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A Feast for the Eyes: 7 Must-See Events at the Exposure Photo Festival

Posted 8 hours 40 min ago | By Greg Beneteau | Culture Snacks

Hoping to travel the world, see nature’s beauty or delve into the past? You need look no further than the pictures hanging on your nearest wall. Now in its eighth year, the Exposure 2012 Photography Festival has compiled an impressive collection of photographic works spanning an array of subjects. The festival launches this weekend in Calgary, Banff and Canmore and runs until February 29, 2012. Much of the work is by local artists, highlighting some amazing homegrown talent, says coordinator Wes...

Avenue Design Competition Finalist: Jeff Johnson's Vinos Wine Rack

Posted 13 hours 33 min ago | By Laura Fetherstonhaugh | Culture Snacks

Frustrated with standard wine rack designs, Jeff Johnston set out to invent a more functional and beautiful wine rack of his own. The Vinos Wine Rack mounts to the wall and allows users to view the wines they have at a single glance. It's produced on a laser bed from a single sheet of plywood, allowing for efficient cuts and minimal waste. Though Johnston’s day job is building research equipment for biologists at the University of Alberta, his Vinos Wine Rack design has earned him his stripes in industrial design. ...

Swept Away by Alberta Ballet's Cinderella

Posted 1 day 8 hours ago | By Greg Beneteau | Culture Snacks

When it comes to choreographing fairy tales for dancers, particularly Alberta Ballet's Cinderella which opens February 9, 2012, Alberta Ballet's artistic director Jean Grand-Maître has got some experience. Cinderella was the first show he ever produced in Canada, back in 2004. "I kept the basic structure and, of course, the score, since [celebrated Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev]...

Avenue Design Competition Finalist: Ryan Spotowski’s J5 Table

Posted 1 day 12 hours ago | By Laura Fetherstonhaugh | Culture Snacks

Edmonton-based industrial designer Ryan Spotowski grew up in the midst of his family’s business — a decorative coating and concrete restoration company. The challenge of pushing the visual and functional boundaries of concrete obviously stuck with him and has become a large focus in his industrial design studies at the University of Alberta. Spotowski’s J5 table, which was a finalist in Avenue's 3rd Annual Design Competition, transcends the preconception of concrete by avoiding the massive, flat surfaces normally associated with it. The table's hemlock...

Hotel Deals for Valentine's Day Getaways

Posted 1 day 13 hours ago | By Laura Fetherstonhaugh | Culture Snacks

For those looking to celebrate their romance with room service and Champagne, these Valentine's Day packages at hotels and resorts close by can lend a helping hand. Wonderful Tonight Package, The Fairmont Palliser, Calgary Rates starting at $269 per couple, based on availability Offer valid year-round Reserve online or call 403-262-1234...

Avenue Design Competition Finalist: Joel Tobman's InOut Chair

Posted 2 days 14 hours ago | By Laura Fetherstonhaugh | Culture Snacks

For those who get bored with their furniture, hear this: local designer Joel Tobman's InOut chair can be continuously transformed. Though the chair is titled in reference to its multi-assembly options (the seam detail can be assembled on either the inside or the outside of the chair), the clever design can also be produced in any colour, with almost any material. Plus,...

Avenue Design Competition Finalist: Isabel Prochner's Alternative Chair

Posted 3 days 8 hours ago | By Laura Fetherstonhaugh | Culture Snacks

Interested in design that allows objects to work organically into their surroundings, Isabel Prochner's Alternative Chair, which has only two legs, is designed to use existing materials in the room, such as books or other furniture for additional support. It is economically constructed with bent steel and includes a recycled rubber pad on the underside of the seat for secure placement on whatever it is leaning on for support. The Alternative Chair was a finalist in Avenue's 3rd Annual Design Competition....

Events of the Week: January 30 to February 2

Posted 4 days 10 hours ago | By Todd Andre | Culture Snacks

What do you get when you cross a murderous sea captain, a Montréal indy band, a photography festival and a pack of high-flying snowboarders? Calgary in the midst of a Chinook that is sure to melt away the mid-winter blues. It's also the Events of the Week, the best thing next to a week-long, twenty degree rise in temperature. Burton Canadian Open Snowboarding Championships January 31 to February 4 at Canada Olympic Park Various Times (see...

Forte Musical Theatre presents Jeremy de Bergerac

Posted 4 days 12 hours ago | By Greg Beneteau | Culture Snacks

It’s a delightful coming-of-age musical with plenty of… sword fighting? Mixing old and new is the name of the game in Jeremy de Begerac, an original new production by Forte Musical Theatre, Alberta’s only professional musical theatre company. The show runs January 31 to February 11 at Pumphouse Theatre. “There’s a lot of dichotomy in the show: the old world and the new world, youth and maturity and maybe even hope and despair,...

To Boldly Go… Star Trek Cast Coming to Calgary Expo

Posted 4 days 14 hours ago | By Greg Beneteau | Culture Snacks

Nearly two decades since they last explored strange new worlds together, the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation is beaming down to Calgary for an appearance at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, April 27 to 29 at BMO Centre. The special reunion to mark the 25th anniversary of Star Trek TNG will feature the original cast of the popular sci-fi television series, including Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data),...