Capital Arts Online

Step with your right leg; step with your left. Back to the right leg; right one more time. Hands out in front; then one fist clenched over your head, elbow slightly bent, making a circular motion. But chances are you already know this dance move because, like more than a billion others around the world, you’ve seen it. Yes, we’re talking about “Gangnam Style”: the most popular YouTube video ever.

Psy and friends perform “Gangnam Style” at Seoil College in Seoul.

“Gangnam Style” is a song by South Korean artist Psy. It is also one of the most powerful dance phenomena we have ever seen. It has taken over bars, clubs, sporting events and even political debates, all because of one viral video.

“Gangnam Style” was released on July 15, 2012, and received about 500,000 views on its first day. It reached one million views at the beginning of August, and by the week of August 28 it was number one on YouTube Top 100 Music Videos.

On December 21, 2012, it became the first online video to be viewed one billion times. As of mid April 2013, it had had 1.523 billion views.

‘I think it’s one of those things like car accidents; you can’t help but look.’ — Viral video expert Kevin Nalty

This all despite the widely held opinion that, as a matter of fact, the music isn’t very good. “I think that it wasn’t so much the song itself, but sort of the whole mojo of the video,” says viral video expert and YouTube comedian Kevin Nalty, admitting he doesn’t like the song. “I think it’s one of those things like car accidents; you can’t help but look.”

They all do Gangnam

The scene is Alumni Stadium, home to the Boston College Eagles football team. The Eagles are losing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on a beautiful New England fall 2012 Saturday night.

It is in the second quarter, after the BC marching band’s rendition of “Call Me Maybe,” that the familiar sights and sounds of Psy’s “Gangnam Style” hit the 44,500-seat stadium’s big screen. The band plays along; the fans belt the words. Most importantly, they all do the dance. They always do the dance. The cheerleaders do it; the fans do it; even the mascot does it. It is the only music video that plays on the big screen all night. And just about everyone in the stadium has seen it, as a couple of now-famous dance moves prove.

This is what happens when Internet culture seeps into real life. “I think what happens with something like this […] at some point it’s almost like a commodity you trade with,” says Nalty. “‘Did you see that?’ is basically code for ‘I’m in early; I’ve already seen it; I’m hip to it.’ It’s sort of a badge of honour.”

San Francisco Giants radio announcers Jon Miller (left) and Dave Flemming celebrate the team’s World Series win, Gangnam style.

But what is really incredible about “Gangnam Style” is how it has reached older generations — ones that didn’t grow up with the Internet, ones that are known often for criticizing their children’s music. These generations are not only embracing “Gangnam Style”; they are celebrating it.

On several instances, well-respected, world-renowned people have proven they can’t get enough Gangnam. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon danced “Gangnam Style” alongside Psy during a photo op at UN headquarters. London mayor Boris Johnson, at a Conservative party conference in October 2012, told delegates, “‘Gangnam Style’ is very good. The Prime Minister and I danced ‘Gangnam Style’ the other day, you will be shocked to discover.”

President of the International Criminal Court, Song Sang-Hyun, mentioned it during a speech to the UN Security Council. U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned it, saying to WZID FM in New Hampshire, “I just saw that video for the first time… I think I can do that move.” Never has an Internet fad spread so quickly and so powerfully, and through such impressive ranks.

Here to stay?

So how do we explain such an explosive transformation, from Internet sensation to pop icon? Psy has something to do with it. “There’s just something about this guy that’s so opposite your common pop singer,” says Nalty. “Overweight, goofy, but clearly confident in himself.”

All the right moves. South Korean pop artist Psy’s “Gangnam Style” is the most viewed YouTube video of all time.

“The common ingredients are there,” Nalty continued. “It’s interesting; it hasn’t been done before; it’s catchy; it’s new. Dancing and music are always good ingredients in a viral video.”

Wall Street Journal Korean Correspondent Evan Ramstad says the video’s madcap attitude is atypical of Korean pop videos. “The dance adds to it, because it is both funny and easy to imitate,” says Ramstad. “The bass-rhythm groove is also memorable and unmistakable when you hear it.”

“Gangnam Style” is the most powerful example of how viral video can impact our culture. But it is just one of many.  “It’s sort of like a fabric of society,” Nalty says of viral video. “We all sort of consume it, and nobody’s left out.”

“Gangnam Style” and other viral videos like it create a societal bond because of their ability to reach such a mass audience. But Gangnam’s eccentricity and downright silliness is what sets it apart.

Says Nalty, “After a while it just becomes a cliché. I think once it gets to a point where everybody’s universally familiar with, it begs to be satire. I think we’re all looking for something a little offbeat.”

Ottawa has no local music scene. The venues are small; the crowds are young; the bands always leave for bigger cities. That is what people keep hearing, anyway.

Under a confetti shower, Keek lead singer Conor Whitehead salutes the crowd at an all-ages show at Maverick, in December.

Promoter Peter Roumeliotis moved to Ottawa from Montreal two years ago. “I was told Ottawa doesn’t have a scene,” he says. “But when I got here, I was like, ‘What are you guys talking about?’”

