Mir Magazin by Navina Pan

M A G A Z I N I S S U E I1

M I R M A G A Z I N G e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g , a g e m s t o n e i s a s t o n e t h a t i s b e a u t i f u l , r a r e , a n d d u r a b l e ( r e s i s t a n t t o a b r a s i o n , f r a c t u r i n g a n d c h e m i c a l r e a c t i o n s ) . S o m e m i n e r a l s c a n b e v e r y b e a u t i f u l , b u t t h e y m a y b e t o o s o f t a n d w i l l s c r a t c h e a s i l y ( s u c h a s t h e m i n e r a l f l u o r i t e ) . F l u o r i t e i s e x t r e m e l y c o l o r f u l a n d p r e t t y b u t h a s a h a r d n e s s o f o n l y 4 o n t h e M o h ‘ s h a r d n e s s s c a l e a n d h a s f o u r p e r f e c t c l e a v a g e d i r e c t i o n s , w h i c h m a k e s i t o n l y a n o d d i t y a s a c u t g e m . O t h e r s a r e t o o c o m m o n a n d a r e g i v e n a s e m i - p r e c i o u s s t a t u s ( s u c h a s a g a t e ) . M o s t g e m s t o n e s h a v e g o o d h a r d n e s s ( a b o v e 5 ) a n d a h i g h i n d e x o f r e f r a c t i o n ( t h e h i g h e r t h e i n d e x o f r e f r a c t i o n t h e g r e a t e r t h e s p a r k l e ) . A l l g e m s t o n e s h a v e s o m e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s f a l l i n g s h o r t o f p e r f e c t i o n t h o u g h ; e v e n t h e s e e m i n g l y p e r f e c t D i a m o n d h a s f o u r d i r e c t i o n s o f c l e a v a g e . N o t e t h a t t h e m o s t c o m m o n m i n e r a l i n t h e E a r t h ‘ s c r u s t i s q u a r t z , w i t h a h a r d n e s s o f 7 . S i n c e q u a r t z i s e v e r y w h e r e ( e s p e c i a l l y i n c o m m o n d i r t a n d d u s t ) , a n y m a t e r i a l t h a t i s s o f t e r m a y b e s c r a t c h e d d u r i n g o r d i n a r y w e a r .

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED SO KNOW ABOUT GEMS : THE LATEST MINERALS NEWS AROUND THE GLOBE

Am rerum sequissimi, unt. Acienti reiur rest facessimaxim doloria nduntorerrum velescipsae verferum qui conemquia soluptati te nam et archicabori conseque ra aruntur? Quia venditi umquid endem que di aut moloresto tem etur reius eate optaeped mos conet invelestia sitiaer spidest odit venditi nos vitis deb.

Vid unt mi, untinci ipsa nam illania core de inis adio event asit, quodis soluptatiis ne nimus, non nonsed molorep eribusapis si omnis et exceaquiassi alia comnit as debitaquam, soluptati te sandesequas plamet omnim repudig Lenimet volorenimi, nos exces eaturerumet es aut pre sed eosam anto doluptat odion rem restias aut quam, quia nusant, corionsequi sae modicab imus asintem

On rectum facid ut diore eos es a verchitio inciend esciur moloribus et, sint. Ut aut estinvero et magnihi ligenis totatet occates magni vollescia dolorionem volupid quam intis que nos con niantot atenihil exces dolupta ventium re doluptas et odicium quunt. Ga. Nequo dunduci lisquate repratio. Everat occabore remo cusa plitatur alibus et

WE SELECTED THE MOST COMMON 7 MINERALS WHICH WE WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU IN THIS ISSUE. JUST FLIP TROUGH THE PAGES TO FIND THEM. 7

„COMPRISES THE BULK OF THE EARTH‘S CRUST, APPROXIMATELY 60% OF THE CONTINENTAL CRUST OR 49% OF THE LITHOSPHERE. PERHAPS 75% OF THIS IS THE PLAGIOCLASE FELDSPARS (MOSTLY ALBITE, OLIGOCLASE AND LABRADORITE) WITH THE REMAINDER AS

1/7 Minerals • Feldspar

POTASSIUM FELDSPARS.“

News

Intro

Carly Waito

Russel Leng

7 Minerals

Intro News Russel Leng Carly Waito 7 Minerals 12

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Intro News

Gem of they Year 2012

Russel Leng Carly Waito

7 Minerals

2/ 7 Minerals â&#x20AC;˘ Quartz

2/ 7 „QUARTZ IS THE MOST COMMON MINERAL ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. IT IS FOUND IN NEARLY EVERY GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AND IS AT LEAST A COMPONENT OF ALMOST EVERY ROCK TYPE. IT FREQUENTLY IS THE PRIMARY MINERAL, >98%. IT IS ALSO THE MOST VARIED IN TERMS OF VARIETIES, COLORS AND FORMS. THIS VARIETY COMES ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE ABUNDANCE AND WIDESPREAD DISTRIBUTION OF QUARTZ.“

