Katie Bethune-Leamen
Artist
Toronto
1. Ray Harryhausen
I always go back to the work of Ray Harryhausen. His work never ceases to please me. His character design and the way in which he animated his creatures brought such a gorgeous level of magic to his films. The palpable difference in scale you see as his model monsters twitch through films peopled by real-time actors makes his work seem more believable, more spectacular than much of the really tight computer animation used in movies at the moment. I like to think about the implications of this in the use of scale in my work and how visual understanding alters with technology. My favourite favourite favourite film of his is Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.
2. Red Cabbage Salad
I was introduced to this peasant delicacy by my friend Kelly Jazvac. I like making it with coarsely chopped red cabbage, a dash of toasted sesame seed oil, some nuts (raw cashews or blackened almonds), some fresh basil leaves, and lots of dressing made with nutritional yeast (I know it sounds gross, but seriously, have you tried it?) and brown rice vinegar. Top it with a boiled egg. Dear god, it’s good.
3. Tupac Shakur Mask
Toronto artist Jon Sasaki alerted me to the presence of this gem on eBay. I bought it immediately. How could I resist? The “Thug Life Famous People Mask” (as it was listed) promises to instantly transform me into the slain rapper. All eyez on me!
4. Hell, Yes! mug
I finally got to see the new New Museum in NYC. It was, umm, okey doke. I liked the outside at least. And they had some good stuff in the store, which has always been the case (though they use to have great shows too…). I shouldn’t tell anyone this, because I still reeeeally want one, but they have the fantastic David Shrigley multiple published by the admirable Bywater Bros. So good. But, feeling poor, I opted to buy the $13 mug-version of Ugo Rondinone’s Hell, Yes! work, the full-scale version of which seals the deal on the goodness of the new building’s exterior. It makes a morning cup of King Cole Orange Pekoe that much more bolstering.
5. Jielde Lamps
Another material possession (mortal coil, here I come). Procured from Jason MacIsaac and his excellent store, Ministry of the Interior, this miracle of the modern age currently lives inside a sculpture I made. Did you know that these lamps don’t have wiring inside, but instead use copper rods to conduct the electricity through their structure? That means no twisted wires when you rotate it around. Brilliant! A decades-old design solution! A sexy reissue! The lamp and I have exchanged promise rings.