The venues are smaller and the kids may be young, but so what?

“What I’ve realized is that Ottawa’s scene is more intimate. In the pop-punk, metal and hardcore scenes, you tend to get the same 150 to 200 kids that come out to all the shows,” says Roumeliotis.

Roumeliotis, who promoted in Montreal for over a year, says that in a bigger city the crowds are more sporadic. He says it was common to have certain shows draw sparse crowds and was often hard to fill large venues.

So, Ottawa’s local music scene is a steady one, but why?

Venues are smaller here, and the kids may be young, but so what?

A friendlier scene

Alex Brownlee, from the Ottawa-based band Constraints, says a big reason is because your hometown is the place to build your fan base.

“If you’re not liked by the kids in your hometown, chances are people won’t like you in other towns either,” he says, laughing.

Constraints have now started to draw a bigger crowd in the greater Toronto area and have done some bigger summer tours by pairing up with bands in other cities and countries.  But Brownlee says it starts at home — it’s all about networking and whom you know, which is why they do so well playing at home regularly.

Ottawa-based band Keek: from left to right, Marek Lubanski, Kyle (Willy) Williams, Matt Belanger, Conor Whitehead and Kyle Megill.

Conor Whitehead of the Ottawa-based band Keek agrees.

“When we started off we could play a show, and maybe 30 people would show up, and they’d all be close friends,” he says. “We go where the kids are; we used to play a lot of high schools and hand out flyers and hop on social networking like Twitter and Facebook, and that’s what really got our fan base going here in Ottawa.”

Keek is a pop-punk band that can draw a crowd of five to six hundred kids, says Roumeliotis. But that’s only possible at an all-ages show — another reason why Ottawa has a thriving scene.

Downtown, places like Maverick, Café Dekcuf and Ritual host all-ages shows. Adam Kronick, the owner and operator of Babylon nightclub on Bank Street, says doing all-ages shows is important for showing support for Ottawa artists.

In Montreal, this is in jeopardy, Roumeliotis explains.

“Basically for smaller shows and for emerging artists in Canada, we had a venue called Underworld, and it was the only venue that would do all-ages shows, for kids who are like 15, 16, 17,” he says. “As of December 31, Underworld’s going to be a bar full time, and that’s going to affect the music scene really bad.”

Alive and kicking. Fans sing along at Keek’s Maverick show.

Roumeliotis says venues are the important thing in a local music scene. In Ottawa, he says, the size of the rooms is perfect: smaller than first-rate music scenes as in Toronto and Montreal, yes. But this is a good thing.

“In Montreal a band like Down With Webster would play Metropolis, which is like 3,000 people; over here they’re going to play Bronson Centre, which is barely 1,000 people, so it’s definitely a more intimate scene,” says Roumeliotis.

Route 401 to Toronto

He says in promoting in Ottawa for the last two years, he has sold out shows much more easily than in large venues in Montreal.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to the intimate Ottawa scene. Brownlee says Constraints do see risks in playing Ottawa regularly.

“There is the issue of over-saturating yourself in Ottawa,” he says. “By playing a show every two weeks, you can go from having people come out and being really excited to a point where they get bored of you. So you have to space out the shows, for sure.”

Whitehead says Keek will eventually leave the city for bigger opportunities but not for lack of the local scene. “Ottawa’s been great to us, and we’ll leave when we’re ready to leave.”

Keek performing. “We go where the kids are,” says Whitehead.

Roumeliotis agrees that Toronto is the inevitable next step for most Ottawa — and even Canadian — bands, in hopes of finding a record label. But local is important.

“I have kind of an unofficial rule with bands, that if you can’t dominate your hometown then I can’t see you dominating any other city,” he says. “All the bands that are big right now can do ten times as many people here than by going to another city.”

So if the venues are smaller, and the kids are young, and the bands are leaving for bigger cities, why would that mean the local music scene is dead? Local bands are building a huge fan base and a name for themselves, and Roumeliotis says the small-town city of Ottawa has much to offer.

“Ottawa just has a smaller scene, but it’s a great scene, and it’s definitely still alive.”

The urban landscape doesn’t belong solely to spray paint cans in the hands of Banksy wannabes anymore. There’s a new graffiti in town, and it hides in the branches of trees, is as bold as the statues that it keeps warm at night and is ready to make you smile with its “cute” and fuzziness.

The statue outside Ottawa’s Library and Archives Canada building, after falling prey to a yarn bomber’s craft.

Known as yarn bombing, it’s the global movement that looks to soften the harsh city landscapes with wool and yarn installations. From bright, tea-cozy-like knitted pieces on lamp posts and bike racks to statues with their own sweaters and scarves, yarn bombing contrasts the gray concrete of the urban jungle with wool’s vivid colours and designs. Unlike paint on brick, yarn bombing can be removed from any fixture with little to no trouble, using just a pair of scissors.

