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Showing posts with label Performances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performances. Show all posts

Sunday 20 October 2019

Detritus

Nuit Blanche 2019 Detritus Inside A Toronto Salt Storage Dome.

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  677 Wellington Road West
Date: October 2019
Website:  www.toronto.ca

    Salt both preserves and corrodes at the same time.  The city puts salt on the roads to melt ice, but it also does damage to boots and the roads themselves.  You are more likely to drown in salt water because the salt causes dehydration.  Nuit Blanche comes to Toronto once a year and one of the projects for 2019 was called Detritus by artist Jonathan Schipper.  Detritus means small particles broken away from a mass, much like the salt filling a City of Toronto storage dome.
 
Inside A City of Toronto Salt Storage Dome.

  One of the great things about Nuit Blanche is that you often get to explore places you would never be allowed on other evenings.  Toronto stores its salt for winter inside gigantic domes.  For Detritus we were allowed to venture in and it felt like we had entered another world.

Inside A City of Toronto Salt Storage Dome.

    Looking up at the dome in the middle of the night, it felt like a spacecraft was coming down on top of us.

Detritus At Nuit Blanche.

  The artist had a laptop computer set up at a little table and was using a 3D program to control equipment that was slowly building things out of layers of salt.  The creations would start to deteriorate as the night wore on.

Building Things Out Of Salt Nuit Blanche 2019.

  Most of the salty creations looked like a castle was slowly being built on a salt covered hillside.

Inside A City of Toronto Salt Storage Dome.

   A pathway leading upwards had been packed down into the huge mound of salt.  We double checked what shoes we were wearing and headed up.  We half expected we might slip away into the salt as if we had stepped into quicksand.

Inside A City of Toronto Salt Storage Dome.

   Some other people had already gone before us so we ventured to the top.

Detritus At Nuit Blanche.

   We made it up to the top and realized that we could start to taste the salt in the air.  We looked down as the artist continued to work below us.  We wondered how he could spend 12 hours inside this dome.  Some caution tape kept us back from the edge where we might cause a salty landslide that would destroy his creations.  It was time for us to move on to the next Nuit Blanche exhibit.  Goodbye salt! See you this winter on an icy road somewhere in the city.

Map of Our World
Detritus

Post # 266

Thursday 10 October 2019

Everyone Wants A Free Baby

Everyone Wants A Free Baby At Nuit Blanche Toronto 2019

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  100 Garrison Road
Date: October 2019
Website:  www.toronto.ca

Who wants a free baby?  Everyone does apparently.  Nuit Blanche returned to Toronto on Oct 5th to 6th for another evening of artwork and performances.  Our favourite exhibit was the very entertaining Everyone Wants A Free Baby!  A cannon was fired about every 20 minutes.  Inside the cannon was a baby in a parachute.  Nuit Blanche runs from 7 pm until 7 am so that means around 36 babies were launched throughout the night.


  We arrived just as a baby was being launched.  The crowd shouted "Baby! Baby! Baby! "  The baby floated into the sea of people.  We then visited some other exhibits in the area and returned to fully experience the next launch.

Everyone Wants A Free Baby At Nuit Blanche Toronto 2019

  Dramatic music was played and a baby was brought out.  The baby was attached to its parachute and then the parachute was folded up carefully so it would deploy when needed.  Next, the baby was carried over to the cannon where it was inserted.  For some reason Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic was played while the cannon was cranked into position.  A man then came out and ranted. His rant included some French accomplishments that may or may not have been significant.  Finally he shouted,  "This is my amazing atifice.  I want to show you my genius!"  The cannon fired and the baby was launched into the crowd.


  We had chosen the perfect spot to stand.  The chute deployed and the baby slowly fell towards the ground.  It was right above us and we reached out to grab it.  As soon as we touched it, someone ran into us aand snatched the baby.  They then ran off into the night.  The word from other audience members was that the baby snatcher had been trying to get a baby for some time now and was growing more and more determined.  Finally success!  Adoption is usually a difficult process but tonight babies were falling from the sky much like how they are delivered by the stork.

A Free Baby At Nuit Blanche Toronto 2019

  The babies looked kind of like homemade Cabbage Patch Dolls.  This doll from an earlier launch also found a good home and the couple even posed for a few celebratory photos.  The only thing that would have made this show even better was if they had a little baby nursery set up so you could see all the babies waiting for their turn.  "We have to come back and see little 4:20 AM, look how cute he is."

Map of Our World
Everyone Wants A Free Baby

Post # 265

Friday 30 August 2019

Hornets Buzz At Canadian International Air Show

A CF-18 Hornet Takes To The Skies Over Lake Ontario.

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  210 Princes' Blvd.
Date: September 2014
Website:  theex.com

  Each Labour Day weekend in Toronto thousands of people crane their necks and look to the sky.  They shield their eyes and squint as they stare into the sun.  They also jump when they see something shoot past followed by an almighty roar.  The Canadian International Air Show rips up the sky over Lake Ontario once again.  This post pays tribute to one of our favourites, the CF-18 Hornet which is the loudest thing at the lake this weekend.

The CF-18 Hornet

  The CF-18 is the Canadian Forces version of the American fighter aircraft the F/A-18 Hornet.  It can travel up to Mach 1.8  (1,814 km an hour).  Mach 1 is the speed of sound.  At that speed, if the performing hornet kept on going it would be traveling through Saskatchewan an hour from now.

Lakeshore Boulevard Traffic During The CNE
 
  If we left during the show and drove our car, we would probably still be stuck on Lakeshore Boulevard trying to merge onto the Gardiner Expressway an hour from now.

