(Continued from page 2. ) If there is something I can do in art, ití¢â‚¬â„¢s to show a few important contradictions. It is sad, it is hopeful and it - the mind - is definitely resilient. Even, the clumsy fit of contemporary individualism and cooperation is full-on absurd. And funny.

Capitalmag is pleased to announce the Diversions Mash Curator - photographer, Andrew Lindy. His reflections on Diversions pushes us to embrace doubt and explore present and past, with hopes for the future. By sharing his stunning photographic project, Fashion Gas Mask, he encourages Capitalmag readers to wander with and wonder at the world around them.

As a child growing up in the 1980s and watching such movies as Adventures in Babysitting, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, and Ninja Turtles, it was nearly impossible to not be afraid of subways. In the mind of a child, subways were filthy and graffiti covered, and rival gangs freely roamed between train cars, destined to clash in the car where YOU were sitting, at 3 PM of course. It was certainly no place for a white middle class kid from the suburbs. I remember having incredible anxiety the first time my father took me on the TTC. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time, going from Union Station to the Maple Leaf Gardens.

I am certain that the majority of contemporary art enthusiasts will agree that most of the art in Torontoí¢â‚¬â„¢s subway stations is bland, dated, and uninspiring. It certainly doesní¢â‚¬â„¢t help that I really dislike murals, especially tiled murals. However, given the expense, and the required durability and vandal-resistant qualities needed for public art, the alternatives are often limited.

FLUX . . .

I sit at a large table in the Whitby Public Library with my MacBook, drinking really awful coffee, listening to Tokyo Police Club, flipping through a copy of Adbusters, and ripping í¢â‚¬ËœThe Squid and the Whaleí¢â‚¬â„¢ onto my computer. I am distracted by everything, yet I must get to the task at hand ... interpreting the theme of flux as it relates to the art world.

Every issue, Capital locates a guest editor to fill our mash section. This monthí¢â‚¬â„¢s guest curators are Leila Pourtavaf and Andria Hickey. They drew their inspiration for the Fictioní¢â‚¬â„¢s issue by examining the relationship between nature and its representation in contemporary art. They have incorporated the work of various Canadian artists including Sarah Anne Johnson, Will Gill and Crystal Beard.

Nature has had a long history as a popular subject in artistic production. Many have argued that representations of nature in art are closely linked to the social perception of the natural world during a given historical period. In recent years, concerns over environmental realities such as climate change are reflected in representations of nature in contemporary art.

Moving away from ordered and controlled notions of nature and towards decidedly unscientific representations, the works reflect an understanding of nature that is obscured and complicated by our urban existence and the looming threat that the fast changing environment poses to it.í‚   Furthermore, given our high-tech, urban centered, consumer driven world, the idea of a harmonious relationship with nature is absurd.í‚  í‚   This absurdity is prominent in the fanatastical fiction of landscapes below.í‚  

Every issue, Capital locates a guest editor to fill our mash section. Although we certainly work with them in developing the content they provide, the vision is entirely theirs, and the product will ultimately reflect the work of the guest editor, and not the Capital staff. This can be done on virtually any topic, and can be displayed via any medium that we are able to effectively display on the site.

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Greg Liburd is a wonder of a man. I first encountered him years ago , when his alias, Chocobot, played the New Forms Festival . He was into mashing up Led Zepplin tracks using two technique turntables. Years later, every kid has a Serato Scratch on their x-mas lists wants to mash their Dad's Tijuana Brass records with Timberlake and LCD Soundsystem.