It all started in the winter of 2005 when 37-year-old Magda Sayeg wanted to bring a little warmth to her Houston, Texas, neighbourhood by knitting a little cozy for the doorknob of her boutique. Sayeg then began masking other things like lamp posts and stop signs, and even started a yarn bombing group called “Knitta Please.” Now considered the mother of yarn bombing, Sayeg came to attention when photos of her handiwork popped up on the Internet, inspiring other knitters to go drape in public. Since then, knitted and crocheted installations have cropped up all over the world in many different shapes and sizes. Sayeg has even been commissioned to yarn bomb Mini-Coopers, motorcycles and office air ducts. “I didn’t intend for it to become this global movement,” said Sayeg in an e-mail. “So, it’s become an an exciting and unexpected journey for the last six years.”

Yarn gone viral

‘Police have better things to do than arrest people for putting dollies on lamp posts.’ — yarn bomber Joann Matvichuk

This past summer, Canadian Joann Matvichuk, 45, declared June 11th as “International Yarn Bombing Day” on Facebook. The Lethbridge, Alta., mother of two, is a regular yarn  bomber, covering lamp posts, bus benches, crosswalk buttons and fences. She says she came up with the idea at 3 a.m. one night, invited some of her friends to document their own work in group but didn’t expect it to catch on.

“I just thought it would be a neat idea if everybody that did this did it at the same time and how many people would notice? Would they notice?” Matvichuk said over the phone. “I didn’t expect it to be as big as it turned out.”

Her Facebook group amassed just over 4,500 “likes” and dozens of photo contributions from yarn bombing fans all around the world. The group documents a yarn-covered bench in Spain, a giant skateboard monument in California, an eye patch for one statue in Italy, pom-poms hanging on trees in Australia… The list goes on. This kind of digital mobilization has helped the yarn bombing community grow.

“Photographs of what we do totally inspire people,” said Matvichuk. “You look at at it and go, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ Or, ‘I could do that and put it on this, instead.’”

A yarn bombed bike left under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn last summer.

While many may think of knitting and crocheting as grandmotherly, yarn bombing sets itself apart with its diverse community of devotees. Both women and men, young and old, venture out to cover whatever tickles their fancy. Leanne Prain is the co-author of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, and considers herself a yarn bombing historian.

Like all art forms, knit bombing has its critics. Prain says she receives e-mails from time to time that knock yarn bombing as a “waste of wool.”

Twenty-one-year-old McGill University student and avid knitter Bogdana Dragomir says it would take a very clever project for her to take up yarn bombing.

“Wool is expensive and it takes immeasurable amounts of time to knit something substantial,” said Dragomir. “Why would I waste that in an act that would be construed by authorities as vandalism?”

In fact, most city by-laws define graffiti as “one or more letters, symbols, etchings, figures, inscriptions, stains howsoever made or otherwise affixed to a property or other markings that disfigure or deface a property” with exceptions of pre-approved murals. Yet Matvichuk says she’s heard of police officers helping yarn bombers install their artwork. “In most cases, police have better things to do than arrest people who are putting up dollies on lamp posts,” said Matvichuk.

Generally, yarn bombing isn’t an offensive art form. For Prain and Matvichuk, the goal is the same: to put a smile on a stranger’s face. Then there are the yarn bombs that gently nudge people towards the unexpected or ignored. It may be the forgotten bike on a New York City street or the banister along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. According to the New York Times, Philadelphia-based artist Jessie Hemmons made a neon-pink sweater emblazoned with the words “Go see art” and placed it on the Rocky Balboa statue in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She said wanted to encourage visitors to visit the museum rather than quickly snapping a picture of the famous statue and leaving.

A labour of love

This gorgeously decorated bus in Mexico City was the handiwork of Magda Sayeg, the mother of yarn bombing.

Contrary to popular belief, yarn bombing isn’t spontaneous. To execute a good yarn bomb takes time and carefully planning. Bombers have to come up with the idea and size up their target to ensure a snug fit before knitting. The knitting itself can be tedious, lasting anywhere from 24 hours to weeks, depending on the target’s size. Then, in the dim of night or even in broad daylight, the bombers sew and tie their works on the target, often leaving no trace of their identities. Similarly to paint graffiti artists, some yarn bombers prefer to work under a pseudonym.

The yarn bombs can last anywhere from ten minutes to years. Matvichuk says she’s noticed some of her pieces disappear soon after installation, assuming people have taken her cozy artworks home. If they haven’t been taken, yarn bombs last as long as they can stand the weather or until the creator thinks they’re too worse for wear to stay up any longer. According to Prain, one of her tree-branch yarn bombs has lasted for almost three and a half years. She was hesitant to give out its exact location for fear of it being taken down.

Prain says that yarn bombing is a great tool for community building and hopes that it gives people a greater appreciation of textile art. Prain has always seen art as a positive force, especially street art. Whether painted or knitted graffiti, art should always be available to public. While she is busy with book tours and maintaining her website, yarnbombing.com, she helps to plan big projects, for which a number of people are eager to put their needles together and participate.

