Architecture and art intertwine seamlessly in Manual Báez’s life. From a young age he knew he wanted to become an architect. A chance encounter with his guidance counselor introduced him to a school in his hometown of New York, Cooper Union, which had an innovative architecture program. “Cooper Union made me change my goals as an architect. It made me see architecture from a very broad perspective. And it’s because of this experience that I’m doing what I do.”

He worked in NYC until receiving his license. Instead of committing to the “corporate architecture”  lifestyle, he decided to get his Master’s degree at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit, which has an architecture program. That’s really where he got interested in replicating natural phenomena and patterns.

After a couple of part-time teaching gigs at Cooper Union and then the Rhode Island School of Design, Báez landed in Ottawa at Carleton University, where he had been invited numerous times for guest lectures. He’s now been in Ottawa for 12 years.

Báez considers art and architecture to be both very different and very similar. “Art allows me to investigate things without the concerns that would be architectural, like “is it going to be able to standup or withstand the weight?”. With architecture, you have to take into account a lot of other components, and there’s a clear purpose beyond art itself.” It’s important for Báez to have the practical outlet. “It’s nice to explore, he says, but eventually you have to put it out there, in a lasting way.”

Báez’ work draws from the natural world. He looks at natural systems to identify patterns that he models physically. It could be something like modeling the action of neurons or weather patterns, natural systems where you’d find natural structures in the way they are organized and function. There are patterns, and what’s interesting is that these patterns are not rigid – they are alive.

Manuel got linked to the HUB through Creative Mornings Ottawa, where he presented in June 2012.  The event was taking place at the HUB, and, following his presentation; HUB leadership approached Manuel to see if he was interested in doing an installation in the space. He came back with an idea two weeks later.

Resonant Currents is a woven structure that recalls a lot of the things you would put under the rubric of Canadian mosaic – aboriginal art, Arabic calligraphy and Celtic knotting come to mind. “It’s not trying to imitate”, qualifies Baez, ‘but in the way it’s put together, it recalls that. “

The 8-inch birch plywood used in the work is very malleable and allows for complex patterns. It will occupy the entire ceiling and include wiremesh highlights at several locations, such as at the central location of the main HUB reception table.Báez has worked with his students as part of his Crossings Workshop to create and build the structure. The students are Kaveh Baradaran, Ming Fu, Melhik Gebremichael, Arron Griffioen, Robin Woollacott, Macy Laporte, Mark Madera, Stephanie Murphy, Mateusz Nowacki, Maria Olmedo Franco, and Aigerim Shakanova.

Funds raised through the Indiegogo campaign will go to paying for materials, towards this amazing structure.

It’s a four track digital only release based on the story of Robin Van Helsum, or “Forest Boy” as he was dubbed by the press when he wandered out of the woods in Germany claiming to have lived in the woods for five years with his father. Aidan says he was reminded of the story when he saw a poster created for the band by fellow musician and friend of the band Reagan McLean.

“He tells all these authority figures that he’s all alone in the world. He doesn’t know who he is,” said Knight on the phone from London, Ontario last week. “He has this moment where he’s put in protective custody and he has this real chance to start his life over.”

The album is a creative solution to Knight’s situation and the album itself is fun to listen to.

It’s an entrepreneurial approach to the problem of making a living as an artist in Canada, something that Knight is thinking quite a bit about. “Going to shows in Victoria, a lot of it was do it yourself” said Knight. “When you would put on an all-ages show in a sweaty gymnasium you would essentially know all the people that were coming to the show and you’d be advertising to them directly and they would come to the show and support what you are doing.”

The newer models of crowdfunding still require support from the community, but that community has become more distributed and has moved online.

Knight has been able to raise the money he needed and the tour is in-progress, including a stop at the Blacksheep Inn on May 23rd.

Knight is no stranger to the Ottawa region. I, like many other Ottawans, first met Knight at the 2010 Ottawa Folk Fest where he played a great show and an impressive workshop. Knight has a new full-length album since that festival and he’s already toured much of Eastern Canada on this most recent venture off of Vancouver Island.

