GRACE JONES ~ JEAN PAUL GOUDE

MTV2 SHOOT

Over the past weekend I had my acting debut! The commercials will air mid August on the MTV2 network. They were directed by Anthony Scott Burns and Dr. Steven Hope. I can’t wait to see how they turn out! 

MELNCOLY SUMMER M!XTAPE

I MAKE MIXTAPES FOR FRIENDS EVERY SO OFTEN. I LOVE MUSIC SO MUCH. I WANTED TO MAKE A COLLECTION OF MUSIC FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY DURING THE SUMMER OF LOVE 2008. WHETHER YOU LISTEN TO THEM WHILE ON A ROADTRIP, MAKING LOVE OR JUST CRUISIN ON YOUR BIKE. MY ONLY WISH IS IT PUTS A SMILE ON YOUR FACE. MIXED BY YOURS TRULY. THERE IS A SECRET SURPRISE ON THIS PARTICULAR ONE. (GIGGLES) 

THE SONGS I CHOSE ARE SONGS THAT I AM CURRENTLY LISTENING TO BUT ALSO SOME OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES. I HOPE YOU ENJOY MY M!XTAPE! STAY TOONED FOR PART 2!

 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MELNCOLY SUMMER M!XTAPE PART 1

 

HERE IS THE PLAYLIST (DRAG AND DROP TO DESKTOP TO PRINT)

DIY PROJECT ((FIND OLD TAPE CASE, CUT, FOLD AND INSERT))

Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping Cover

My baby girl Nina Barnes has just finished the Of Montreal cover for their new album that is coming out in the Fall.

I am so proud of her. She has worked around the clock and look at what beauty has come out of her hard work. 

She has only just finished it recently and Pitchfork media has already posted it on their website. ha.

She goes by Geminitactics and she also does the t shirt designs for the band. Support her!!!!

You can buy her work off etsy…

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13351787

I love you Ninatwin!!! Ohhh love… You are such a inspiration!

You can read the article on Pitchfork.com

PARLOUR MAGAZINE FEATURE ~ THE MUSE

{click on the above image to see article in full}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written by Andrea Dorrans

“THE MUSE”

What strikes me most about Melyssa Nielsen, creator of the jewellery line Melncoly, is her joie de vivre; the girl is inspired.

She’s a bottomless well of enthusiasm, the source of which is life. Currently she find inspiration in Japanese rope bondage, alchemy, NASA’s Phoenix Mar’s Lander, the diaries of Anais Nin, and Surrealist films. But it’s her friends, an eclectic mix of jet-set artists, to whom she credits her lust for life. She tells me in a low, thrilling voice, “My studio is like a gallery, I have all their posters and art all over my walls. I think I’m gonna have to start hanging posters on my ceiling.”

You might think the art coming out of her wildly crowded studio, and from this effervescent artist, might be loud, even gaudy, but it’s not. It’s elegant, it’s delicate, it’s subtle, it’s sexy, it’s sophisticated, and it’s graceful.

Her current collection , The Muse, contains 12 perfect pieces. Her unique style of chain adornment sympathizes with the body, draping the back, neck and collarbone. Intersecting chains, black onyx, and white pearls embrace the skin, accentuating the body’s shape. “I do not want to take away from the natural beauty of the human form. I wish we lived in a world where all we had was jewellery to adorn our bodies. I think Melncoly looks best on a blank canvas.

And Melyssa isn’t just a jewellery designer, she’s also a Avant-garde songstress. Under the name Missmeln, she has collaborated with Japan’s Satanicpornocultshop, and Brooklyn’s Mixel Pixel. Plus, later this year she plans to direct a music video for Portland’s E*rock (audio Dregs Recording). You can check out her music styles at myspace.com/missmeln.

A self-described modern renaissance woman, she believes in “being open to creation in different forms, not setting limits, and following your own heart, voice, and vision.” Being independent has its difficulties, “you have to be self motivated and their is a whole lot of responsibility.” But for Melncoly the little things make it worthwhile. “like getting a letter in my mailbox from a friend (customer) from Japan saying how much she loves the piece she just ordered, or having the sunlight shine through my windows wake me in the morning, or staying up in the wee hours o the night because I just can’t stop creating.”

You can feast your eyes on The Muse at www.melncolydesigns.com.

To Download a PDF of the full summer issue of Parlour please click here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d like to thank the Parlour staff for the wonderful pleasure it was to work with you all!

Ashley Dawn Armstrong ~ Photography

Andrea Dorrans ~ Writer

Shelly Solarz ~ Editor

I’d also like to thank my good friend Meghann Humphrey for modeling the jewelry.

Love you ladies.

NEW MIXEL PIXEL & MISSMELN COLLABORATION

I posted the song entitled “Last Song” that I did guest vocals for with Brooklyn’s MIXEL PIXEL last summer.

