New Portfolio Website!

It's taken a while, but I finally have a new portfolio website up for all of my Costume/fashion work. 

I used to have one on http://www.sceno.org/ , but unfortunately, they removed everyone's portfolio in March 2010.  I'm hoping that one day they will find the proper financial backing to continue offering the portfolio page service.  If you are interested in scenography and costumes, I definitely recommend you visit the site for the articles and blog.

I'm still updating the site regularly with past and recent projects, so please visit often and tell me what you think!

 Sharon Luk's Portfolio Blog

1-2-3 VIVA L'ALGÉRIE!

Just wanted to show some support for "Les Fénnecs" (Algerian national Football team)
They will be playing an elimination match against Central African Republic for CAN 2012 tomorrow October 10, 2010 (10-10-10!!!). 

Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the match live, but will be checking the score religiously via internet (anyone have any idea where??? If you do - let me know in comments below ASAP!!!).

The national Algerian football team played so well in the World Cup last summer - I was so happy to watch a team play with such passion and pride ♥  - even if they didn't make it past the first stage.

No matter what, you can expect a big party at the end of the match - all those Fénnecs supporters are just as passionate as the players!

Naïve with special guest Mute

If you’re not from the Quebec region, you’ve probably never heard of a band called Naive. Ok, I’m from the Quebec region and I had never heard of the band!

Naive is a melodious pop/rock band from Montreal. Most of their music is in French, so most of their fan base is Francophone. They have toured extensively in the province of Québec, but I have no doubt that they could potentially take on new territories. They have a great sound and put on a great show – judging from their performance last Thursday, they are no amateur indie group!

Those who attended the Naive concert last week were in for a real treat – Naïve recently collaborated with Carl Lafontaine of Mute on a song called Antidanse (you can listen to this song on the Naive website) which they performed together onstage at the show. Now, if you’ve never heard of Mute…then where have you been????!!! When I listened to their album (self-titled), I loved every song. Their songs are well crafted electronic pop/rock with melodies that reflect their eclectic musical influences ranging from Depeche Mode, to Bowie, to Mylene Farmer. You can sample some of their music through their myspace page: Mute where you can watch their very stylish video for Code Unknown below, or send them a message (or buy their album) on Facebook.


Right now, Mute are looking to work with different singers and songwriters to conjure up some new sleek tunes. So, if you’re in the Montreal area (or are willing to travel), have a unique or distinctive voice, and you think you’d be interested in writing with a talented pair of musicians – send them a message via Myspace or Facebook.

It was a great show, and everyone just went completely mad when they played the song Antidanse!

Anyone else go to the show? Share your thoughts!

1000 cranes

I started doing origami in grade school, but I put it aside and kind of forgot about it. A few days ago, I was looking through some of my old books, and decided to take it up again – I will be making 1000 cranes.

According to Japanese legend, making 1000 cranes is supposed to grant a wish to the person folding them. Cranes are sacred animals in Asian culture and are said to live very long lives – 1000 years apparently.

I first heard of this legend when a friend of mine from China said that when she broke up with her boyfriend, she folded 1000 cranes and made a wish. I don’t know if it came true or not, but I guess it’s a good way to reflect and think, while keeping your hands busy. Who knows, maybe wishes do come true...

At the moment, I’m anxious and awaiting news about various projects (I NEED to get out of Canada), so I decided to start folding cranes to relieve the anxiety and to practice my origami skills. I will be updating my progress regularly – so far I have 99 cranes. Wish me luck!

Soft Drink War

I love soft drinks.

I bought this from a Turkish grocery store in Paris on my last trip. It's tasty and refreshing, very much like the American orange "Crush" (made by the Dr.Pepper Snapple group), or orange "Fanta" (made by the Coca-Cola company).

Truth be told, I bought it because I loved the "Drink with Commitment!"/"Buvez engagé!"slogan on the bottle that I thought was original.

I did a little googling about the Mecca Cola Company and found out that it's mission isn't just to sell a product, but there was a political message behind it.

The Mecca Cola Company was started in 2002 by French entrepreneur Tawfik Mathlouthi to offer an anti-American option in the soft drink world. At the time (still today), there were a growing number of people worldwide that were boycotting American products as a form of protest against imperialist America. The original slogan was "No More Drinking Stupid, Drink with Commitment" (we can all guess who 'stupid' is). It was originally launched in France, but the company has since sold to the UK, Europe, the Middle East and beyond.

You can read more about it in this BBC article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2640259.stm

The company donates 10% of it's profits to Palestinian aid, and another 10% goes to various European NGOs - which is enough reason for me to buy it.

In the article, Mathlouthi denies any religious, political, or racial ties, but nonetheless I think anyone choosing to buy Mecca Cola over an American brand is definitely making a statement. Or, maybe they just think the slogan is clever...

Home away from Home

Chinatowns have always been a place for Chinese immigrants to feel at home in a foreign land.

They originally began when Chinese immigrants – most from the Taishan region in Guangzhou province, left China to find work as manual labourers. Many of them went to Canada and the US working in the mines and building the railways.

Other ethnic groups also create their own “quartiers”, but none are quite as exotic and colourful as the Asian ones.

When step into a Chinatown, I almost feel like I’ve been transported to another country - I love it.

As a child, I travelled with my parents on road trips. Sometimes the only memory I had of a city was of its Chinatown.

I consider my parents to be more open minded than a lot of other Chinese immigrants I’ve met, but I also believe that there is a very competitive characteristic in Chinese culture – we are always comparing ourselves to others –

“Is the food in this city’s Chinatown really better than the food in our home Chinatown?”

I must admit, when I travel, now as an adult, - if there is a Chinatown, no matter how big or miniscule, - I HAVE to visit. Not only do I visit, I MUST take photos and send them to my entire family – which in a way makes them kind of proud.

Inevitably, staying true to my upbringing, I will always be comparing it to MY Chinatown.

Provocative Street Art

I was never a huge follower of graffiti, until I came across some street art that made me stop in my tracks. One of these artists, goes by the name "Miss-tic"; the topic of my first post.

To be honest, my adversity towards the art form is not for the artwork itself, but rather the choice of canvas. I have a profound appreciation for beautiful historical buildings, so to me, illegally imposing a "tag" on one of them is comparable to defecating on the front steps of the Louvre.

Miss-tic has quite a repertoire of work that can be seen around the streets of Paris. The artwork above was photographed in the 13th Arrondissement, but I have also seen Miss-tic's work on the streets of the Latin Quarter, and Montmartre.

I admire her cheeky/provocative texts that usually accompany her stencil art, like the one above that reads, "J'aime les hommes avec étonnement" (I like men with astonishment) with a Marilyn Monroe-esque pose, or the one under it that reads,"Les actes gratuits ont-ils un prix"(free acts have a price) with a woman's behind exposed.

So have I changed my opinion on graffiti?

Not completely. I still think buildings with historical significance should be left untouched by street art, but as much as I admire tradition, there is still the naughty illegal element that makes it such an alluring practice.

True, most of the graffiti on landmark buildings is eventually removed - so I suppose it could be considered a type of temporary street exhibit. I will however, suggest that graffiti artists use a pepsi ad as a canvas instead?