It should be a good show this week. Knight’s work is precise and impressive, offering up a fun mix of folky pop and intelligent lyrics.

You can download Telecommunicate (in any format you like) for six bucks on Aidan Knight’s Bandcamp page. Tickets to the show are available online. Doors open at 8:30 and tickets are $15 in advance.

Meet us at Dundonald Park on Saturday, May 4th at 2pm. We’ll help you get to know Somerset West a little bit better.

This is just one of a ton of Jane’s Walks happening all over the city. For more on the project and information on walks happening in your neck of the woods, check out www.janeswalkottawa.ca.

Apartment613: What’s coming up in 2013 that you’re excited about?

Steve Adamyk:  We’ve got a west-coast tour coming up in May, for starters, that we’re really excited about.  Other than that, we’ve got slots in town playing Ottawa Explosion in June, as well as Bluesfest in July.  Beyond that, we’re playing a few dates with a band called Night Birds in August, and then there’s even the possibility of touring Japan in December, which we’re still entertaining.  Our new album just dropped in February, so we’re still supporting that, but we’ll start tracking for a new album somewhere near the end of the year as well.

Apartment613: I saw Night Birds on The Chris Gethard Show a while back and thought they were great. Are you playing Ottawa with them?

SA: We sure are! It’ll be sometime in late August. Chris Gethard actually asked us to play his show in NYC at some point as well, but we’ve yet to be able to make it down.

Apartment613: You should!  TCGS is the best.  Next question: How would you compare your new record to your others? Do you think your band has changed or evolved since you last made a record?

SA: The band has evolved a lot in the last couple of years, but we’ve also been able to solidify our sound.  We wanted to dig even deeper into making the perfect blend of punk with melody and aggressiveness.  Our last album was a little more varied than our first, so it made sense to have our third LP be something a little more concise.  Essentially, we wanted to really do a good job of what we do, before moving on to other sounds in the future (which may or may not happen).

Apartment613: How have you thought about changing your sound in the future?

SA: Not necessarily changing; we’re always going to be a punk band that has pop sensibilities.  But with that said, I think it might be difficult to release, for example, eight albums or something that all sound similar.  We’ll definitely do something to switch it up, without steering too far away from what we’ve been doing all along.

Apartment613: When did you first become interested in punk rock, if you can remember?

SA: As cliché as it is, Green Day’s Dookie was the first punk record I ever listened to, from front to back.  That said, I didn’t really get into punk fully until the next year (1994), when I heard bands like Bad Religion, Nofx, Eric’s Trip, etc.  My mind was forever warped from there on in.

Apartment613: When was the first time you played a show in a punk band?

SA: If memory serves me right, it was at the Walter Baker sports complex in Nepean in 1997.  There may have been a coffee house performance or two at Glebe high school shortly before that, though. My first “bar” show with a band was at Bumpers (which is now The Works on Bank Street) in the fall of 1998.

Apartment613: Take us back to 1926. How would this film would have been presented?

Mike Dubue: Ottawa. 1926. An entertainment mecca full of cinemas and theatres. We’re living in the silent film era, with little inclination towards the future of sound in cinema as “talkies” become more and more commonplace. Our cinematic experience relies on the three dimensional presentation of moving pictures with live music. A solo accompanist or music ensemble working out improvisations or tight cues with photoplay music, emphasizing the rhythm of the film as an art of movement.

Apartment613: Can you tell us a bit about the plot of the film? What do you find striking or interesting in the story?

MD: What I find striking about this film is the physical style of storytelling. Lotte Reiniger developed Silhouette animation, similar to Wuyang shadow puppets, though animated frame by frame. She created a unique visual experience through movement, rhythm, texture and tone to tell a story. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is based on 1001 Arabian Nights, specifically The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou.

Apartment613: You have some experience combining live music and film. What do you think music adds to a film? Do you have an approach to creating music for film?

