One Hundred Foot Line

 October 3, 2011 0 Comment

Tucked away behind the National Gallery on Nepean Point is one of the Gallery’s more interesting pieces. The massive (100′ tall!) assemblage of stainless-steel pipe reaches skyward in a contorted, almost impossibly thin spire.

Its million dollar price tag caused the usual kerfuffle over arts spending and the inevitable debate over what is art (apparently anything beyond Old Masters and Renaissance portraits doesn’t make the cut). I think it’s an amazing piece that creates tension: it appears unbelievably fragile as it reaches skyward searching for something like tree root searching for water.

The day was threatening rain and thunderstorms (not the best time to be standing at the base of a stainless-steel tower) and the angry sky worked as a nice backdrop and provided some interesting reflections and relief on what is normally a blinding reflection of the sun on its polished skin.

More info on One Hundred Foot Line by Roxy Paine.

Full picture on Flickr.

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YYZ

 October 3, 2011 0 Comment

Like most Canadians I harbour a special hate for Toronto’s Peason Airport (YYZ). It’s a reminder of everything wrong with Canada’s airline system: dull, ugly, designed for the convenience airlines rather than passengers.

The airport is often a perfunctory midway point, a No Man’s Land between where you were and where you are going marked by interminable delays, unruly queues, and the beige, nondescript interiors that make all airport departure gates seem uninviting.

However, occasionally I regress into a younger frame of mind when airplanes and airports were full of wonder; this was one of those occasions. In the gold of the setting sun the tarmac was a flurry of activity with planes jockeying and ground crews scurrying to prep their livery to thunder down the runway, seize flight, and bring people closer together.

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Stranger no.54

 February 8, 2011 0 Comment

Kim Usan has been photographing strangers in Ottawa for a bit over a year now. I had never met Kim—or her husband & lighting assistant D’arcy—until our Saturday shoot at the GCTC Theatre in Hintonburg so I suppose I qualify well enough as her 54th stranger.

As an avid portrait photographer myself it always feels weird to fall under the scrutiny of someone else’s lens. While I’m safely ensconced behind the viewfinder I’m constantly imploring my subjects to “relax and act natural”; but the second I’m in front of the imperious gaze of an SLR I become awkward and stiff.

My own strangeness aside, Kim was able to coax out some great shots and I’m very happy to have been given the opportunity to participate. After reviewing the proofs she sent later, Kim told me that we were in virtual agreement about which shots worked. Truly a rare commodity. Thanks again, Kim.

Photo by Kim Usan. 100 Strangers can be seen at www.lemien.ca

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Rien ne va plus

 October 17, 2010 0 Comment

Any game where the croupier needs a rake to collect losing chips is a horrible game to play at the casino. Roulette is a game of pure chance and poor odds. However, it is a beautiful game to watch.

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