This is a beautiful short.
I have been reading a lot in the news, on blogs and through social media lately, about changing the world, about changing one's thoughts and perspectives, about being kinder and more at peace from within. For those of us who don't quite get the ripple effect idea yet, this can certainly help the message get across.
Although I am not a fan of panhandling, I do find it sad that some people have to resort to it to survive, or in this case, to help their fellow human kind. This is a good example of how far a small gesture can go.
If we thought a little less about ourselves and did one nice thing day... it may just change the world.
Be grateful. Do something kind today.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Ottawa Fashion Week 2012
Wow... so many things happen so quickly! Where to begin?
By some stroke of luck, I got accreditation for Ottawa Fashion Week 2012.
That said, I do intend on filling you in on my latest photo adventures and I will surely blog about my experience flying solo at OFW 2012!
In a week, I'll have pics! For now, here's a nice line-up of Stella & dot's show, from this season's runway show.
By some stroke of luck, I got accreditation for Ottawa Fashion Week 2012.
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| Stella & dot, (c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, 2012 |
In a week, I'll have pics! For now, here's a nice line-up of Stella & dot's show, from this season's runway show.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Ballet in the Streets: In the News!
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| Ballet in the Streets (c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé |
Here are a few of the great little features this show has received thus far. Thank you to all who've featured Ballet in the Streets. Thank you also to Ottawa Xpress for the calendar mention and blurb and thank you to Rogers Daytime for welcoming me on your January 12, 2012 show, to talk about the Opening and the Ballet in the Streets project.
Ruby, TFO
Ottawa Citizen, Social Section
Apt613
Ottawa Studio Works
2HPhotography
If you haven't seen the show up, I encourage you to do so and to stay tuned to its next venue... but you can start by viewing it online.
Gallery 1
Gallery 2
Gallery 3
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Ballet in the Streets: Opening next week!
Ballet in the Streets:
Dance photography as seen by a dancer
Dance photography as seen by a dancer
Ottawa-Gatineau, Jan 5, 2012 — In collaboration with Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery, new artist and trained dancer, Mercedes Déziel-Hupé presents her very first photographic exhibition. Ballet in the Streets is a collection of photographs shot in the national capital region to make a statement about art, and moreover, to highlight the importance of dance to our culture. The project was shot in the Fall of 2011 with the collaboration of professional and recreational ballerinas and contemporary dancers — the artist's principal dance disciplines.
"I have been dancing for 17 years and counting, I stopped only to focus on my university studies. Although classical dance is behind me and I've embraced swing dancing, these dances [ballet, jazz and tap] will remain special to me. They were my home; the disciplines through which I have grown both as a dancer and an individual" says Déziel-Hupé. "I absolutely love dance. I believe the reason I didn't become a professional dancer, was so that I could become (among other things) an advocate for the art. I hope that this will do justice to my passion and my respect for this art-form. Who knows, I may work on more dance-related photo projects in the very near future."
"I have been dancing for 17 years and counting, I stopped only to focus on my university studies. Although classical dance is behind me and I've embraced swing dancing, these dances [ballet, jazz and tap] will remain special to me. They were my home; the disciplines through which I have grown both as a dancer and an individual" says Déziel-Hupé. "I absolutely love dance. I believe the reason I didn't become a professional dancer, was so that I could become (among other things) an advocate for the art. I hope that this will do justice to my passion and my respect for this art-form. Who knows, I may work on more dance-related photo projects in the very near future."
Avant Garde Bar & Gallery remodels its space to welcome the show
Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery is also opening its doors to artists' submissions and this is the very first experience for both parties; the venue and the artist.
“Avant-Garde Bar and Gallery decided to explore the visual form of art to the fullest by officially remodeling its space for frame-based displays of rotating artistic exhibits” explains Nina Iouguina, co-owner of the bar and gallery. Such bold move was inspired by recent collaboration between Nina Iouguina and Alex Yugin, owners of Avant-Garde Bar, and Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, communications manager at the Ottawa Art Gallery. “With Mercedes' extensive expertise in the world of art from business-minded and her creativity-driven perspective, we are genuinely looking forward to successful take-off of Ballet In The Streets.” She adds: “ the exhibit features an unusual mixture of classicism and urban modernism, and Ballet In The Streets is going to effortlessly flow along with the interior design of Avant-Garde Bar whose walls have been inspired by anything but ordinary works of Kandinsky, Malevich and Stenberg brothers."