“It’s something that has the ability to communicate and inspire people from all walks of life,” said Prain. “Knit graffiti is really this tactile, soft medium, and there’s something sentimental about yarn and textiles. It’s wonderful to place something in a place that will surprise somebody and hopefully delight them.”

A tall, thin man dressed completely in black walks through the grounds of Ottawa’s Museum of Civilization. He’s wearing long coattails that flutter in the keen October breeze, and a top hat is planted firmly atop his head. In his right hand he carries a picnic basket.

Dining out. Hundreds of excited foodies gather on the Museum of Civilization grounds for Harvest Noir’s eccentric all-black picnic.

Tourists and museum-going families stare in confusion as he saunters down the steps towards the museum’s Adventure Park, but as he turns the corner, it becomes very clear where he’s headed.

Settled in the grass, with a magnificent view of Parliament and the Ottawa River, 800 picnic-goers have assembled, dressed in their finest and most outlandish black attire, to picnic and celebrate local food at Ottawa’s very first Harvest Noir.

Harvest Noir is one of the many new local food-based events taking over Ottawa’s cultural scene. Focusing on the area’s diverse farming community and the rich selection of produce, meat and dairy found so close to the city, organizers aim to make people more aware of their carbon footprint and of the good food close to home.

Black ties and picnic baskets

The event is based on the idea of Diner en Blanc, a gourmet flash-mob picnic that started in Paris and has spread to major cultural centers around the world. Harvest Noir diners pay for tickets, sign up to an email list, pack a locally sourced picnic basket and await the last-minute information on where and when to meet.

Participants dress extravagantly in tuxedos, ball gowns and fascinators, bringing local, gourmet food, their best china and elaborate table dressings. The atmosphere is vibrant and the diners are excited—talking, giggling, and admiring each other’s dishes and costumes.

‘We’ve lost connection to where our food comes from; it’s wrapped in plastic and totally anonymous.’                                  — organizer Greg Searle

There’s a veritable sparkle under the gloomy October cloud-cover as guests bustle around to perfect their table set-ups. After weeks of speculation, the event is in full swing, and the enthusiastic attendees feel like they’ve been let in on Ottawa’s coolest secret. What more could you expect from hundreds of like-minded foodies brought together for this one spectacular event?

Food isn’t served by the Harvest Noir organizers (it’s a strict bring-your-own-picnic rule), and although $40 a ticket seems rather steep for a dinner party with no dinner included, there are over 800 people in attendance, all toting baskets full of locally made or sourced meals. From La Bottega sandwiches and farmers’ market goodies to full three-course meals from Les Fougères, the selection is impressive and truly showcases Ottawa’s growing and diverse food scene.

After dining, the crowd moves indoors for a dance party complete with live music and performers, which seems to be enjoyed to a certain degree, but it’s the local food element that really drives the event. This isn’t surprising considering the number of new, trendy organizations popping up to promote Ottawa as a foodie city. Harvest Noir was, for the most part, a party celebrating Ottawa local food.

A wave of  local food events

Greg Searle, organizer of the event, said that after stumbling across the Diner Blanc event in Montreal last August, all he could think of was how Ottawa needed something similar.

New food events like Harvest Noir use social media like Twitter and YouTube to connect with the widest audience possible.

“I didn’t know if Ottawa was hip enough for it, but it was worth a try,” said Searle. “I think that something is changing in Ottawa. There’s a growing recognition that official culture is not enough. I think Harvest Noir proved that Ottawa is definitely hip enough, and maybe even thirsty for more events.”

Although Ottawa is often seen as a sleepy government town, criticized for lacking culture and a dynamic food scene, the landscape is certainly changing. Events like Harvest Noir, the Ottawa Foodie Challenge, Dishcrawl Ottawa and Bon Appetit are creating an accessible, fun, vibrant culture of eating and socializing in the city. Over the past few years, Ottawa has been moving into what prominent food blogger Hilary Duff refers to as “the new way to do food.”

Duff, known for her blog, Hilary Makes, as well as for being the restaurant critic for Ottawa XPress, says that although there have always been wine and food shows in the city, they are generally outrageously priced and thus not accessible to everyone who is interested in food. She says dynamic new events like the Ottawa Foodie Challenge and Dishcrawl Ottawa are more open and adventurous, and are often seeing more diversity and media attention than the traditional tasting shows.

“I think the unfortunate thing about Ottawa’s food reputation is that a lot of tourists don’t venture out of the Byward Market, so the dynamic food scene is overlooked,” says Duff. “Events like Dishcrawl are helping Ottawa step into a new world—one of accessible food, appreciation of the city’s offerings, and one where anyone who wants to be a foodie can be.”

After starting in Ottawa last June, the San Francisco-based Dishcrawl has sold out its events within hours. Focused on certain sections of the city, it is a progressive dinner: people are led to four “mystery” restaurants to try four different plates. Duff says it’s supposed to expose people to restaurants they haven’t heard of and dishes they haven’t tried before.

‘Ottawa is stepping into a new world, one of accessible food.’
— food blogger Hilary Duff

Social media is a key factor in getting a new generation of foodies out and about in the Ottawa food scene. Harvest Noir was promoted almost solely through Twitter, Facebook, and the circulation of an intriguing YouTube video invitation.

