Hey Vancouver, Moda Hotel is proud to announce it has just received Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award 2012 for being one of the Trendiest Hotels around! Click here to view the full list. 

It’s that time of year when everyone looks for that special, just right, something to do on New Year’s Eve. Well, have we got some ideas for you! Light it up this New Years with ideas for all budgets and party goers: from the gala girl on the Harbour Cruise, to the festive family venturing up to Whistler for a special night! We’ve got something here for everyone, so from us to you – have a fabulous New Year’s enjoying one of our ‘just right’ ideas.

Harbour Cruise– December 31st, 2011 “Ring in 2012 in grand style aboard the Pride of Vancouver with luxurious modern facilities, first class food, wait-staff bar service and quality wine list. Your cruise includes our gourmet buffet, entertainment and dancing all in the true cruise ship tradition. From the romance of the sea, Vancouver’s spectacular skyline, the lights at night and a midnight fireworks show, it’s the only way to celebrate New Year’s!”  – clubzone.com Information: Boarding at 8pm, returning at 1am Tickets: $150 + tax at club zone tickets

First Night, Whistler- December 31, 2011 “Whistler’s First Night is a family-friendly, no alcohol New Year’s Eve celebration that takes over Whistler’s pedestrian only Village Stroll and the TELUS Conference Center. Say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new at this evening of family entertainment and celebration. Enjoy local arts, entertainment, and family-friendly activities at indoor and outdoor venues throughout Whistler Village from 7 PM to 11 PM. Between 11 PM and midnight, ring in the New Year with free outdoor entertainment in the Village Square and a fireworks display. Tickets are required for special indoor events and skating at Whistler Olympic Plaza.” — whistlerfirstnight.com Tickets will be available at the Whistler Visitor Centre.

The Rockin’ Block At 900 Seymour! For the Canucks fan looking to catch the game and get the best for their buck, or the wine connoisseur who wants to taste their way through the night, sparing no expense – the rockin’ block at 900 Seymour Street has two New Years Eve bashes planned that you just won’t want to miss!

You CAN – Red Card New Year’s Party 2012 A party in support of the Canucks Autism Network – www.canucksautism.ca Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery features over 40 beers from around the globe, including Asian bottled brands, American microbreweries and traditional sports-related favourites, so you’re sure never to go thirsty. Accompanied by an eclectic cocktail menu and hand-picked wine list with by the glass and celebratory selections, Red Card has revolutionized the Vancouver bar industry with its unique concept and immaculate execution. Now Red Card is set to revolutionize your New Years! This year they are bringing you a New Year’s Eve Celebration in support of CAN – the Canucks Autism Network. It will combine your love of hockey with a rocking great time. Start your evening off by watching your Vancouver Canucks versus the Los Angeles Kings and move into the New Year dancing to the awesome DJ’s of Sundae Sounds.  Evening Includes: • Vancouver vs. Los Angeles @ 7PM • Two DJ’s, Dance Floor & Entertainment • Midnight Pizza Buffet* • Glass of Bubbly at Midnight • Party Favours & Midnight Countdown There will also be: • A Raffle and 50/50 Draw • Signed Vancouver Hockey Merchandise • A Team Signed Jersey • A Grand Prize – Two Hockey Tickets, a Night at Moda Hotel & a $50 Red Card gift card* • Guest Host Courtney Vye of Hockey Talk with Courtney – www.hockeytalkwithcourtney.net Information: Tickets available at Red Card or online at Clubvibes.com $30 General Admission $500 VIP Booth *Kitchen open until midnight with special New Year’s features and regular menu.

Celebrate 2012 with Cibo Executive Chef Neil Taylor and General Manager David Fert of Cibo Trattoria want to send you into 2012 with a memorable New Year’s menu and experience you won’t soon forget. An early and late seating are available and include: complimentary bubbles upon arrival, party favours, and of course the midnight countdown. Tickets: Deluxe – $115/person Includes New Year’s Menu, 1 glass of Grave di Stecca 2008 Nino Franco Prosecco and a ½ bottle of Cuvee 900 Seymour wine. Premium – $195/person Includes New Year’s Menu, 1 glass of Dom Perignon and a ½ bottle of Angelo Gaja Brunello 2006 wine. Menu available on Facebook or at www.cibotrattoria.com Tickets available at Cibo Trattoria – 604-602-9570, davidf@cibotrattoria.ca

One of our best kept secrets will be a secret no longer! — As a Moda Hotel guest there are a lot more perks during your stay than just a comfortable, relaxing get-away in our chic boutique hotel. If your travels bring you to our welcoming doorstep you will have the opportunity to spoil yourselves and save at Pink Lime Salon, Uva Wine Bar, and Red Card Sports Bar.

Pink Lime is in the business of making you look and feel good. Get a little spring in your step with any number of their salon and spa services or get the works with one of their supreme salon or spa packages. Pink Lime has been featured in magazines like Vancouver Lifestyle, Flare, Dream House Magazine, CBC Fashion Magazine, and Vancouver Magazine as the top salon and spa! Don’t miss your chance to get the royal treatment at a great price because Pink Lime Salon is offering our guests 20% off any of their salon or spa services.

