Hammock

We've had a grim spring so far. Endless rain. Cool drizzly days. It's depressing. I even posted on flickr a shot taken from my apartment window of the murk and cloud, titled: This is what despair looks like.

However, on a rare sunny day last week, the first day I actually got out on my bicycle this year, I happened upon a couple of enterprising souls who had managed to string up a pair of hammocks on this piece of public art. I'd been meaning to get a photo of this sculpture for months, as it's near my neighbourhood, and very close to this and this. Glad I had my camera with me!

Post title from this song by Elevator Suite.

Forest Fire

There are, at last count, over 400 forest fires burning in the province of British Columbia at the moment. This can make for quite dramatic sunsets - including the orange haze in this shot of English Bay. The sun is still fairly high in the sky, but the light it's casting is very much like the "golden hour" light of later in the day due to the smoke in the atmosphere.

Post title from this song by Lloyd Cole.

Celebration of Light - VII*

Part of the finale to the Celebration of Light fireworks

Last one, I promise. This photo, and all the Celebration of Light posts that came before it, were taken on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. The country competing that evening was Mexico. They made a valiant effort, but in my opinion, Spain, who competed the previous Saturday, has it sewn up. Their display was quite magical. Tonight, July 31, is China's turn. Alas, I will be away and won't get a chance to see it.

*This post is the last in a series about the internation fireworks competition called the Celebration of Light.

Celebration of Light - VI*

More fireworks from the Celebration of Light

*This post is part of a series detailing the international fireworks competition called the Celebration of Light.

Celebration of Light - V*

The Celebration of Light fireworks from the roof of the building I live in.

*This post is part of a series detailing the Celebration of Light international fireworks competition.

Celebration of Light - The Third*

The beach crowd grows at English Bay, about three hours before the show begins.

*This post is part of a series about the annual fireworks competition hosted at English Bay called the Celebration of Light.

Celebration of Light - Redux*

The beach at English Bay, about four hours before the show begins.

*Part of a series of posts about the annual fireworks competition in Vancouver called the Celebration of Light.

Celebration of Light

I want to catch up with all the missing posts from July before the end of the month, so I'm going to cheat, and post several, all on the same topic, in one day. Shhh. Don't tell anyone.

The Celebration of Light is an annual international fireworks competition that takes place above the waters of English Bay. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event. There are usually three or four countries competing, on two consecutive Wednesdays and Saturdays at the end of July. The fireworks displays, set off from a barge in the bay, are choreographed to music and last 30 full minutes each night. It's a huge celebration for the city. About 300,000 people crowd onto the shores surrounding English Bay to watch it every evening of the competition. It just happens that I have a view of the beach at English Bay from one of my apartment windows, and a view of the fireworks barge from the roof of my building. The photos over the next several posts should give you an idea about the size of the event.

The beach at English Bay, about seven hours before the show begins.

Post title from this song by Marina Ray.

Face in the Crowd

I got a few strange looks yesterday as I crouched down on the seawall in English Bay to take photos of this nondescript bit of coastline. But if you look closely, you can see what piqued my attention: someone has subtly painted faces onto a few of the rocks. I have no idea when this was done - I walk this stretch of seawall a couple of times a week and have never noticed it before. Likewise, I have no idea who the artist is.

Post title from this song by Brownie McGhee.

Bring on the Dancing Horses

Yesterday was a holiday in Canada: Victoria Day, where we celebrate the legendary British Queen's birthday. I've never attended, or for that matter even heard of, official Victoria Day ceremonies or events; for most of us it's merely the first long weekend of summery weather. It rained most of the weekend here in Vancouver except for yesterday afternoon. I took the break in the weather as a sign that I should walk to English Bay and take in some beach time. It seems a couple of officers and their steeds from the Vancouver Police Mounted Squad based in nearby Stanley Park did the same!


Post title from this song by Echo & the Bunnymen.

