Storefront Manitoba's Playlist is a monthly curated list of films, podcasts, and other resources that aim to entertain, inspire, enrich, and advance critical discussion.
In his revolutionary book Interaction of Color, Bauhaus educator Josef Albers warns us that "In order to use colour effectively, it is necessary to recognize that colour deceives continually."
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As we transition into fall, bundling up in our seasonal jackets, sipping on seasonal beverages, and admiring the changing of the leaves, we've decided to focus this month's playlist on COLOUR. What does a dog see when she looks at a rainbow? Why do developers avoid using bright colours in new subdivisions?​
And in the spirit of reconciliation, and to honour Truth and Reconciliation week, learn the story of Orange Shirt Day.
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Sit back and immerse yourself in this month's playlist highlighting stories of beauty, whimsy, controversy, and impact.
HOLI
2012 | 2 Minutes
Holi is a famous Hindu festival that is celebrated in every part
of India with utmost joy and enthusiasm. The ritual starts by lighting up the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and this process symbolizes the triumph of good over the bad. On the day of Holi people play with colours with their friends and families and in the evening they show love and respect to their close ones with Abeer.
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The goal with this film is to help viewers further appreciate
and take notice of the beauty in life & culture that lies within
our world.
CMYK
2011 | 7 Minutes
This short animation is a dizzying celebration of sound, colour and movement. Here, multitudes of CMYK symbols, pulled off flaps of cereal boxes and other common printed materials, have been isolated and assembled. Freed from their workaday origins, these objects become moving artwork. Coloured dots pulsate, crosshairs roll and primary shapes dance. The result: an unrestrained riot of colour and energy.
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The REDress Project
2019 | 2 Minutes
The REDress Project focuses around the issue of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. It is an installation art project by Winnipeg artist Jaime Black based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue. The project has been installed in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States as a visual reminder of the staggering number of women who are no longer with us. Through the installation the artist hopes to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Aboriginal women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence.
ART 101:
The Juiciest Art War of the 21st Century
2021 | 8 Minutes
What happened when one artist helped create the blackest shade of black — and decided nobody else could use it. In this edition of Art 101: Anish Kapoor, Stuart Semple, and the battle over who gets to use Vantablack.
PRAIRIE DESIGN LAB: COLOUR
2021 | 30 Minutes
When you painted your bedroom last month why did you choose that colour? What’s the colour of your favorite sweater? What colour is your front door? What shapes your taste in colours? Episode 18 of Prairie Design Lab meets three people from the global colour industry, with distinct Winnipeg connections, who analyze and shape worldwide colour tastes.
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99% INVISIBLE: Full Spectrum
2021 | 32 Minutes
In 2015 the world was divided into two warring factions overnight. And at the center of this schism was a single photograph. Cecilia Bleasdale took a picture of a dress that she planned to wear to her daughter’s wedding and that photo went beyond viral. Some saw it as blue with black trim; others as white with gold trim. For his part, Wired science writer Adam Rogers knew there was more to the story — a reason different people looking at the same object could come to such radically divergent conclusions about something as simple as color.
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RADIOLAB: Colors
2020 | 1 Hour 10 Minutes
To what extent is color a physical thing in the physical world, and to what extent is it created in our minds? We start with Sir Isaac Newton, who was so eager to solve this very mystery, he stuck a knife in his eye to pinpoint the answer. Then, we meet a sea creature that sees a rainbow way beyond anything humans can experience, and we track down a woman who we're pretty sure can see thousands (maybe even millions) more colors than the rest of us. And we end with an age-old question, that, it turns out, never even occurred to most humans until very recently: why is the sky blue?
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ORANGE SHIRT DAY
Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.
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Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
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On September 30, all Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of Survivors.
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