Martha Ladly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martha Ladly
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Ladly in 2011
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Associate Professor of Interaction Design |
| Known for | Academic, Designer & former international popstar |
Martha Jane Ladly is a talented Canadian academic, designer, and musician. She teaches design at OCAD University in Canada. Martha Ladly is also well-known for her music career. She became famous around the world as part of the rock band Martha and the Muffins. Later, she had a solo music career before focusing on design and teaching.
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Martha Ladly's Music Journey
While studying at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Martha Ladly was asked to join a new wave band called Martha and the Muffins in 1978. In the band, there were two singers and keyboard players named Martha! The other Martha was Martha Johnson. She sang lead on most of the band's songs. Their biggest hit was "Echo Beach" in 1980.
Martha Ladly played with the band from 1978 to 1980. She sang lead vocals on one of their songs, "Was Ezo," which she also wrote. In August 1980, Martha left the band after winning an art scholarship. She then moved to the United Kingdom. There, she released two solo songs: "Finlandia" and "Light Years from Love". The famous musician Peter Hook played bass on "Light Years from Love." Besides music, she also worked in visual arts and design with designer Peter Saville. One of her paintings, Factus 8, was used for the cover of New Order's music album 1981–1982 in 1982.
While living in England, Martha Ladly made friends with many popular British musicians. The band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark says Martha suggested the names for their hit album Architecture & Morality (1981) and their song "Tesla Girls" (1984). In 1982, Martha sang backup vocals for Roxy Music. She also joined a Scottish post-punk band called the Associates and performed with them on the TV show Top of the Pops. She left the Associates in 1986 and later worked with Robert Palmer's band.
In 1991, Martha Ladly, then known as Martha Ladly Hoffnung, managed a design business called Anta's in London. She was the designer for the company, which created new colors for traditional tartan patterns.
From 1992 to 2001, she worked with the famous musician Peter Gabriel. She was the manager of Real World Design and the editor of Real World Notes.
Solo Songs by Martha Ladly
- 1981 – "Finlandia"
- 1983 – "Light Years from Love"
Martha Ladly's Academic Career
In 2012, Martha Ladly was chosen to be the associate dean of graduate studies at the Ontario College of Art and Design. She is an associate professor of design, specializing in interactive communication. This means she teaches about how people interact with technology and design.
She also helps students as a mentor at the Canadian Film Centre's Interactive Project Lab (IPL). She is also a faculty member for the Habitat Interactive Art and Entertainment Program. Before her job at OCAD, she was the creative director for HorizonZero. This was an online publication that shared information in two languages, working with the Banff New Media Institute and Culture Canada.
Awards and Achievements
Martha Ladly has received several awards for her work in design and music:
- 2007: SSHRC: Lead researcher for the ITST Mobile Nation Conference Grant.
- 2007: Canadian Design Research Network: Co-lead researcher for the Mobile Nation Publications, Workshops and Dissemination Grant.
- 2006: Portage: Co-applicant for the Canadian Heritage New Media Research Network.
- 2005-06: The Mobile Digital Commons Network 2: Co-applicant for the Canadian Heritage New Media Research Network.
- 1996, 1982: British Designers and Art Directors Association (D&AD): She won a Silver Citation for Best Multimedia Packaging Design for 'EVE'. She also won a Silver Citation for Best Record Sleeve Design for the New Order song "Everything's Gone Green".
- 1994: American Recording Academy: Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Record Sleeve Packaging Design for Peter Gabriel's album Secret World Live.
- 1981: Canadian Juno Award: Won for Single of the Year with Martha and the Muffins for their song "Echo Beach".