A CF-18 Horner Hovers Over Lake Ontario During The Canadian International Airshow.

  Now running at such high speeds and using afterburners uses a lot of fuel so running at Mach 1.8 the jet would probably be out of fuel in less than 20 minutes.  Afterburners are an exhaust system that increases thrust of the aircraft for takeoffs, increased speed and quick maneuvers.

A CF-18 Hornet Flies Upside Down

  Whatever the science is behind how these machines work, we like them because they are fast and they are loud. The CF-18 Hornet also likes to fly upside down, hover in place and point straight up and fly into the sun.

A CF-18 Hornet Dressed For Canada 150

  Sometimes they like to get all dressed up for a special occasion like Canada's 150th Birthday.  It is always a special occasion when the CF-18 Hornet flies overhead at the Canadian International Air Show.  It is sure to get your attention.  Watch some video highlights below.



Map of Our World
Canadian International Air Show

Post # 261

Saturday 10 August 2019

Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge

The Rockhound Gemboree.

Location: Campbellford, Ontario
Address:  Ferris Provincial Park
Date: Aug 2019
Website: www.visittrenthills.ca

    On the August long weekend we took a road trip to Bancroft, Ontario.   We went up in search of precious gems.  The Rockhound Gemboree was being held in Bancroft that weekend and we hoped to find something special.  We didn't find exactly what we were looking for but also didn't leave empty-handed.  We managed to get a few gifts from the show.

Rockhound Gemboree in Bancroft Ontario

     The Gemboree is the biggest gem and minerals show in Canada and Bancroft is often called the "Mineral Capital of Canada".   The Bancroft community centre, curling rink and hockey rink were filled with vendors.  A lot of the sparkling rocks had come from nearby areas. 

The Granite Restaurant in Bancroft Ontario.

  After attending the show we headed across the York River and stopped at The Granite for lunch.  We both had wraps and shared some truffle root fries which were delicious covered in parmesan cheese.  In a town known for minerals the restaurant was aptly named.

People Crossing Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge.

  Our journey continued south west towards Ferris Provincial Park.  Ranney Gorge suspension bridge is located on the western side of Ferris Provincial Park and offers some great views over the Trent River.

View South From Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge.
 View North From Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge.

  To the south you can see the river cutting through the gorge.  To the north is a small waterfall.

Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge.

  The metal bridge hangs 30 feet over the river and is 300 feet long.  As people walk on the bridge you can feel it moving beneath you.

An Osprey Flys Over Ranney Gorge Ontario

 After making it safely across the bridge we noticed several large birds circling above.  Closer inspection revealed the markings of an osprey.  The brown face mark that goes across their eyes and then curves up onto the back of their necks is the most obvious identifier. Osprey love to fish so the nearby river passing through the gorge is a great place to spot one.

Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge.

  We crossed back over the bridge once more to continue our trip home.  We had tried our luck hunting for precious minerals, enjoyed a nice meal and swung over a gorge.  All in all it was a beautiful day.


Map of Our World
Rockhound Gemboree
Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge
The Granite

Post # 259

Thursday 20 December 2018

Simcoe Christmas Panorama

Simcoe Christmas Panorama

 Location: Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
Address:  50 Bonnie Dr
Date: Dec 2017
Website:  www.simcoepanorama.ca

    About 60 years ago the town of Simcoe had a Santa Claus Parade which was rained out.  The organizers left the parade floats in the park.  The following year they decided that instead of the parade, they would leave the floats in the park for everyone to come and see them over the holiday season.

Christmas Lights Up The Park.

  Through the years the event has grown.  Now each December the whole park is covered in lights and filled with displays.

Christmas Lighthouse.

  Wellington Park has a small river that runs through it so the lights surround the river's edge.  There is even a small Christmas coloured lighthouse on the bend.

4 and 20 Blackbirds.  That's 24 Per Pie.

  Some of the floats featured rhymes such as "4 and 20 Blackbirds".

I'll Huff And I'll Puff And...Wait How Much Is The Rent?

  Or "Three Little Pigs".

Polar Bears.Nativity Scene.
Your'e A Mean One Mr Grinch.
Kevin!!  Merry Chirstmas.

  Still other floats featured polar bears, nativity scenes or holiday classics like The Grinch.  The Simcoe Firefighters Association sponsored a Minion filled float.

Santa's Reindeer.

  Santa Claus was everywhere around the park.  Santa was flying by in his sleigh pulled by his reindeer.

The Santa "Claus" Maria.

  Santa was out on a boat in the river.

I'll Be Back.  Next Christmas.

There was a glowing red eye Terminator Santa.

Move Over Jack.  Its Santa-In-The-Box.
 Christmas Moose.

  There was a Santa-In-The-Box on a float full of toys and a moose dressed in a Santa outfit.

Santa Is Beside Himself.

  Even the real Santa was there greeting children next to a giant Santa statue.  Ho! Ho! Ho!

Gingerbread House.
 Christmas Tree Scene.
 It's So Much Colder In Simcoe Than Cape Town.
 Scrooge Is Visited By A Ghost.

  Around the park were little houses that you could look inside.  They were filled with candy, penguins, Christmas trees or even an old man in his pyjamas (aka Ebeneezer Scrooge).

Dragon.

  Across the road from the park were a few other creatures like this dragon (above).

Light In The Night.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

  We appreciated all the work that went into setting up this display and see why many people make it a holiday tradition to give Simcoe a visit.  On a cold night walking around in the park, we also appreciated the booth selling hot beverages.  Soon we left the coloured lights behind and went off to enjoy the warmth of our nearby bed and breakfast accomodations.

Map of Our World
Simcoe Christmas Panorama

Post # 236