Let the Drummer Kick

Came across these remarkable young men a couple of days ago while cycling past the Bath House at English Bay. I was up on the street level, heard the live music, and couldn't resist hopping off my bike, walking down to the beach, and stopping to listen to them for a few minutes. I didn't get the name of the group, which pains me, as they are phenomenal musicians. In addition to the marimbas they're playing in the foreground here, there were also a half dozen other percussion instruments, including congas, a djembe, and other small drums I'm not hip enough to recognize. They were playing West African and Cuban beats, and were gathering quite a crowd. Their musicianship was outstanding; periodically they would all switch places and play each instrument in turn, without ever losing the rhythm, interrupting the song, or changing the amazing energy they were putting out into the warm Friday afternoon.

I hope I get to see them again - then I can update this page with their name/links to their work. If anyone knows who they are, please let me know in the comments. This kind of talent should be recognized!

***UPDATED***
Thanks to Harriet, I now know that this group is called Kutapira. All hail the twitter hive mind!

Post title from this song by Citizen Cope.

Memorial

At Sunset Beach West on English Bay, at the foot of Broughton Street in the West End, nestled in unobtrusively among the trees and landscaping, is a 20 metre long steel and concrete memorial to those who have died of AIDS. It's adjacent to the seawall, not far from where I took this photo and this photo. I've bicycled past it dozens of times. Today I noticed these flowers lovingly placed by someone's name, and I had to stop and photograph them.

The structure is made up of 20 steel panels joined together, with names of individuals who lost their lives to AIDS cut into the metal. Across the top of the panels are the following words from the poem To W.P. by George Santayana:

With you a part of me hath passed away;
For in the peopled forest of my mind
A tree made leafless by this wintry wind
Shall never don again its green array.
Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,
Have something of their friendliness resigned;
Another, if I would, I could not find,
And I am grown much older in a day.
But yet I treasure in my memory
Your gift of charity, your mellow ease,
And the dear honour of your amity;
For these once mine, my life is rich with these.
And I scarce know which part may greater be,--
What I keep of you, or you rob of me.

 The last panel has on its bottom left, a quote from Dr. Peter, a well-known Vancouver physician and AIDS activist who himself succumbed to the disease in 1992. It says simply, "But the energy that is me will not be lost."

Post title from this song by Explosions in the Sky.

Engagement

Another Vancouver Biennale piece. Engagement by Dennis Oppenheim of the USA, which is on the strip of grass and trees that runs between Beach Avenue and the water. This photo was taken just a few hundred meters down the street from another Biennale sculpture. The lights in the background are on the shoreline of Kitsilano, on Vancouver's West Side.

This is the first time I've tried to take a picture of it at night - next time I must remember to bring a tripod with me! To keep the camera steady enough for the slow shutter speed I had to sit in the damp grass with my elbows supported on my knees, hold my breath, and keep the camera absolutely still. I was so still I could even feel the beating of my heart causing my body to gently move!

We, 2008

Another Vancouver Biennale piece, called "We, 2008" by Jaume Plensa of Spain. In its entirety, it's a figure of a person, sitting with knees drawn up to chest. The whole thing is made up of aluminum cut-outs of the word "we" in various languages. Since there are plenty of photos out there of wider views of this sculpture, I wanted to get a different perspective. So I walked inside it and looked out toward the seawall, Sunset Beach, and English Bay. Click here for a view of the whole installation.

A-maze-ing Laughter

At the moment there are temporary public art exhibits all over the city as part of the Vancouver Biennale. This is part of an installation called A-maze-ing Laughter by Chinese contemporary artist Yue Minjun. It's a very popular exhibit - there are always people walking amongst the statues, kids climbing on them, and people imitating the poses for pictures. To see the whole installation and get a sense of scale, click here.

We've had a mild winter

Palm trees in Vancouver! They separate a section of Beach Avenue from the actual beach at English Bay, near the intersection with Davie Street. We have had a mild winter, so much warmer than usual that snow had to be flown in by helicopter to one of the Olympic venues in February, but these trees must be a hardy variety to thrive through the average Pacific Northwest winter. We had a sunny evening a couple of days ago so I walked down to the water and took this photo.

Vancouver Daily Photo

English Bay at sunset - a particularly dramatic one - taken from my apartment balcony, and uploaded directly from the camera, no photoshop or colour adjustments. Trees of Stanley Park are in the foreground. The container ships are part of the traffic from Canada's largest port, and North America's 4th busiest (by tonnage).