Monday 19 February 2007
Via Torontoist - Ryan Larkin, who went from breaking ground in the National Film Board’s animation studios, to panhandling on the streets of Montreal, to an all-too-brief comeback in his final days, has passed away.
Cartoon Brew’s obit includes the early short Syrinx (wherein the young Larkin takes Norman McLaren’s drawing-and-redrawing techniques into poetic new territory) and the 2004 documentary Ryan (wherein animator Chris Landreth’s conversations with Larkin and friends are spun into surreal computer animations that underscore the man’s tragic story).
Ryan was at work on a new film based on his experiences, called “Spare Change”. His collaborator, Laurie Gordon of the band Chiwawa, is continuing work on the piece - see the official site for further details.
Tuesday 25 April 2006
Dan Gibson, nature sound recordist. He actually died over a month ago, but I hadn’t heard until now. When I was a kid, we had the very first Solitudes LP, back before his son talked him into adding music (a smart commercial move, I’ll grant you, but no thanks - I’d rather have just the sounds).
Jane Jacobs, author and champion of neighbourhoods and cities as vital entities. Her book The Death and Life Of Great American Cities spurred me to study urban planning (I discovered it, in turn, through Stewart Brand’s How Buildings Learn). (via Spacing Wire)
Tags for this entry:
acoustics,
architecture,
building,
cities,
environment,
human spaces,
jane jacobs,
nature,
obituary,
public space,
recording,
sound,
toronto,
urban change,
urban design
Friday 26 August 2005
RIP Ninjalicious, urban explorer and publisher of Infiltration.
Tom has a tribute. Another at Torontoist.
