Maniacs Festival
Victorino Eagle
Slowly but surely it seems that my work, and the work of other great fractal artists around the world, is being noticed by a broader audience and also appreciated as a more mature art form. I won't go so far as to say it's popular - as I believe this abstract art will still only appeal to a certain audience, but there's traction nevertheless.
The Facebook group Mandelbulb Maniacs almost has 6000 members. These are not just people creating fractals, but also a lot of people who have seen the magnificent shapes these algorithms can produce, and they want to see regular updates in their timeline. In this group some truly amazing artists reside, and I'm often very intrigued by what Dortus Gunst, Philippe Jacqueroux, Gary Webb, Barbara Russell and many others I can't possibly all mention produce on a daily basis. There are also some interesting 'trends' that seem to emerge, especially because everybody shares their parameters, which means you can learn from each other's masterpieces. It would be an understatement to say that I've learned a lot from this group.
Not just online, but also offline these works are being recognized and praised. People use it for obvious reasons as VJ material in clubs and venues, but there's also an increasing number of digital art festivals that love to showcase fractalicious art. Last year I traveled to Geneva and Montreal to create a show for the full-dome format. This immersive format really provides fractals with an extra dimension. This year it seems that there will be more opportunities to showcase to the world what's possible in the infinite world of fractals.
I'm currently working on various projects that contain fractals in one way or another, and I hope to present you soon a list of places around the world where my work can be seen. For the moment there are some events lined up In the Netherlands, but hopefully I will be able to add more worldwide events soon. Right now, I'm getting ready to go to Thailand, to meet a great artist who's working on an immersive film. I hope that we'll be able to create something inspiring together.
The second annual Victoria Whisky Festival, organized by Maniac Lawrence Graham and his partners, was held 24-28 January 2007. It was a five-day whisky event that began and ended on high notes. The tasting events and masterclasses kept everyone engaged and on the move. And the whisky? Well, I certainly got closer to a couple of memorable 40 year olds. The respectful and relaxed atmosphere created a terrific opportunity to meet and talk with industry leaders. I had a wonderful time and I can only thank Lawrence and his very capable team for hosting an extremely well organized and very personable Whisky Festival. The festival was also a lovely time to reunite with good friends and to meet a couple of new ones along the way.
The 40 yo Whyte and Mackay Rare Old Blended Scotch Whisky at 45% abv & 70% malt content turned out to be a special tasting for our group. Mr. Paterson said that it was the first public presentation of this whisky, with only 1000 bottles in circulation. The blend was made in honour of John McElroy for his 70 year dedication to Whyte and Mackay. Nose: floral, young tobacco; Palate: very chewy, tobacco, oak.
A slide was posted with a picture of the special Whyte and Mackay Prestige Range of 5 blends. The bottlings were: Thirty Years Old, Supreme 22 yo, Old Luxury 19 yo, The Thirteen and Special. Without having touched a drop, I think these are gorgeous bottles. The eye candy of the lot was the Thirty Years Old, a dramatic coal black bottle with two gold lions rampant. It is stunning.
Mr. Paterson is a very hands-on person and perhaps that is one of the reasons he has excelled as a master blender. It is important to not get too distracted by his antics (such as using the aforementioned water pistol to stimulate the rainy Scottish weather) because texture, aroma, and flavour are really at the heart of the matter for this man. This certainly was a wonderful night.
Placed at each seating, a smart-looking and informative pamphlet gave a brief synopsis of the Glenfarclas history and tasting notes by George Grant, Brand Ambassador. Glenfarclas has been a family owned business since 1865, when the distillery was first purchased by John Grant. Mr. Ransom explained that Glenfarclas is a small company of 30 staff, and production remains computer-free. The Grant family continues to operate independently and strives for excellence by producing award-winning malts. During the presentation, Mr. Ransom also commented that J & G Grant had appointed a new Distillery Manager, Mr. Shane Fraser.
By the end of the afternoon, I was full of good whisky and very pleased with the Masterclasses that I had attended. The rotation of classes ran quite smoothly, which reflected the dedication of the team of organizers and volunteers. The Masterclasses were a shining opportunity to be introduced to a number of whiskies that I had never tried before, and to learn about the distilleries and companies that produce them. Last but not least, the camaraderie shared between the whisky enthusiasts was hard to beat.