MD: From project to project, the visuals direct the composing process and define the music as commentary or wallpaper. It can also be the other way around, but I personally prefer working off imagery, as it is a great surface to bounce around a wide variety of musical ideas. No matter what, I find this process to be super spontaneous and challenging, which are two ingredients that are important for me in creating music.

Apartment613: Who are you working with and what are they bringing to the project?

MD: I’m co-composing the score with my old friend Holger Schoorl. Holger is a classically trained guitarist who studied composition. He currently lives in Toronto, working as a composer and musician. The musicians I’ve called on for this production are people I’ve been playing music with for years or on a wide variety of projects. They are the best! Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde (Cello), Holger Schoorl (Classical Guitar), Paul Hogan (Electric Guitar), Alex Moxon (Electric Guitar), Adam Sakailey (Piano, Cybernetics), Rolf Klausener (Bass) and Philip Shaw Bova (Drums, Percussion). I’m also playing bass, vibraphone and piano.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed with Live Music will take place April 30 at the Bytowne Cinema.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nadine Thornhill is a sex educator and the program director for Planned Parenthood Ottawa’s Insight Theatre, as well as a playwright, poet, burlesque performer, partner and parent. She blogs about sex and relationship issues on her excellent blog, Adorkable Undies. She is also the author of our first two Big Sexy O-Town surveys.

Shelley Taylor is the founder of Venus Envy, Ottawa’s favourite award-winning sex shop and bookstore. Aside from vending vibrators, Venus Envy runs a number of workshops on topics from ‘Flogging with Flair’ to ‘Intro to BSM’.

Nicholas Valela is the organizer of Snowblower, an annual winter festival that addresses the unique health and wellness needs of gay men in Ottawa.

Please jump in with your questions/comments at any time!

Nadine Thornhill is a sex educator and the program director for Planned Parenthood Ottawa’s Insight Theatre, as well as a playwright, poet, burlesque performer, partner and parent. She blogs about sex and relationship issues on her excellent blog, Adorkable Undies. She is also the author of our first two Big Sexy O-Town surveys.

Shelley Taylor is the founder of Venus Envy, Ottawa’s favourite award-winning sex shop and bookstore. Aside from vending vibrators, Venus Envy runs a number of workshops on topics from ‘Flogging with Flair’ to ‘Intro to BSM’.

Nicholas Valela is the organizer of Snowblower, an annual winter festival that addresses the unique health and wellness needs of gay men in Ottawa.

Its sure to be a stimulating conversation, so tune in next Thursday to tweet or type your questions about love and lust in the NCR!

Apartment613: Can you explain the link between nature and happiness? Does this bode well for a city like Ottawa, with easy access to natural environments?

John Zelenski: Ottawa provides a nice opportunity to experience nature with its urban green spaces and close proximity to wild areas. Of course, people also need to choose to take advantage of these things. On average, nature tends to promote happiness. A variety of studies show that nature (and sometimes even representations of nature like pictures or videos) can improve mood in the short term. For example, we’ve found substantial mood boosts after only brief walks in urban nature (e.g., along the Rideau Canal). These temporary mood benefits are nice, but it takes a large collection of them to translate into a broader sense of happiness. However, even at this level, we observe an association between happiness and people’s subjective connection with nature. People who feel connected to nature and spend more time in nature also tell us that they are happier.

Apartment613: I think that many people in Ottawa tend to blame the long and cold winter for their seasonal blues. Do you think that Ottawans have challenges in maintaining our happiness because of our winter?

JZ: The winter can pose challenges. For example, having fewer hours of daytime light in northern locations is associated with higher rates of seasonal depression. Harsh weather can also keep people indoors and away from the benefits of nature. That said, Ottawa also has great opportunities to get outdoors during the winter, e.g., skating, skiing, snowshoeing…

Apartment613: What exactly do you do in a happiness lab? What does the lab look like?

JZ: We conduct studies on happiness, and these can take many forms. For example, we’re particularly interested in nature and people’s connection to it. Another major interest is sociability, the trait of extraversion, and how it plays out ‘in the moment’. (Contrary to many intuitions, almost everyone enjoys acting extraverted over short periods of time.)

