Screenshot from AGO Express Yourself
The AGO has just launched a new, free app named AGO Express Yourself, which allows users to take photos and manipulate them using filters that mimic artistic styles (cubist, impressionist, sculpture and more). With the popularity of Instagram, a number of competitors have been trying to bring something different to the photo-altering game: Camera+ offers touch exposure and focus, as well as a stabilizer; Tadaa offers rapid-fire shooting, an abundance of filters and a tilt-shift mode; and Hipster (yes, it’s an awful name) allows the user to create postcard-inspired images (you can add text on top to say where you are or how you’re feeling). With so many photo options out there in the app world, does AGO’s arty app stand a chance? The load times are slow and the filters are reminiscent of Photo Booth, but at the end of the multi-step process, the app hangs your work of art on a virtual gallery wall. Sure, it’s a gimmick, but that on its own is still pretty neat.
With a bumper crop of Canadian artists set to perform at next week’s Grammy Awards—the Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber and Drake—we thought this was a fitting moment to reflect on memorable Canuck Grammy performances of yesteryear. Given our country’s track record at producing international divas, it should come as no surprise that the list is heavy on acts known principally by their first name. Here, five performers who prove that Canada’s got talent, and that Canadians probably give their costume designers too much creative freedom.