In just its second year, the Consumer Tasting has already expanded from one to two large ballrooms.
There were two break away rooms, as well, with tables covered in emerald-green linen, holding trays of delicious appetizers like smoked lamb and chutney croustade. The attendees also received a goody bag that included a complimentary glass from the Glencairn Crystal Studio in Scotland. Significantly, the Victoria Whisky Festival was a voucher-free event. Having experienced voucher and non-voucher festivals, it was lovely not to have to fiddle with a ticket system, or for that matter pay above and beyond the entrance fee to sample choice drams. The friendly and cooperative atmosphere prevailed until the last person (which I think was me) had left the premises. For attendees requiring a ride home, transportation was provided by volunteers. The volunteers are from the Victoria Whisky Festival benefiting charities, The Rock Solid Foundation and the T.L.C. Fund for Kids.
The name behind Winchester Cellars is Ken Winchester, a winemaker since 1982, who along with partner, Bryan Murray, is moving forward with this dream. Mr. Winchester has expanded his talent for making wine into whisky production. At the festival, Ken said that they have bought their new potstill, which is a traditional copper still made by Muller of Germany. To age the whisky, they are using a combination of sherry and bourbon casks, and will naturally branch out for finishes in wine barrels. They will be offering cask futures by the end of 2007, and welcome drop-ins to take a peek at the still.
Victoria is a sleepy city of gardens and ocean. On the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, it is both the tourism capital and the retirement capital of Canada. Folks here know their whisky though, especially since the British Columbia government began to relinquish its monopoly on liquor sales and independent liquor stores began to pop up. The Strathcona on Douglas Street specializes in malt whisky, which has likely contributed to the general good level of whisky knowledge at the festival.
For the first time, I was more than a part of the festival crowd; Lawrence had asked me to give a master class on judging whisky. Thirty enthusiastic aficionados joined me for a morning session where we discussed the merits of five blind whiskies under 16 years old and came up with individual scores. The level of questioning was excellent, with none of the usual bores asking questions just to show off how smart they are.
Not being able to watch films with other horror fans in the unique ambiance of the Royal Cinema, the historic Art Deco theatre in Toronto where the festival is normally held, is certainly a drawback but the festival organizers did a commendable job bringing as much of the festival experience as possible in this new format. Each screening is followed by interactive Q&As with the filmmakers and cast which adds some intimacy to the at home festival experience.
Headlining this year's festival mainstage will be 10,000 Maniacs. The internationally famous rock band from Jamestown, NY will boost the energy to a frenzy with hits spanning their 40-year career, including "What's the Matter Here?" "Trouble Me," "These Are The Days," "Candy Everybody Wants" and "Because The Night."
The festival has gained notoriety each year since its inception, not only for curating an eclectic mix of the best acts in the region and headliners with a worldwide following, but also for creating a festival environment in which a quintessential Main Street U.S.A is the venue.
In fact, the "Toonerville" festival is named after the famous "Toonerville Folks" comic strip which Fontaine Fox created after visiting Pelham and seeing the local Pelham Trolley and its colorful trolley master. The comic strip ran in hundreds of papers from 1908 to 1955. The trolley, which ran from Pelham Manor through downtown Pelham, made its final run on July 31, 1937 but has been revived one day each year for the Toonerville Music Festival to run a continuous circuit around Pelham to ferry festivalgoers to and from the festival entrance.
Also on the mainstage will be up-and-comers Wells Ferrari and headlining the Artist's Stage will be international recording artist Jeffrey Gaines, whose cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" went to number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.
Though some reserved seating will be available for purchase, this free event will allow a broad audience of up to 5,000 music lovers to participate in the series kickoff. The event will have a festival feel, including local women-led opening acts and a range of women- and minority-owned vendors on site. Performances begin at 7:00pm.
The Porch presented by PPG Paints will be open serving beer, wine, hard seltzer, and drink specials. No outside alcohol is permitted in the park. Bags and coolers are subject to search. Those bringing in outside alcohol may be ticketed for open container.
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