Uva Wine Bar — Espresso Bar by day, located just off the Moda lobby. Cozy up and enjoy a rich Italian blend dark coffee, cappuccino, espresso, latte or mocha at their warm, modern, contemporary espresso bar. Pair your relaxing morning coffee with your delicious breakfast favourite made fresh at Uva with local, organic ingredients. For those “just 5 more minutes” people, you can sip away your afternoon wake-up call with Uva’s flavourful lunch menu instead. With mouth-watering entrees that change every day to incorporate the best seasonal ingredients you’re sure to get a mouthful of the freshest flavours of the day. Enjoy what Uva has to offer as a Moda Hotel guest and receive 15% off your food until 2pm.

But, it doesn’t stop there! Red Card Sports Bar is so much more than just a sports bar. With 18 big screen HD TVs, Red Card boasts itself as one of the best places in Vancouver to watch a game, and we have to say – it’s true. With its sassy marketing, “The best place to watch a game, especially if your in-laws are in town” this cheeky Sports Bar is a fun place to hang out and grab a bite with your friends. When every night is a special night, you can’t go wrong spending your evening there, especially when Red Card is serving up a 15% discount on their food for our guests too!

At Moda we like to spoil our guests. Now you just have to be one.

Perks only available during your stay.

As we posted previously Remi Rough , Augustine Kofie, Scott Sueme, and Joker would be installing a mural. They finished there Mural Install at the Moda Hotel in Vancouver as part of their Unintended Calculations Show at Becker Galleries. Monumental in Size the 4 man team was able to tackle the walls in a 3 day period leading up to the opening. Indigo the curator of the install and event couldn’t have picked anyone else that would have complimented each others work so well. Thank to Aaron Smedley for the beautiful photographs as he was able to document the install. Also thanks again to GetGrounded TV for the video shot day one of the install. We hope to have some of the pictures from the opening of the show in the next couple days.

> View Unintended Calculations images and video here

GF

Street art and abstract art intersect at the corner of Seymour and Smithe streets in downtown Vancouver with Unintended Calculations

Three days, four graffiti artists and two four-storey walls comprise the first component of Unintended Calculations, a local exploration and celebration of graffiti’s transition from fanciful lettering to high art.

Since Tuesday, the internationally renowned street artists have been tackling the walls outside of Moda Hotel on the corner of Seymour and Smithe streets downtown. The collaborative murals combine the individual styles of each artist in a showcase of graffiti-as-abstract-art on the walls of a 100-year-old historic building.

Unintended Calculations culminates on Friday, March 4, 2011, with the second component of the project: a private VIP opening of an exhibit at Becker Galleries on Granville Island, followed by the official public opening the next day, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The gallery will display individual works of art by each of the four artists as they bring their street styles indoors for people to ponder the genre of graffiti as a contemporary art form. The exhibit runs March 5 through 26.

Unintended Calculations ‘a combination of luck and timing’

Curated by Vancouver-based street artist Indigo, Unintended Calculations began as a nugget of an idea in September 2010. Inspired by the works of four street artists she’d met and admired over the years, Indigo approached Los Angeles-based Augustine Kofie, Jerry Inscoe of Portland, London’s Remi/Rough and Vancouver son Scott Sueme to be a part of the project.

“They are all such talented and inspiring creative beings, and I was, and am, excited to help facilitate them working and showing together as a group,” Indigo says.

“My initial intentions were really just to gather the right individuals together to create something big and beautiful in a city that has so much potential for great things—and with the generosity of our sponsors and project partners, we’ve been able to make that happen.”

It was a combination of luck and timing that Indigo was able to secure an exhibit venue at Becker Galleries and find two outdoor spaces on the sides of Moda Hotel, which coincidentally was looking for artists to add a bit of flair to its exterior.

“It was, like so many things since we got started: just a matter of the right people getting in touch at the right time,” says Indigo. “They [Moda] were excited to see what we had to offer, and we were so excited to end up with not one but two huge walls right in the middle of downtown.”

Indigo takes graffiti from the street to the gallery

Unintended Calculations is a collaborative project showcasing street art and its transition from the construction of letters to more conceptual abstract art. While each artist has his own very distinct style, the pieces merge on the walls of the Moda and within the gallery space in a showcase of the techniques and aesthetics that make up the unconventional art form.

Indigo explains that both the murals and the gallery exhibit offer onlookers a chance to discover and explore the genre of abstract street art in two different settings.

“One of the things that I find most captivating about the work is that it leaves space for the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions, to take in what each artist has created and find something that speaks to them in a way that has less to do with content as it does with style, form and aesthetic.”

“While they come from a shared graffiti background, all four artists have very different interpretations of and approaches to abstraction, and the combination of their work existing on the same walls and in the same gallery creates a space for some really interesting dialogues to happen between artists, viewers and the works themselves.”

In recent years there has been a growing trend to mainstream graffiti artists as exactly that—artists. Indigo explains the importance of gallery exhibits as a way to engage different audiences.

“I think that for all of us involved, the work we do for exhibits is a really important part of our artistic practice, just as important as what we do on the street. And it’s great to be able to showcase both of those aspects in one project.”

She notes that while the two venues provide audiences with a deeper understanding of the artists’ work, “it’s also a really great opportunity for collectors and fans to be able to own a piece by these internationally renowned artists, most of whom have never before exhibited in Vancouver.”

Video: Watch Unintended Calculations on Grounded TV

Vancouver’s Grounded TV Network has been filming the progress of the murals and posting short documentaries on their site. Videos include various stages of the murals, interviews with the artists and the gallery opening.

Grounded TV Network is a web-based television network that features culturally and socially relevant content. Run by a group of artists and musicians, its web-based programs highlight positive change through music, art and social activism. Watch videos here.