Above is the installation by Einav Mekori, Erin McCutcheon, Annie Tung and Andrée Wejsmann for Come Up To My Room 2009 at the Gladstone Hotel.

United by a love of objects and making, Erin, Einav, Annie and Andree take their inspiration from an obscure fairytale for CUTMR 2009. Together they will bring to life a gothic story of jealousy, innocence and death. They will be presenting their interpretation and vision of “The Juniper Tree” by the Brothers Grimm.

Erin McCutcheon is a Toronto based artist and designer recently graduated with a BDes in Industrial Design from OCAD and a previous BFA majoring in Jewellery and Metalsmithing from NSCAD. Erin enjoys combining craft, art and contemporary design. Her work takes into consideration the history of objects and people as well as memory, sentiment, the relationship built between object and owner, and the recording of time and moments. All work is handmade in her downtown studio.

www.erinmccutcheon.com

Einav Mekori is currently in her third year as a resident artist at the Harbourfront centre glass studio. A native to Israel, she initially studied sculpture at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Having moved to Canada in 2004, she subsequently graduated from the Sheridan College Craft and Design program. Her current work is influenced by the rich visualization of Victorian styles, and takes inspiration from jewellery and wallpaper designs.

Toronto-based artist Annie Tung graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design and is currently an artist-in-resident at Harbourfront Centre. In her creative practice, Annie combines her training in jewellery and penchant for sculpture to question expectations of seemingly insignificant objects.

www.shesmiledandran.com

Andrée Wejsmann is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Art and Design. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships. Her work spans a number of media and disciplines, exploring the relativity of objects in their environment, often using narrative as a tool to investigate the construction of meaning, and the permeability of signifiers. Andrée currently lives and makes work in Toronto, and teaches at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

Above is the installation by Amrita Takhar, David Chang and Andrea Chin for Come Up To My Room 2009 at the Gladstone Hotel.

SUSPECT: A masquerade of objects, materials and functions.  Each piece in the room is a play off of a permanent element of the room.

David Chang is a recent graduate from the Industrial Design program at the Ontario College of Art and Design and holds a BFA from the University of Toronto. For the past four years David has been working as a Visual Stylist for Canadian retailer Holt Renfrew. Outside of developing concepts and creating props and installations for the Toronto flagship store’s windows and interiors, David has a continued interest in designing and producing various products that bring together design and art.

Andrea Chin graduated from Queen’s University in 2005 with honours in visual arts. However, she just couldn’t get enough of school and enrolled at the Ontario College of Art and Design. After graduating from the Industrial Design program, she left Toronto for a stint in Milan to work as an editor at designboom. Working across disciplines, Andrea’s designs explore the contextual relationship between object, space and place, injected with the occasional dose of humor. Her work has been exhibited in the Interior Design Show, the Souvenir Shop at ‘Come Up to My Room’, Radiant Dark and IIDEX, and published in NOW and Canadian Interiors Magazine.

Amrita Takhar is a recent graduate of the Industrial Design program at the Ontario College of Art and Design and holds a degree in Human Ecology from the University of Alberta. She finds design enticing because it touches on an endless range of topics and can be used as a tool for positive change and commentary. Amrita has worked in international development in the past and plans to combine her design sensibilities and entrepreneurial spirit in her project for Come Up To My Room.

www.amrita.ca

Above is Derek McLeod’s public space installation for Come Up To My Room 2009 at the Gladstone Hotel.

A manifestation of intensity through repetition – 50 lights occupy an entire hallway on the second floor of the hotel to create a variegated field. The lights have smooth, polished copper surfaces that reflect off each other making for a
surreal topography.

Derek McLeod creates furniture and objects for people who like to live with quality. The pieces can be described as archetypal, comfortable and usable – things which make life better by looking and performing well. McLeod strives for the best version of a thing, while understanding that the idea of best is always changing. Derek McLeod graduated with a Bachelor of Design from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2004.

www.derekmcleod.com

Above is the installation by Mauricio Affonso and Liz Wolfe for Come Up To My Room 2009 at the Gladstone Hotel.

What happens when you force two strangers into a room when the only thing they have in common is humour? Product designer Mauricio Affonso and photographer Liz Wolfe combine their creativity to design an installation where things are not what they seem.

Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Mauricio Affonso moved to Toronto to pursue a degree at the Ontario College of Art and Design. During school, he competed in several international competitions, won awards and had his thesis project featured in Azure’s magazine Design Lines Toronto. After his studies, he went on to collaborate with Canadian design collective Motherbrand, exhibit at the Beaver Tales: Canadian Art and Design exhibition at the University of Toronto and participate in the Vitra Design Workshop in France. Dabbling in fashion, Mauricio worked under Canadian design veteran, Joffer Caoc, before moving to his current role as Product Designer at Umbra.

Liz Wolfe is a photographer and installation artist who creates miniature environments out of everyday objects.

www.lizwolfe.com