and for me if something does not move with my body I don't want to wear it. I do not want to take away from the natural beauty of the human form. I wish we lived in a world where all we had was jewelry to adorn our bodies. I think Melncoly looks best on a blank canvas. P: What is it like to be based in Alberta compared to a major city? M: *I find I am very focused in Calgary. I don't follow fashion trends. In ways I shy away from the fashion industry. Don't get me wrong I love fashion. I believe you are who you are wherever you are. When I was living in Europe the phrase "it doesn't matter where you are but what you are doing" always passed through my mind. I just wanted to get back to Canada to create. However I do miss Paris very much. But my connection to Paris is more the way of life. The evening I arrived in Paris I went for a walk along the Seine. I dressed my eyes on Notre Dame for the first time yet it felt strangely familiar. It was as though I had seen it everyday in a past life.
Anita Berber clips
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpYB2YE3ZCU]
What an interesting woman. I highly recommend reading this book on my enchanting muse.
NINA BARNES ILLUSTRATIONS
My best friend Nina just sent me not one but three Illustrations of me in her whimsical style! She is a artist based in Athens Georgia. Such a great soul. I truly believe we will be hearing much more from this talented gemini twin in the future! She is married to Kevin Barnes, the lead singer of the band Of Montreal. She is designer behind the collection of tour shirts for Of Montreal.
Shower her with mad love and vibes on her myspace …myspace.com/geminitactics!
Thank you so much Ninatwin!
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