Open Show Toronto presents Chris Buck

Photo posted by Chris Buck: "Leonard Cohen makes lunch for my assistant and I in 2001 after our session. I had a pastrami on rye, with a side of chicken liver."

In 2012, I had the rare privliedge to attend a masterclass with Chris Buck at the Santa Fe Workshops. This experience changed how I approach portrait photography, think about my work and future as artist. Since the beginning, the art of photography has been passed from mentor to student - Chris Buck is all that and more.

Join us in welcoming him to Open Show Toronto on Feb. 23 at the 918 Bathurst Media Arts Centre. He will be sharing stories and images from his latest book Uneasy. He will also be selling signed copies of his book. Here are the details...

Open Show Uneasy Talk
February 23, 2017 7 PM ($12)
918 Bathurst Street, Toronto
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-show-toronto-presents-chr…

Uneasy is a book of Chris Buck’s portraits of the famous from 1986 to 2016. For three decades Buck has been carving out a unique space in the world of celebrity portraiture, capturing its ineffability - its danger, its oddness, its warped sense of reality.

Patio Build Timelapse - Belljar Cafe

After going through my archives I realized I hadn't properly shared this timelapse of the patio I designed and help to build.



Edit by Daniel Reis

Cover of Worn Fashion Journal, Issue 20: The Last Issue.

The final issue of Worn has just been released. It has been such a pleasure to work with this team of talented individuals.  I'm looking forward to creating more exciting projects as we move forward.  

Cover Credits

Eliza Jade Robin //  Art Direction and Styling 

Lisa Kannakko  // Photography
Tammy Wong  // Makeup
Maiko Watson  // Modelling 
Alexandra Niit  // Design

Halloween Mural

Ok you've caught me - Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. All the scary and infinite possibilities to dive into the creative imagination is hard to resist. Hence I offer this little gift to celebrate the season:




Mural Artist: Kneil Spek
Song: Yelle - Safari Disco Club
Director/Producer: Lisa Kannakko
Editing by Andrei Ionescu

Live at the Belljar: Kira May

We had the pleasure of having Kira May play a Live At The Belljar music session:



Director/Producer:  Lisa Kannakko
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Editor: Andrei Ionescu
Camera Operators: Lisa Kannakko and Andrei Ionescu
Promotion: Sparrowtree Productions

Year 2: Rocco DeLuca & Daniel Lanois

It was one year ago this month that Rocco DeLuca and Daniel Lanois performed in the first "Live at the Belljar" session, on the back patio of my little spot the Belljar Cafe, in the west-end neighbourhood of Parkdale/Junction/Roncesvalles.  

Well they've done it again! This time they performed for a delighted audience in the front window. Lanois walked across the street from his studio to play the show with DeLuca, and basically blow our minds as we sat within a few feet of the deeply creative duo. 
California based artist DeLuca released his self titled album this month. It was produced by Lanios who has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson. Lanois also collaborated with Brian Eno: most famously on producing several platinum albums for U2, including The Joshua Tree. 

"Live at the Belljar" is a music series that I started as a way to combine my love of music with my love of filmmaking.   




Rocco DeLuca performing "I Trust You To Kill Me", "How Many Times" and "Congregate", with Daniel Lanios on accompaniment.

Director/Producer: Lisa Kannakko
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Editor: Andrei Ionescu
Camera: Joshua MacDonald, Lisa Kannakko, Andrei Ionescu

Live at the Belljar: Abi Rose

Abi Rose is a Toronto based singer songwriter. She graced our patio with her beautiful voice earlier this summer.



Director/Producer: Lisa Kannakko
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Editor: Andrei Ionescu
Camera Operators: Lisa Kannakko & Andrei Ionescu

Night Rider

As the summer comes to a close I find myself looking back on the things I love most about this warmest of seasons, my favorite of course - rollerblading.  Made even more fun by the dark of night. Here's a little GoPro film I made:

night rider from Lisa Kannakko on Vimeo.
the blade from work to home. taken daily. best at night.

Raleigh - Live at the Belljar

playing music / telling stories / being together in a space

Director/Producer: Lisa Kannakko
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Camera Operators: Lisa Kannakko, Andrei Ionescu
Editor: Andrei Ionescu

Live at the Belljar: Hunting

Lots of little moments happened when the music started. On the street, in the room, and there was profanity which is a habit I enjoy.