Searle credits these new media tools with drawing in a varied crowd. “We had a really big demographic at Harvest Noir. People ranged from 18 to 75. Using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube helped us get younger people, and then the younger people invited their parents,” says Searle.

He adds, “The event had its feet in two worlds. It has one foot in Old World Paris, and the dining culture there, and the other foot in flashmobs and DJ’s and partying. Social media probably accounted for over half of our guests.”

Carolynn Lacasse, who organizes the Ottawa Foodie Challenge, says she thinks the people of Ottawa are craving the fun experiences you find on Queen Street West in Toronto. People love to go out and be part of a cultural community, so the events and the restaurants popping up everywhere in Ottawa are helping them do that.

Embracing Ottawa’s farms

The overwhelmingly positive response to Ottawa’s hipper food events is something that is encouraging the appreciation of local food, and even creating buzz around what’s being grown in Ottawa.

“People are realizing that Ottawa and the surrounding area has so many farms, and is a great place to get your food locally,” says Lacasse. “They’ve always been there, but people have been talking more about it, so I think that’s why we’re more aware and that’s partially why the food scene has opened up.”

Harvest Noir is a perfect fit into the growing mainstream movement of buying local. Canadians have been participating more and more in the “buy local” and “100 mile diet” phenomena because of the negative reputation of imported foods and a concern about their carbon footprint. The Dieticians of Canada say that although the 100 mile diet isn’t possible for everyone, they encourage Canadians to choose local foods to help support agricultural producers and protect the environment.

Ottawa’s farmers’ markets are fantastic places to find an array of local produce, and no plastic wrap in sight.

Searle says the theme of harvest was integral to his event because it’s one of the most important traditions, particularly in Canada where we have so much to enjoy.

“We’ve lost our connection to the place where our food comes from—it’s wrapped in plastic and totally anonymous, and we don’t know how far it’s travelled, what kind of fields or farmyards it came from,” says Searle. “We’re headed into a future where that’s not going to be realistic anymore. Preparing for an energy-constrained future means getting reconnected with our local farms and having a local food system.”

The future of Ottawa’s food scene seems to be promising. The addition of even more food events, creating buzz through social media tools and promoting the idea that anyone can be a food lover, means that more people are going to be getting involved.

“The more food events, the more that people get into the food scene,” says Lacasse. “We need more events like Harvest Noir, to bring out more fun, creative, cultured people of Ottawa. I’m always having new food experiences, and I just hope I can help bring that to other people.”

Related Links

Harvest Noir

Dishcrawl Ottawa

Ottawa Foodie Challenge

Bon Appetit

Just Food

Savour Ottawa

Front page photo courtesy of Hilary Duff.

It was love at first sight for Isobel Vaisanen. When asked how she got involved in a sewing class, the 11 year old recalls the moment of her infatuation. Her local Greely, Ontario, sewing club holds an annual fashion show that features pieces by members; Isobel attended as a fifth grader.

“I was amazed at how they did the sewing,” she says, “and I really wanted to join.” Which she did that following summer.

Fast forward, and Isobel is now into her second year of the craft, mastering projects that include clothes and full-sized quilts. Her most prized possession: a dress she hand-made for her fifth grade graduation. “A lot of people thought it was the best dress they’ve ever seen,” she says.

Craft apprentice: Kianna Levine, 14, makes a quilt in sewing class.

Janet Pray is executive director of the National Sewing Council in the United States. The council is responsible for attending craft shows across the country and educating the public on the ins and outs of sewing. She says that Isobel’s story is just one example of a current trend: young sewers joining.

“We’ve definitely seen a rise in youths sewing,” she says. “We meet new, young sewers at almost every event, and the number is continuing to grow.”

While statistics on youth involvement remain elusive, a current general rise in sewing’s popularity is amply attested. For example, according to Time magazine, there are about 35 million sewing hobbyists in the United States, up from 30 million in 2000, while annual sales of Singer sewing machines have doubled since 1999, to 3 million.

Runway dreams

When asked why more young people are joining a craft usually associated with oldsters, Pray is quick to reply: “Project Runway! It’s created a brand-new way to look at sewing.” Project Runway is a reality TV series, now in its sixth season since 2006, that showcases wanna-be designers vying to have their patterns shown in New York. Pray says the show’s popularity “has shown teenage girls that sewing can be both a career decision and a creative outlet.”

‘Project Runway has created a brand-new way to look at sewing’ — expert Janet Pray

Sherry Pettigrew works at Dragonfly Fabrics in Ottawa, where she teaches a beginners’ sewing class. Over the years she has noticed a steady climb in numbers of teenaged students. Some, she says, have joined to better their chances of getting accepted into fashion schools such as Ryerson’s, in Toronto.

Tori Hill, 17, has been sewing for the six years. When asked why she began, she echoes the dream of many girls her age. “I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer,” she says. “The skills I learn here allow me to make my own designs.” Like many young fashionistas, Tori hopes one day to see her clothes on the catwalk.