WHO Mercedes Déziel-Hupé presents her collection of ballerina photos shot in Ottawa-Gatineau.
“Avant-Garde Bar and Gallery decided to explore the visual form of art to the fullest by officially remodeling its space for frame-based displays of rotating artistic exhibits” explains Nina Iouguina, co-owner of the bar and gallery. Such bold move was inspired by recent collaboration between Nina Iouguina and Alex Yugin, owners of Avant-Garde Bar, and Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, communications manager at the Ottawa Art Gallery. “With Mercedes' extensive expertise in the world of art from business-minded and her creativity-driven perspective, we are genuinely looking forward to successful take-off of Ballet In The Streets.” She adds: “ the exhibit features an unusual mixture of classicism and urban modernism, and Ballet In The Streets is going to effortlessly flow along with the interior design of Avant-Garde Bar whose walls have been inspired by anything but ordinary works of Kandinsky, Malevich and Stenberg brothers."
WHO Mercedes Déziel-Hupé presents her collection of ballerina photos shot in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Classically trained dancer now turned communications specialist and photographer, Déziel-Hupé
shares her passion for dance with this first exhibition.
shares her passion for dance with this first exhibition.
WHAT Ballet in the Streets: Exhibition of dance photographs.
WHEN Opening Jan. 12, 7-9 pm, on view until the end of January
WHERE Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery, 135 ½ Besserer, Ottawa, ON
Artist Statement
This collection of photographs is my tribute to my time as a dancer, from classical to contemporary. Through photography, I embrace a new side of this otherwise ephemeral art form. I have been inspired by great photographers such as Lois Greenfield, who's studio approach to dance photography is unmatched. I am also inspired by the "Ballerina Project" which is a New York based phenomenon that celebrates the Big Apple as a creative hub. Originally from the Capital region, I have experienced Arts as being overshadowed by politics. I photographed ballerinas and contemporary dancers in urban and industrial settings to emphasize how different they are from the environment in which we live. Despite the fact that they seem to stand out, the idea is the showcase the beauty and relevance of dance, especially in this fast-paced image-led world. The dancer is a complete artist; from daily regimen to rehearsal, to exercises and performance. A dancer embodies strength, yet the dancer is surrounded by precarious circumstances. Dance changes everyone, from the performer to the spectator, the hobbyist and the photographer. A dancer can be molded, but a dancer is usually born. It's in the urge to move, to feel beauty and life, through your body. I wanted to show how dance shows through very easily. And how it is part of a dancer's life, every day, everywhere. By presenting it outside of its normal frame of reference, whether that be the stage or the classroom, I state not only the existence, but the effervescence of dance in the capital region. I wish to render dance accessible and encourage reflection by bringing the dancer to the street.
WHEN Opening Jan. 12, 7-9 pm, on view until the end of January
WHERE Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery, 135 ½ Besserer, Ottawa, ON
Artist Statement
This collection of photographs is my tribute to my time as a dancer, from classical to contemporary. Through photography, I embrace a new side of this otherwise ephemeral art form. I have been inspired by great photographers such as Lois Greenfield, who's studio approach to dance photography is unmatched. I am also inspired by the "Ballerina Project" which is a New York based phenomenon that celebrates the Big Apple as a creative hub. Originally from the Capital region, I have experienced Arts as being overshadowed by politics. I photographed ballerinas and contemporary dancers in urban and industrial settings to emphasize how different they are from the environment in which we live. Despite the fact that they seem to stand out, the idea is the showcase the beauty and relevance of dance, especially in this fast-paced image-led world. The dancer is a complete artist; from daily regimen to rehearsal, to exercises and performance. A dancer embodies strength, yet the dancer is surrounded by precarious circumstances. Dance changes everyone, from the performer to the spectator, the hobbyist and the photographer. A dancer can be molded, but a dancer is usually born. It's in the urge to move, to feel beauty and life, through your body. I wanted to show how dance shows through very easily. And how it is part of a dancer's life, every day, everywhere. By presenting it outside of its normal frame of reference, whether that be the stage or the classroom, I state not only the existence, but the effervescence of dance in the capital region. I wish to render dance accessible and encourage reflection by bringing the dancer to the street.