„WHICH GETS ITS NAME FROM 'CHALIX' THE GREEK WORD FOR LIME, IS A MOST AMAZING AND YET, MOST COMMON MINERAL. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MINERALS ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, COMPRISING ABOUT 4% BY WEIGHT OF THE EARTH‘S CRUST AND IS FORMED IN MANY DIFFERENT GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS. CALCITE CAN FORM ROCKS OF

7 Minerals • Calcite

CONSIDERABLE MASS.“

USSEL L

N G

ANCOUVER-BASED ARTIST RUSSELL LENG PAINTS GORGEOUS GEOMETRIC LANDSCAPE PIECES THAT LOOK AS THROUGH THEY ARE REFRACTED THROUGH THE PRISM OF A CRYSTAL. IN HIS ARTIST’S STATEMENT HE PROVIDES AN EVOCATIVE EXPLICATION OF HIS APPROACH TO CREATING ART:

„My work is characterized by geometric forms interacting with organic marks. This is seen in a variety of ways, such as a rigid line next to a loose application of paint or gradient. I notice these relationships in nature as well; a tree breaking through a concrete sidewalk, or a housing development by a river. I want to examine these relationships between natural and built landscapes, conjuring a new sense of place. By confronting the viewer’s perception of landscape, I aim to question how these unceasing amalgamations change how we identify with our environments, and perceive ourselves in them“

Can you tell MIR about yourself and your creative background? RL: I am from Vancouver, Canada, but currently living in Edinburgh, Scotland. I studied art at Trinity Western University, and am currently pursing an M.F.A. from Edinburgh College of Art.

Where did your interest in the arts begin? RL: I don‘t remember a specific beginning point, or even ever choosing to be an artist. It was always the thing I was most interested in, so naturally it is what I pursued. I liked art in school because it was the subject in which you were granted the most freedom. In that sense I began to build a self-awareness as an artist quite early on and confidence to use my creativity to do/say/ make whatever.

I soon realized that I was far more interested in destructing objects than constructing or building them. I think there is an interesting tension in my work between ‘coming a part’ or ‘coming together’, which evokes the cyclical nature of the regenerative properties that destruction can offer. I have started to use destructive processes as both an inquiry into the relationship between control and chance, and have also started to feed it back into my paintings as a way to arrive at interesting geometric shapes and forms in a less rigid and controlled way. I got to a point in my paintings where they were feeling too controlled.

In an attempt to bring interest back to them I started to use some of these practices like smashing bottles to make random shapes, cutting up the canvas and rearranging the pieces on the wall, or getting others to dictate the composition.

Your work plays with geometric abstraction and experimental destruction. Would you like to expand on your painterly process and how you arrive at your finished results...

You are currently within the Master of Fine Arts program at Edinburgh College of Art, is the academic structure of the course influencing your creative process at all?

RL: Part of my fascination with destruction is the process of destructing, not solely the finished result. Destruction became a way of making for me during a time when I was trying to build my paintings three dimensionally as sculptures.

RL: I don’t feel like the course is very structured actually, as there is a lot of freedom to experiment. Of course, there are certain requirements and deadlines, but it seems beneficial. Moving to Scotland specifically for this program has helped me focus and work efficiently, and has given me time to take risks both in my studio and in a curatorial sense that I might not have taken if I were to stay in a familiar environment. At times it seems more like a two-year residency than university

in my paintings where they were feeling too controlled. In an attempt to bring interest back to them I started to use some of these practices like smashing bottles to make random shapes, cutting up the canvas and rearranging the pieces on the wall, or getting others to dictate the composition.

You are currently within the Master of Fine Arts program at Edinburgh College of Art, is the academic structure of the course influencing your creative process at all? RL: I don’t feel like the course is very structured actually, as there is a lot of freedom to experiment. Of course, there are certain requirements and deadlines, but it seems beneficial. Moving to Scotland specifically for this program has helped me focus and work efficiently, and has given me time to take risks both in my studio and in a curatorial sense that I might not have taken if I were to stay in a familiar environment. At times it seems more like a two-year residency than university.

Do you find the terrain of Edinburgh and Scotland a particularly inspiring environment? RL: The notion of nature for me is very broad, and changes depending where I am. I did the “Mountain” series in Vancouver, where mountains are an encompassing part of your daily life. If you want to know which way is north, you find the mountains, and no matter where you are in the city you can see them. In Edinburgh my experience of nature has been different, and for the most part in the form of digital experiences. This isn’t to say that mountains and nature don’t exist here, but recently I have realized that our experience of nature is increasingly in the form of digital formats. Whether that means in the replication or documentation of nature (i.e photography), archival or presentation methods, or the interpretation. This is one of my current interests, and I am curious how this is affecting how we perceive nature when we are physically present in it, and how we perceive ourselves in relation to it.