You can give it a listen on my MISSMELN music page. It was a joy to do the track with Rob and Kaia! Thanks guys for asking me to sing on your amazing album entitled “Let’s Be Friend’s”. Under the direction of genius brain man Rob Corradetti.

If you are in the NY NY area on July 30th you don’t want to miss their show. They are playing at The Knitting Factory.

I love you guys! and I miss you very much.

Rob and Kaia did a home movie music video for the song… they are so cute!!! Don’t you agree? 

EXCLUSIVE PARLOUR MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

I'm not sure when the Summer issue is out but I thought I would 
post the actual interview Andrea Dorrans and I did...


My blog is the only place where you can read this full interview...
I will keep you posted to when the magazine is out!
xo*melncoly


JUNE 5 2008

P: I want to ask about your current inspirations, I'm
looking for specifics (like Russian Constructivism, or
Japanese pop-art, or the newest --- album, etc.)
thanks!
M: *Currently I'm really inspired by the art of Japanese
Rope Bondage. Alchemy. Outer space. Surrealist films.
My favorite Surrealist film makers are Maya Deren,
Jean Cocteau, Jan Švankmajer, and Alejandro Jordowsky.
I've been reading a lot of Anais Nin books lately. I
couldn't put her diaries down. She has even inspired
me to keep a current diary. I am collecting her
Hardcovers. Especially this one series. They are
designed by Milton Glaser. You know the famous Graphic
Designer who created the I heart NY logo. The layout
throughout the book is so amazing! Such a pleasure to
read. I will always and forever be inspired by Bjork.
The Japanese artists Tadanori Yokoo and Jun Takahashi
are incredible. One of my friends runs the record
label Audio Dregs so he sometimes sends me links to
download new albums. All the artists on his label are
amazing. I've been listening to this one Album remixed
by DJ COPY out of Portland non stop for the past week.
He took a bunch of old Bone Thugs in Harmony tracks
and made them something else entirely. I am very lucky
to have such amazingly creative friends. Unfortunately
most of them don't live here, they are scattered
through our planet. But they are a huge inspiration to
me. Whether it be their music, animations, comics,
illustrations or neon colored silkscreens. Every so
often I get a package in the mail which contains their
latest works. My studio is like a gallery. I have all
their posters and art all over my walls. I think Im
gonna have to start hanging the posters on my ceiling
soon! (laughing) 

P: Your current collection, Muse, contains three pieces,
why so few?
M: *The Muse Collection actually contains about 12 pieces
so far. My website is still getting updated with full
content and product shots. Sometimes being independent
has its ups and downs. You have to go with the flow.

P: Yes! Tell me about the ups!
M: *the ups depend from day to day. its usually the
little things... 

P: like ...
M: *like getting a letter in my mailbox from a friend
(customer) in Japan saying how much she loves the
piece she just ordered. or having the sunlight shine
through my windows and wake me in the morning. or
staying up in the wee hours of the night because i
just can't stop creating. but mostly following your
own voice - paving your own path. to be independent
you really have to be self motivated and there is a
whole lot of responsibility! 

P: Tell me about the importance of having a connection
with the customer?
M: *i put a lot of love into my work. i make it, i design
it... my work means a lot to me. If I could hand
deliver all my pieces I would. It is so nice when I
get a order from someone local. I often meet up with
them for coffee or a glass of wine. It is so nice to
have dialogue with the people who appreciate my work.
In the end I find I make new friends in the process.
Quite often "friends" send me emails or sometimes even
packages in the mail. Overall it is really nice to
have human interaction. 

P: Can you make a living at jewellery design?
M: *Absolutely! I do a lot of freelance design work as
well. 

P: The current state of arts in Alberta?
M: *Right now everyone is on this art trip. It's nice but
I think quality is better then quantity. I think
Alberta is starting to be a little more recognized
which I am very happy about. I was born and raised in
Calgary so I have observed the community for many
years. It is also very nice to hear that our
government is supporting the arts in Alberta. I
believe there are many talented artists here. It is a
shame that they have to go elsewhere to "be"
something. But at the same time I completely
understand. Everyone has to make a living. There are
many artists that are leaving Alberta because of the
rising costs and a lot of established artist run
centers are lost because the rent is increasing. 

P: You’ve said you consider jewellery to be wearable art;
do you consider clothing wearable art, and how are the
two different ...
M: *I believe there are some fashion designers out there
that produce works of art. The difference would be the
canvas. 

P: Why do you have “a hard time” selling your wares in
boutiques?
M: *I have a hard time because they slash my price point
in half right away. I put a high value on what I
create. Plus I like to have direct contact with my
customers. As Melncoly grows I know this will change.
Eventually I will sell my work in boutiques that are
in my target market. 