But it’s not just career ambition that draws young people to sewing, says Pray.  Because so much youthful creativity these days is expressed through electronics, she argues, a hands-on productive activity like sewing can provide special gratification. “If a young girl makes a clutch bag, she’s made something she uses all the time. She gets total creative control.  And to hear all the positive feedback from family and friends is a feeling like no other.”

Cost effective

Anne Warren has been teaching sewing for over 20 years, currently for the Kid’s Sewing Company, a program in Nanaimo, BC, designed specifically for ages eight to seventeen. Warren has more than 30 students and runs three-hour classes five days a week. She says her enrolment is up, which she attributes to a shaky economy. “When the economy is down, my numbers usually go up.” She says sewing is less expensive among the hobbies and is often a better fit for a families on tighter budgets.

Michele Santerre owns The Running Stitch, a quilt store in Kanata, Ontario. She says the boost in young sewers has to do with fabrics being available for purchase by Internet. “Younger people can now find fabrics cheaper online.” Because fabric prices have gone down in this way, she says, youths can join a hobby that was once too expensive. She says the influx of young sewers has resulted in her “buying more modern fabrics.” Further to attract younger customers, Santerre has begun advertising with Groupon, a website that offers a daily deal on the most “popular things to do, see, eat and buy” and that provides users with a “daily coupon,” good at a local merchant.

Hamilton’s students enjoy their sewing class’s relaxed setting.

A ‘sewcial’ scene

And not least of all, the social element has contributed to sewing’s popularity with youth, according to Pray. In fact, her organization, the National Sewing Council, recently adjusted its marketing strategy, to aim at younger sewers by highlighting social benefits. “The social aspect, that’s really where we’re going with our marketing, to attract the younger generations,” she says.

Danielle Hamilton agrees. For the past nine years she has taught sewing out of her Ottawa home to students as young as seven. She runs a two-hour class, usually capped at five students, every Monday and Thursday night. Students spend most of the class time at sewing machines, but can also be seen cutting out fabric patterns on the floor of the basement-level studio.

Hamilton says her class is in high demand, due to the chance it gives young people to be creative and learn valuable life lessons: “They’re learning how to be patient. They’re learning self-esteem, and they’re learning how to celebrate their own as well as their classmates’ successes.” She says that since schools no longer offer programs of this type, some students experience a creative void, and sewing is one way to fill it. An informal survey of Hamilton’s students reveals a range of motivations.

The bounty of self-reliance. Less expensive fabrics available online now have more youths making their own clothes.

Erin Wilson, 15, started Hamilton’s class amid dreams of becoming a fashion designer. But it’s the social setting that has kept her coming back for six years. “The girls in my class, I’ve really bonded with them,” she says. “We’re not just friends; we’re like a family.” Another student of Hamilton is Sophie Laurin, 14. Much like Erin, she says it is the first half hour of class, when all the kids talk, that is most important to her. When asked just what a bunch of teenage girls talk about, she grins before answering: “Gossip. We all love to gossip.” Laurin started to sew after she quit playing soccer. Her decision to switch hobbies has greatly benefited her wardrobe. “I’ve made dresses, capris, vests, shirts, a whole bunch of things,” she says.

And for others, learning to sew is a chance to join a family tradition.

Robyn Boucher was one of Hamilton’s youngest students when she enrolled four years ago, at age seven. Now in sixth grade, Robyn remembers why she joined: “My grandma used to sew, and so does my mom.” And that has developed, she says, into “a love for making shirts, skirts, shorts and tops.”

Not only is it fun; it’s useful. When her brother bought a pair of pajamas that were a tad too long, Robyn came to the rescue. “I took them and I hemmed them down to his size,” she says, as she smiles from ear to ear.

Fourteen-year-old Madelyn Newman doesn’t have Twitter and spends about 15 minutes a day on Facebook. But give her a book and she will read for hours.

Right now she’s splitting her attention between Ned Vizzini’s young adult novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, about a New York teen who finds himself in a mental ward after he attempts suicide, and Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel about a boarding school full of child clones bred for the harvesting of organs. She’s read many of the works of Stephen King and is now embarking on the challenge of Shakespeare with delight.

“I’ll go on Facebook if I have absolutely nothing else to do and I have no book,” she says.

Newman’s reading habits fly in the face of conventional wisdom that says that teens don’t read. The statistics are pretty grim. A 2004 report called “To Read or Not to Read” showed that only 22 percent of 17 year olds read for fun: a drop from 31 percent in 1994.

And yet, over the last five years, Canadian book giant Indigo has seen sales of young adult literature increase 150 percent, while the company’s overall sales have struggled. Recently, the company announced that it would increase the sale of lifestyle products while pulling back on its book stock. But Indigo’s young adult list just keeps growing.

Coming of age

The slow boom in teen lit began in 1997 with the first installment in a book series about a boy named Harry Potter.

