/ Intro Image Installation by Rina Grosman & Vivien Cheng
Eleven rooms, 21 designers and Toronto’s historic Gladstone Hotel got the spotlight treatment at the annual
design event Come Up to My Room (CUTMR) this January. Taking interior design to a whole new level, the
alternative and contemporary installations mastered a perfect balance between design, visual art,
architecture, textile and craftsmanship. “Come Up to My Room is the rock-and-roll approach to design shows,”
said Jeremy Vandermeij, the Gladstone’s creative director, and co-curator of the four-day event, now in its
eighth year.
Exhibitors received support and space to express their creativity, which thousands of Torontonians got to see
and gain inspiration from. The entire first and second floors of the Gladstone Hotel were dedicated to the
artists, as well as additional areas in the building such as the café, ballroom, bar and outside on Gladstone
Avenue. In addition to the rooms that each featured specific works of the designers, collaborative public
displays were also installed all around the venue. Learning more about each artist and the life experiences
that inspired their displays is one of the most intriguing aspects of this event. The eccentric venue paired
with the ingenious group of artists make Torontonians come up to their rooms every year.
Room
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Stepping into Amanda McCavour’s room almost feels like a dream. The thread-made furniture installations are
surreal, looking like they could dissolve into thin air at any moment.
McCavour’s creativity stretches far beyond interior design, bringing in elements from fashion design, visual
art and architecture. She uses a sewing machine to create the thread installations by sewing into a fabric
that dissolves in water. Although her creations are impossible to use in the real world, her use of thread is
symbolic in nature, as she’s fascinated by its vulnerability on its own and strength when sewn together.
McCavour is anything but new to this game; she has participated in exhibitions internationally, and recently
completed residencies at Harbourfront Centre’s textile studio in Toronto and the Klondike Institute of Art
and Culture in Dawson City, Yukon. — A.G.
Room
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The wonderfully organic installation crawls from floor to ceiling, with wool and paper creations. A set of
glowing rocks at its centre sets the stage for a tiny universe of love and destruction with a cast of
characters. Surrounding webs and handmade stalactites hanging from the ceiling give life to the small space,
truly a unique environment that explores a number of colours, patterns and playful textures stemming from all
aspects of nature. Jen Prather and Steph Mansolf call themselves The Cyborgesses and at an alternative design
event, the name doesn’t seem strange at all. Hailing from different parts of California, this duo formed in
late 2006 as a result of their shared interest in the communication between animal creatures and organic life
forms. They have displayed work throughout California, specializing in large-scale installations. The
majority of their work consists of environments and settings made from found objects and crocheted forms,
amongst other things. — M.M.
Room
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“The Shrine,” an all-wood installation, is about more than what meets the eye. At first glance, the work of
art makes you think of a cozy cabin in the middle of a green, effervescent forest on a dry fall day. But Lubo
Brezina and Scott Eunson’s shrine is far more than a daydream; it’s a reaction to the loss of farmland due to
the suburban sprawl north of Toronto. The area was once covered by forests, barns, and most importantly space
— a rare commodity in Toronto’s skyrise- and pavement-filled streets.
According to the artists, the display is not only made of materials that lived in the forests, but it is also
the spirit of the material’s past, first as a living tree, and later as a component of building. The duo’s
close attention to detail is easily visible in the craftsmanship of the installation with the assembly of
each piece of wood and subtle engravings such as three small letter x’s. While Brezina brings in the
structural elements, Eunson focuses on expression and patterns, and jointly, a masterpiece is made. —
A.G.
Room
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Perfectly flowing lines in what may seem imperfect at first glance, “Studies and Assemblies of Castaways and
Keepsakes” shows attention to raw detail. A dream-like glow spills over the room and its large centrepiece,
filled with designer Dennis Lin’s form creations. A collection of wood, metal and lights makes up the centre
and leaves the viewer circling, attempting to take in all angles and find a new perspective on the piece.
Each object inside the installation represents an unfinished project, all while encompassing the designer’s
efforts. The piece as a whole sets out to be a bookend on the individual creations left unfinished inside.
Lin anticipated the feel of his work by noting, “My installation for CUTMR will focus on how my practice
revolves around the accretion of layers upon layers of time, energy and experiences. All of these traits and
qualities manifest themselves in a certain moment of expression, giving purpose and intentionality to the
creative act and setting apart this gesture from a consonant past or future one.” The designer is an OCAD
graduate with a major in industrial design. His work has been on display worldwide in Hong Kong, Moscow,
London and Los Angeles, just to name a few. An artist who loves to control the form of his objects, Lin
conceives installations that are precise and meticulous. — M.M. •
Photos Courtesy - Agata Piskunowicz