P: Tell me about this online boutique idea ...
M: *My current website, www.melncolydesigns.com will be a
online boutique. I am currently looking for a web
designer to collaborate with. I have to reach my
target market and I believe this is the best way. Most
of my customers are in major fashion capitals.  

P: Tell me a little about missmeln …
M: *ahhhh missmeln is my music project. last year i did a
few collaborations with other artists. i am a singer.
i write music and other times i just hit record and
see what flows. my favorite collaboration was with
Japan's Satanicpornocultshop. I am a huge fan of their
work. I emailed Ugh through myspace and asked if he
would be interested in making a track. He was really
into it. He wants to do some more tracks in the coming
months. You can check out my music at
www.myspace.com/missmeln. I also did some vocals with
Brooklyn's Mixel Pixel while I was living there last
year. I would love to put out a album. Music has and
will always be very close to my heart. It is a
different form of expression for me. I would really
love to work with some musicians from edmonton. There
are some really great bands out of Edmonton! Like
Shout out, The Whitsundays, Whitey Houston and The Wet
Secrets. There is one thing in common with these bands
and that is Lyle Bell. I think he is a genius! 

P: What projects are you working on right now … and in
the future?
M: *currently I am designing a exclusive bridal
collection. the melncoly work is evolving. the work i
am doing right now is more dressing the whole body.
also connecting the whole body with my own style of
chain adornment. i am also directing a music video for
E*rock at some point this year. film is another huge
passion of mine. i've been sitting on this video for a
while. but in the last year or so i have learnt to not
be so rushed. at times i feel very disconnected to
this modern world. 

P: Collaborators, dream collaborators ...
M: *the work i am creating currently will be photographed
by todd duym. he is a photographer/director based out
of vancouver/new york.  he just finished taking
pictures of patti smith. i am very excited to see what
we come up with for the project. I have some other
interesting collaborations coming up as well. but my
lips are sealed until they are set in stone. my dream
collaborator is bjork. i have always admired her. i
would love to design a collection with jun takahashi
(UNDERCOVER). I love the use of light in Inez van
Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin's photographs. But
mostly my dream collaborators are the ones i meet
along this path of life or the next.  

P: Where can I buy your designs?
M: *Through me at info@melncolydesigns.com! 

P: I heard you once met the Queen ….
M: *when i was living in london i got this gig working at
buckingham for the queens summer garden parties. on
the last day she came out to greet us all. she came
out with prince philip and all her corgis.
It was awesome but it was also super crazy because the
day i worked happen to be the day of the london tube
attacks. after i got off (around 7pm) i walked out of
the palace gates. there were thousands of people
walking out of the center of london. i had to walk
towards trafalgar square to meet my friends. they had
the streets blocked off to traffic. it was all very
surreal yet fabulous at the same time.

A: What is a modern renaissance woman to you …
M: *being open to creation in different forms. not
setting limits. following your own heart, voice and
vision. 

P: There is a potent sexuality to your work, the way the
chains hug the curves and accentuate the lines of the
body, tell me about this intimate connection ...
M: *When I design my main inspiration is my human form.
Jewelry does embrace the skin and for me if something
does not move with my body I don't want to wear it. I
do not want to take away from the natural beauty of
the human form. I wish we lived in a world where all
we had was jewelry to adorn our bodies. I think
Melncoly looks best on a blank canvas. 

P: What is it like to be based in Alberta compared to a
major city?
M: *I find I am very focused in Calgary. I don't follow
fashion trends. In ways I shy away from the fashion
industry. Don't get me wrong I love fashion. I believe
you are who you are wherever you are. When I was
living in Europe the phrase "it doesn't matter where
you are but what you are doing" always passed through
my mind. I just wanted to get back to Canada to
create. However I do miss Paris very much. But my
connection to Paris is more the way of life. The
evening I arrived in Paris I went for a walk along the
Seine. I dressed my eyes on Notre Dame for the first
time yet it felt strangely familiar. It was as though
I had seen it everyday in a past life.

OF MONTREAL AT SLED ISLAND

I shot this vid of the family. Calgary June 28 at around 7:34 in the PM. Pour Nic fell in the press pit at mark 1 minute (1:00).

In this video I just found on you tube you can actually see me shooting them. The internet is so strange and full of nice surprises. I was mainly shooting stills and some motion on my Super 8 Yashica camera. I’m wearing red tights and pop up every so often in the right corner… Its basically shot at the complete opposite angle which is really neat. i think.

Rock and Soul. *m

MELNCOLY WEBSITE UPDATED!

please check out the melncoly site. there are many new updates. 

stay close. there are some new and exciting things around the corner for melncoly.

I hope you are all having a amazing summer so far! 

sweetness from canada.

xo

*melncoly

ps. i would like to thank goblin department for helping me with my site. ;)