“Rowling decided to do something that is going to change everything in publishing,” says Anita Silvey, author of 500 Books for Teens (2006). “She decides to age Harry one year with each volume, which means that by the third and fourth volume — which are selling more copies than any other book in the world — we now have a teenager at the core of the story.”

Magical influence. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has energized and utterly reshaped the young adult book market.

Anyone with an Internet connection knows what happens next: Pottermania builds into a multibillion-dollar franchise; Rowling becomes the richest woman in the U.K.; millions of children and adults eagerly devour the seven-part series until it comes to a close in 2007. Happy ending.

But things were just beginning to change for the teen literature industry.

“We’re now in a post–Harry Potter world,” says Silvey. “The minute you have a formula of the best-selling book in the world with teenagers in it, everyone in every [publishing] house was looking to see, Is there any way we can duplicate the success?”

Thus began a flood of fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal and dystopian novels for teens, all striving to capture Potter’s success. It was quite a departure from the prior standard teen literature.

“The young adult novels they developed in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, they were all realistic fiction about teens having problems,” Silvey says. “They were all Catcher in the Rye.”

A best-selling book with teenagers in it? ‘Everyone asked, Is there any way we can duplicate the success?’            — book expert Anita Silvey

In 2005, another book aimed at the younger set became an international bestseller and merchandising sensation: Twilight. Another trajectory everyone knows: All four books in the series occupied the New York Times Best Seller List, and Twilight-mania is still at fever pitch, with the final movie installment on the horizon. But the story doesn’t stop there.

Keeping lightning in a bottle

Between the Potters and the Twilights, a steady community of avid readers, teens most definitely included, has risen up from the Internet and vocalized their voracious thirst for books. Authors and publishers are now using the Internet to find and connect with fans, learn what the trends are, and serve up exactly what teen readers want, often with impressive results.

John Green is a novelist whose first book, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Printz Award, which recognizes excellence in young adult literature. Since 2007, Green has been building an online fan base through video blogs, message boards and Twitter. In June 2011, Green announced the title of his most recent book, The Fault in Our Stars, along with a promise to sign every single pre-ordered copy of the novel. Within hours, the book was the number one bestseller on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. At the time, it was unfinished and without a cover.

Youth-market novelist John Green has found wild success online.

Green, whose fans also include adults, is one of many young adult authors who has a presence online. Widely-read writers like Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), Scott Westerfeld (Uglies) and even Judy Blume (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret) have taken to Twitter and blogs as places to talk one-on-one with their fans.

“They have placed themselves where teens might go. The young adult writing crowd is very, very present in this cyber-space community. It gives them a chance to connect directly to their readers,” says Silvey.

Biblio file sharing

Indigo representative Lisa Huie says the company is taking full advantage of the popularity of teen literature. Last year, the company launched their Teen Read Awards, with 15,000 teenage fans voting online for their favourite novels. The company hosts regular events and promotions for their lucrative teen literature branch, but the true engine of buzz is of course teenagers themselves.

“Reading is and always has been a social activity. It started with book clubs; now it’s text messaging,” says Huie. She adds that teens have no problem using the Internet to find out more about their favourite authors.

“It’s always been a part of their lives,” she says. “Why wouldn’t they use that tool to leverage their experience?”

“This is obviously a culture where they share with each other what they find,” says Silvey. “Whether it’s the latest style or the latest book they’ve read, there seems to be an enormous underground movement of passing things around to friends.”

“Brianna [Wiederhold, 14] and I will read something and tell each other to read it,” teenager Newman says. Both girls have been devouring the James Patterson sci-fi series Maximum Ride. “Brianna read it, and then I read it, and then we got everyone else to read it because we thought it was so good.”

With the movie business churning out film adaptations of popular teen novels at a feverish pace (coming soon is the highly anticipated movie version of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games) there’s some question as to whether the teen literature craze can last. But Silvey doesn’t see this boom going anywhere. The reason? Demographics: The teenage population is bigger than ever.

“There’s a huge teen bubble moving through the population,” says Silvey. “There are a lot more teens, and there’s a lot more publishing for them.”

So while Rowling has moved on to bigger and more virtual things post-Potter (namely, the creation of Pottermore, an “exciting online experience” based on the books), there seems to be no stopping the young adult authors and publishers looking for their own runaway hit.

In the meantime, readers like Newman will be reaping the benefits.

An unsigned Canadian rap artist known for playing Wheelchair Jimmy on the hit TV series Degrassi took the rap scene by storm in 2009. Drake’s So Far Gone was the fifth-best-selling rap album of that year, with over 100,000 copies sold in the first two weeks of release.

A year earlier, Kardinal Offishall’s collaboration with American R&B artist Akon for the single “Dangerous” reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. This made Kardinal the first Canadian rapper with a major chart hit in the United States.

Thousands waited in the rain at Toronto’s Queen Street HMV for Drake’s Take Care album signing, November 2011.

But the international breakthrough came when K’naan’s single “Wavin’ Flag” became the official Coca-Cola theme song of the 2010 International Federation of Association Football World Cup (FIFA). The song has since been a chart hit in at least 16 countries worldwide.