The lab space is fairly unspectacular. We have a variety of offices and rooms that allow for some versatility in creating experiential environments. For example, we might facilitate a group discussion, show videos to induce a particular mood, stage an opportunity for someone to help another, etc. Our research also takes us out of the physical space, for example, when we take research participants out on walks in the urban nature that surrounds Carleton, or reach out to people around the globe via the internet. The physical space is much less important than the creativity my team of students and collaborators bring to it.

Apartment613: What are you hoping people take away from your event Friday with Creative Mornings? Any happiness tips you are hoping to pass on?

JZ: On Friday, I’ll be focusing on our research linking nature with happiness. We are exploring the idea that by facilitating contact with nature, we might make people both happier and more inclined to engage in environmentally sustainable behaviours — a ‘happy path to sustainability’. This work is ongoing, but it is already very clear that one thing people can do to boost their mood and restore their mental energy is to take a brief walk in nature. So, I hope people will consider the big ideas, but also that this concrete tip will be helpful in their daily lives.

Creative Mornings starts with breakfast tomorrow morning at 8am. The event takes place at Art Is In bakery at City Centre Plaza. All the details are online at the Creative Mornings eventbrite.

This week’s episode features a live musical set from Yuri Bakker who is in town as a musician in residence at Café Alt. Yuri plays Café Alt as part of a series organized by Popdrone starting February 1st. We also caught up with Rolf Klausener to get an update on The Acorn and his other on-going projects at the Manx and Arboretum. We round out the show with a chat with Marc Clairoux, a former gang member who will be taking part in the Ottawa Library’s human library project this weekend.

Most of our music came live from Yuri this week (Herdenking, Skies, and Tension from his Florestan EP), but we also played Return to Blackness (for GB),  Hold Your Breath by The Acorn and Caught on Video from the Hilotrons.

Apartment613: What are your plans for the holidays? What does an Indie-Rock Holiday look like?

I don’t have too much planned this year, really. I’m fortunate enough to say that most of my family is local so I’m sure there’ll be some dinners and festivities of that nature. I’m really just looking forward to hanging out with my daughter and not having to leave or work on anything for a few days!
I’m sure an indie-rock holiday is pretty cool… probably lots of spiked eggnog and parties and stuff… we’re a bunch of old farts so we’ll probably just be rocking some slippers, sleeping in til 6:30 am and watching our kids play with Elmo and Dora dolls. and we’re STOKED on it!

Apartment613: If the world does end on December 21st, what will be your proudest musical milestone to date? Any regrets?

I must say that I’m pretty proud of what we’ve accomplished all together. I’ve said it before but this is a band that I never really saw forming, yet alone lasting so to say that we’ve come this far, made a few records, played some great shows, meet so many great people, been to Australia and back, been on Q and I’m sure I’m leaving out 50 other awesome things, well, the whole thing has been one awesome ride. I can’t say that I regret too much for many of the same reasons… Everything we’ve done and everything we’ve been through I’ve been able to do with my friends, arguments and blood shed have been minimal and we’re still going strong so I’d be a fool to complain.

Apartment613: In case we do make it, have you made any new year’s resolutions? Any big plans for 2013?

We’ve started working another record. I don’t want to say too much about it but the ideas and concepts have easily, already, been the biggest we’re taking yet. That will be a big focus of mine in 2013 accompanied with continuing to work on the live show and playing as much as we feasibly can.

Apartment613: What can people expect from your show on the 21st? Any carols on your set list for the night?

Well, we’ve got a great line up of bands and a full night of awesomeness. There may be some other things scattered around the bar to grab your attention, there may be some carolling, there may be a surprise visit from ol’ St. Nick, you’ll have to come out to Mavericks and find out for yourselves! Either way, it’s going to be a great night.

Amos the Transparent plays Mavericks this Friday with The Gallup and The Strain. Doors open at 9pm and Tickets are $10 in advance. Find out more at the Facebook event.