„I STARTED TO USE SOME OF THESES PRACTICES LIKE SMASHING BOTTLES TO MAKE RANDOM SHAPES.“

4 / 7 Minerals â&#x20AC;˘ Olivine

„THE OLIVINE GROUP IS A TERM THAT IS SOMETIMES INCORRECTLY APPLIED TO JUST TWO MINERALS THAT ARE OFTEN LUMPED TOGETHER AND SIMPLY CALLED OLIVINE. THE TWO MINERALS ARE FAYALITE AND FORSTERITE AND ARE PERHAPS BEST REFERRED TO AS THE OLIVINE SERIES. ALTHOUGH OLIVINE IS NOT AN OFFICIAL MINERAL NAME.“

Do you find the terrain of Edinburgh and Scotland a particularly inspiring environment for your practice, considering that your geometric work explores landscapes and nature? RL: The notion of nature for me is very broad, and changes depending where I am. I did the “Mountain” series in Vancouver, where mountains are an encompassing part of your daily life. If you want to know which way is north, you find the mountains, and no matter where you are in the city you can see them. In Edinburgh my experience of nature has been different, and for the most part in the form of digital experiences. This isn’t to say that mountains and nature don’t exist here, but recently I have realized that our experience of nature is increasingly in the form of digital formats. Whether that means in the replication or documentation of nature (i.e photography), archival or presentation methods (i.e tumblr), or the interpretation (i.e image alteration). This is one of my current interests, and I am curious how this is affecting how we perceive nature when we are physically present in it, and how we perceive ourselves in relation to it.

Are you currently working towards any new exhibitions that you would like to discuss? RL: Currently I am making work for a group show in Portland at Breeze Block Gallery. The exhibition is called Space // Form and I’m excited to be showing with some great artists like Mark Whalen, Cleon Peterson, Ricky Allman, Maya Hayuk,and lots more, too many to name here.

Thank you Russel for the interview, good luck for the future!

„I WAS TRYING TO BUILD MY PAINTINGS THREE DIMENSIONALLY AS SCULPTURES.“

„THE MICAS ARE AN IMPORTANT GROUP OF MINERALS. THEY REPRESENT THE CLASSIC PHYLLOSILICATE MINERAL AND ARE USUALLY THE FIRST MINERALS TO BE THOUGHT OF FROM THIS SUBCLASS OF THE SILICATES CLASS. MICAS ARE SIGNIFICANT ROCK FORMING MINERALS BEING FOUND IN ALL THREE ROCK TYPES: IGNEOUS, METAMORPHIC AND

6 / 7 Minerals • Mica

SEDIMENTARY.“

REMEMBER THAT SCENE IN SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE WHEN CLARK KENT TRAVELS TO THE NORTH POLE AND ENDS UP DISCOVERING HIS LIFE’S PURPOSE IN THE CRYSTALLINE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE? SO DOES DEBRA BAXTER. BUT THE IMPACT THE FILM MADE ON THE LOCAL SCULPTOR AS A YOUNG GIRL LAY DORMANT UNTIL ADULTHOOD - WHEN SHE REALIZED HER OWN SUPERPOWERS. Designer Debra Baxter set out to create an absurdist sculptural piece and ended up launching a viral jewelry hit with her crystal brass knuckles. “I am in awe that nature and time can create such wonder,” says Baxter of her mineral obsession.

7 / 7 Minerals â&#x20AC;˘ Aquamarine

„THE HARDNESS AND DURABILITY OF AQUAMARINE MAKE IT A FINE GEMSTONE, AND ITS LIGHT BLUE OR AQUA COLOR MAKES IT A FINE CHOICE WHEN THE HARSHER COLORS OF SOME OTHER GEMSTONES WOULD OVERWHELM OR DISTRACT FROM AN OUTFIT. ITS TYPICAL DELICATE COLOR ALLOWS IT TO BE USED IN A LARGER STONE WHERE ITS BEAUTY CAN BE IMPRESSIVE.“

CARLY

WAITO

TORONTO-BASED ARTIST CARLY WAITO COLLECTS AND PAINTS MINERAL SPECIMENS OF ALL DIFFERENT SHAPES, SIZES AND COLOUR. WAITO’S FASCINATION FOR THINGS GEOLOGICAL STEMS BACK TO HER CHILDHOOD FROM HER FIRST ROCK COLLECTION. 44

aito’s fascination for things geological stems back to her childhood from her first. Waito’s detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you 45

to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity.

To view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity. Waito’s detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity. Waito’s detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity. Illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape va46

riation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity. Waito’s detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages. Paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity. Waito’s detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge.

And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge to edge and colour and shade on its many dimensions. Each painting tells a textured memory, a unique story that portrays the specimen’s rarity. Waito’s detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world. And when you look at her compositions, she encourages you to view them the way she sees each specimen – inspecting each crystalline structure, shape variation from edge. Detailed paintings illustrate her curiosity about and affection for the natural world.