-30-
Friday, December 9, 2011
Be excited about learning; don't be weighed down by performance
"You will have to sign up for a university class" is what the bank's financial adviser told me when I'd asked to reactivate my student line of credit a few months back. I found that pursuing courses with a private school, however helpful or interesting, did not constitute "education" for the great bureaucracy...
Naturally, this left me feeling disappointed in our government's educational system rules and regulations. Who decided that photography or sound engineering weren't valid fields of study? A friend of mine was refused a loan for choosing Canada's number one sound engineering class. But I digress. I also felt like I'd lost a battle. Here I was, after having graduated from university, landed a job (well, quite a few in 5 years), returning to school to widen my scope and perfect my abilities and I'm told it's "not recognized". How invalidating. Why not encourage a young professional trying to stay relevant, trying to get an edge.
A few months went by and my reason for requesting this at the bank did not change. My job however, has changed in the last year. I am now in a management position with only minimal experience and absolutely no theoretical background on administration and management. I am competent but struggle a little more than I would with the proper basic knowledge. I thought: "Why not take an introduction class to administration?" But, did I really want to sit in with a bunch of kids straight out of highschool and have to work on team projects? I did not have the time, nor the patience as I'd been there before and remembered how my focus was very different... Get the grade, get the scholarship, get the portfolio... Take, take, take, perform, perform, perform, expect, expect, expect. Oh, and have fun. But school and fun were exclusive.
I've "paid" my share and followed the rules; I went through the system once. Now, it's time to look at it differently.
Taking a class as an auditor has most of the benefits of taking a class - at least the most important one, which is learning, and none of the unpleasant ones - remember assignments? So here I go, back to university for a class. Learning - or at least the prospect of it - feels so thrilling when it's not weighed down by expectations and performance.
While I'm at it, I might even take an interest class, just for the pleasure of it! And with my new ipad, this second round in class might be more fun! Speaking of which, I just about loooove that new gadget. How handy is it to have a multitude of books (my primary reason for this tablet), management/lifestyle aps (allrecipes.ca anyone?), entertainment aps (Itunes, CTV, CBC) and games (Sudoku queen in the making) all in one nifty tool? That's not just luxurious, it's genius! Really, it's both eco-friendly (I will finally use/buy less paper!) and finally allows my long awaited de-cluttering.
Aaaaah.
Naturally, this left me feeling disappointed in our government's educational system rules and regulations. Who decided that photography or sound engineering weren't valid fields of study? A friend of mine was refused a loan for choosing Canada's number one sound engineering class. But I digress. I also felt like I'd lost a battle. Here I was, after having graduated from university, landed a job (well, quite a few in 5 years), returning to school to widen my scope and perfect my abilities and I'm told it's "not recognized". How invalidating. Why not encourage a young professional trying to stay relevant, trying to get an edge.
 |
| My new tool. Toy? |
I've "paid" my share and followed the rules; I went through the system once. Now, it's time to look at it differently.
Taking a class as an auditor has most of the benefits of taking a class - at least the most important one, which is learning, and none of the unpleasant ones - remember assignments? So here I go, back to university for a class. Learning - or at least the prospect of it - feels so thrilling when it's not weighed down by expectations and performance.
While I'm at it, I might even take an interest class, just for the pleasure of it! And with my new ipad, this second round in class might be more fun! Speaking of which, I just about loooove that new gadget. How handy is it to have a multitude of books (my primary reason for this tablet), management/lifestyle aps (allrecipes.ca anyone?), entertainment aps (Itunes, CTV, CBC) and games (Sudoku queen in the making) all in one nifty tool? That's not just luxurious, it's genius! Really, it's both eco-friendly (I will finally use/buy less paper!) and finally allows my long awaited de-cluttering.
Aaaaah.
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