This year we have some amazing installations at City of Craft - and one of them is already available for public viewing! If you are strolling along Queen West be sure to meander by League of Lovers & Thieves (1156 Queen W.) - an eco-friendly, locally designed clothing shop which is now the home to DIRGE II, a fantastic installation by Tara Bursey. Read on for details on the installation, and be sure to check out our Installations Page for more details on other projects.



DIRGE II
by Tara Bursey
paper tea sleeves, adhesive
Window display at League of Lovers and Thieves
1156 Queen Street West

DIRGE II is part of a body of work originally inspired by the idea of the Chinese bound foot shoe as a metaphor for the ways individuals can be bound similarly by traditional and contemporary facets of society, particularly from a female perspective. The work explores and juxtaposes imagery relating to foot binding with ideas and materials which reference mass-production and the role of the body in industry and manufacturing. At the root of the work is an interest in visually and materially exploring past and present forms of oppression and de-mobilization.

DIRGE II is comprised of hundreds of origami shoes made of jasmine and green tea sleeves. The use of origami alludes to comparisons between hobby-craft and manual labour/assembly line work. The use of packaging is also central in it's allusion to package and product, garment and body, and the use of both the garment and the package as a cover or false front for what is truly contained.

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If you pass by League of Lovers & Thieves on Dec. 13th (or 14th), be sure to stop in to check out a special event they are hosting involving sweet treats such as teas, organic body products, and locally made crafts. More details here.

As you may or may not know, City of Craft offers free swag bags to the first 100 shoppers through the door. It's true! We just finished assembling them on Friday and wanted to offer a sneak peek of all the goodies to entice your frugal minds.

First off, the bag itself is an unbleached cotton tote (plastic bags are going to start costing in this city, don't you know). It features the brilliant artwork of Shannon Gerard lovingly screen printed by the geniuses at Studio XIX in Kensington Market.

Below is a little peek at the goodies inside including stuff from Sublime Stitching, Broken Pencil, Shameless, Soak, CRAFT:, Patouche, Mr. Sköna, Creative Works, Adult Swim, The Sweetie Pie Press, Avril Loreti, The Paper Place & More!