Now more than ever, Canadian hip-hop artists have emerged as mainstream stars, breaking into the American and international markets.

Although some call it a passing trend, many industry professionals see the recent exposure as representing a steady Canadian movement that’s just now become more prominent.

“The Canadian hip-hop scene has been going strong since the 1980s. Artists like Maestro and Michie Mee paved the way for the success of right now, which can’t be dismissed as a coincidence,” said Chris Jackson, a broadcast technician at CBC Radio. “This is not a copycat movement; Canadian artists are just mastering their craft better than ever, and the hard work is paying off.”

Jackson has been active in the hip-hop music industry for 25 years. As Senior Creative Director at Toronto-based rap label EasPark Productions in his spare time, he notes the Internet’s role in providing the platform for Canadian artists to expose their music.

“The Internet’s broken down the physical walls — it’s so much easier now to get music from artists around the world,” said Jackson. “Local artists used to be more self-contained in their own cities, but now they’re able to expand and grab hold of the larger market.”

Drake’s success

Such was the case with Drake’s So Far Gone EP, which was certified gold in July 2010 for sales exceeding 500,000. The Toronto-born rapper (real name: Aubrey Drake Graham) had garnered mild success locally with his previous efforts, Room for Improvement in 2006 and 2007’s Comeback Season, but these were nowhere near the accolades to come.

Jackson says that it’s partly luck but mostly because of digital exposure that Drake’s third effort caught the attention of wildly successful American rapper Lil’ Wayne. This resulted in Drake signing a 2009 multi-million dollar recording contract with U.S. label Young Money Entertainment.

The label, founded in 2005, has since released five number-one albums, including Drake’s debut studio effort, Thank Me Later, in 2010.

“So Far Gone was by far his greatest effort to date, so the quality was there. But without the Internet to expose the music, Lil’ Wayne would never have heard of Drake,” said Jackson.

Toronto’s Flow 93.5 radio host Jeni McKenzie acknowledges that while rappers like Drake and Kardinal Offishall have certainly tapped into the American market, any real prominence for Canadian artists is impossible without their being signed to U.S. labels.

Prince of the city. Kardinal Offishall, with radio host Jeni McKenzie, at his Toronto Christmas charity bash 2009.

“There is definitely a unique hip-hop movement in Canada, but in order for these artists to go mainstream, they can’t rely on Canadian record labels, which don’t have the financial backing,” said McKenzie.

She notes the strictly local success of artists like Classified and Buck 65, who are often played on Canadian radio but who have yet to be signed on an American label.

“Young Money and Lil’ Wayne had the financial resources to promote Drake’s albums and create his marketing brand,” said McKenzie.

She says it was part of their business marketing strategy for Drake to proudly represent his roots in Canada. Often referred to as “Toronto’s hometown hero,” he consistently name drops his love for the city in his lyrics.

“I know for a fact Lil’ Wayne sat Drake down and told him he needed to make his album at home, film his music videos behind Toronto backdrops and surround himself with the city’s support,” said McKenzie. “He’s a smart businessman; he’s making sure the city belongs to him.”

She adds that Drake’s marketing strategy has been beneficial for other local artists coming up.

‘Up North Wave’ a branding ploy?

Anupa Mistry, a Toronto-based freelance journalist who covers hip-hop, agrees with McKenzie.

‘It’s become cool to say you’re from Toronto.’ — freelance journalist Anupa Mistry

“Drake often brands himself as being a part of an ‘Up North Wave,’ which is partly mythological, a branding ploy,” said Mistry. “The spotlight he’s created does, however, bring attention to other Canadian artists who otherwise wouldn’t have had the exposure.”

For example, she said, there’s the Toronto-based Airplane Boys, recently featured in Complex magazine. And The Weeknd is an artist whose rise to success is directly related to being promoted by Drake on Twitter. The Weeknd was also asked to open at the yearly OVO concert series founded by Drake. Sold out for the past two years since its formation, the concert is known for having special guests like Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z.

“Maybe in the past Canadian artists put out their music without relating back to their roots.  But now, with Drake putting the spotlight on them, they’re more prone to capitalize on that,” said Mistry. “It’s now become cool to say you’re from Toronto and to feel like you’re a part of a movement.”

Canadian bakin’. Hip-hop artist The Weeknd, opening for Drake, at Toronto’s OVO Fest in July 2011.

Jackson agrees that in addition to the Internet, it took a big “marquee” star like Drake or Kardinal to bring the spotlight to Canada.

“It’s definitely something local artists should take advantage of, because this doesn’t happen often,” said Jackson. “Now more than ever, artists in Canada should focus on making sure they put out unique music to capture an audience.”

McKenzie can only hope that the “Up North Wave,” even if fabricated as a brand, continues to bring attention to Canadian talent.

“There are so many different cultures expressed in our hip-hop.  Shad has the African influences; Classified’s got the East Coast; and Kardinal has the reggae beats,” said McKenzie.

“We’ve got a bunch of amazing talent here that is different from the rest. And it’s exciting.”