Director/Producer:  Lisa Kannakko
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Editor: Andrei Ionescu
Camera:  Lisa Kannakko & Andrei Ionescu

Live at the Belljar: Jordan Klassen

Here is the latest addition to my ongoing video series. Love the approach Jordan Kassen - and his band, are taking towards their music. Very creative and smart.



Director/Producer: Lisa Kannakko 
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Camera: Lisa Kannakko, Andrei Ionescu
Editor: Andrei Ionescu

On a separate note - some of what I've been cooking up has leaked out into the world.  Read this lovely little article about how things have come together at the Belljar, and how my music series started with Daniel Lanois.  Pretty neat to hear it reflected back.

Whitebrow - Live at the Belljar Video Series

For over a decade I've been a huge fan of Vincent Moon's Take Away Shows, drawn to the idea of having a creative project which encompasses music and motion, that fuels and furthers my constant need to produce new work. Through a series of events, such as opening a bar, returning to writing music, and connecting with new people, I realized that I had all the ingredients to move in this new direction. Hence, please be introduced to the Live at the Belljar Series, which started a little while back (with the Rocco De Luca & Daniel Lanois piece) and has finally found its feet.



Director/Producer: Lisa Kannakko
Sound Engineer: Ben McPeek
Camera: Lisa Kannakko, Thomas Lee
Editor: Andrei Ionescu

Honest Ed's - Duets

When I shot the "Duets" piece at Honest Ed's a few months back with Worn Fashion Journal, it hadn't been announced that the end was near for the historic business. As I passed through the hidden passageways of the building I felt there were many more stories to be told about this place and those who had kept it going since 1948.

Most of my memories are of my Great Grama Rose coming to visit from Los Angeles and just going bananas over how great the deals were.. She always had her eyes on the "BEST DEALS IN TOWN!", was pretty comical, and easily as much of a character as Honest Ed was himself.


Behind the scenes video Shot & Edited by Daniel Reis

"Live at The Belljar" featuring Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca

Proud to release the first "LIVE at The Belljar" featuring Daniel Lanois and Rocco DeLuca.





The Belljar Cafe is a little spot I own and operate with my husband Geoff McPeek. We have been in business since 2010, making killer espresso and grilled sandwiches. After spending most of the summer in renovations we launched evenings hours (with a liquor licence) in late July, starting things off right with a musical performance by our talented neighbour and community supporter Daniel Lanois, along with the talented Rocco DeLuca.   I'm looking forward to an exciting future working on this "Live at The Belljar" series - a project that combines my deep love for music, image-making, and connecting with people.

Living in Print - Behind the scenes

I always love behind the scenes videos of shoots I've been involved in, what took us a full day to shoot replays in mere moments and all the best moments are there to invoke memory.



Taking full advantage of the unique details and beauty of the new offices of Worn Fashion Journal, here's a look behind the scenes during the photo session of Living in Print, Issue 16.

Fresh off the Press: Worn Fashion Journal - Issue 16

Worn Fashion Journal is releasing Issue 16 with a Dance Party on June 8th:  Second Hand Prom Party will take place at the Church of the Holy Trinity.  Here is some of the work I contributed to the issue - as always, it is a pleasure to work with a publication that is so full of creative innovators.

Hot Fuzz

I love this behind-the-scenes video from my photo shoot for Issue 15 of Worn Journal.    We shot model Alyssa Garrison on location at the labour of love I share with my husband:  The Belljar Cafe.

  video // Daniel Reis   end animation // Barry Potter 

Peaches

Peaches with her first NOW Magazine Cover, standing with Shary Boyle, 1999.   © Lisa Kannakko

Its been a long time since the days of crazy fun, running through the streets of Toronto to go shoot a Peaches show.

Very excited to see the TIFF premiere of Merrill Nisker's film "Peaches Does Herself", playing tonight at the Bloor Hot Doc's Cinema.   She has dedicated years of hard work towards creating her own path - from the small clubs of Toronto to the World's stage.

I'm expecting you will make us very proud Peach.