Victoria Day Festival

This is old news, but I seem to shoot more than I am capable of editing in a given amount of time, which, I think, is fantastic. 

Great Glebe Garage Sale and Ottawa Race Weekend shots coming soon!

May 24, 2010
Last day of the Tulip Festival and the fair at Dows Lake, Ottawa. The Victoria Day fire works were most unimpressive, but fairs are always visually interesting.

Children's Festival

Aytahn Ross performs as his circus character, Balanzo, at the Ottawa International Children's Festival, Thursday, May 27, 2010.

The name is taken from the word balancing, as Balanzo performs acts where "everything is about balancing in cool sculptural patterns."

It's been hot

but the water is still cold.

26/05/10-- Britannia Beach, Ottawa

Farm and Fest

19/05/10-- Ottawa Experimental Farm

Above: Del Carrothers 

16/05/10-- Tulip Festival, Major's Hill Park, Ottawa

Action

A philosophical solution to conflict

I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish once again on Monday, after having interviewed him for a story in the Fall semester. He came to speak in Ottawa's International Writers Festival about his book, I Shall Not Hate; A Gaza Doctor's Journey. 

The title already outlines his position on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

17/05/10, Mayfair Theatre, Ottawa

Dr. Abuelaish was a practicing gynecologist in an Israeli hospital, while he was living in the Gaza Strip. He is currently teaching Global Health at the University of Toronto. He stresses health, education, and communication, as tools for peace.

This is the first time I have encountered an individual in a position of authority that reminded me of Hannah Arendt’s concept of Action from her book, The Human Condition.

Arendt says that action is only possible in the condition of human togetherness; when people are with others, and neither for or against each other. She also says that every action is a new beginning and is an ongoing process of unfolding. 

If I was to apply a philosophy to reality, then it works here: Dr. Abuelaish may not have immediate practical solutions a lot of people wish he did, but he has started a process of action through his deeds and, especially, through his words. He speaks of recognizing the humanity on each side of the conflict; recognizing that we are all equal and linked together. Abuelaish proves the possibility of human togetherness by bringing a crowd of people of different backgrounds sitting together in one room to hear his words, all for the same cause. A new beginning, and a process of unfolding.

For more about his story, see:

www.daughtersforlife.com

Summer means eating watermelons

Shahar Parush, 18/05/10

Assorted

Some images from the last couple of days, with no particular theme.

Night stroll through the Byward Market, Ottawa

Sussex Street, under the National Gallery's spider, Maman.

Cumberland, Ontario

Night in the city

I don't know why I don't do night photography more often.
Making friends with photographers helps.
Here is Devin Sivyer, who was nice enough to take me to some fantastic spots across the river with this amazing view of Ottawa, and who was also patient enough to stand and pose while I was fiddling with a flash...

A redefinition of public space

     29/04/10

     11/05/10

I wonder if we even notice that we do this all the time: go out for beers, hang out in a coffee shop, organize a social outing, only so that we can be consumed by our personalized electronic/networking devices, that we actually use in order to better connect with people, while we forget about the person sitting right next to us...

Not that I'm one to judge. Im blogging about it!

China Town Remixed

May 8, 2010
First day of the China Town Remixed Festival, where Ottawa artists are featured on Somerset Street, in restaurants, cafes, convenient stores... Indeed, a remix: Asian food aromas mixed with pen and ink drawings; DJ beats and colourful photographs; migrating entertainers; hoola hoops outside the bank, and a reflection on femininity on your way to the corner store.

Artwork on display in a shop window

Dj Chris Ikonomopoulos at Shanghai restaurant

Moss, the hand puppet, and Grant Harding, formed part of the casual street entertainment at the festival;

China Doll in the background.

 Giselle Gotty, right, and Willyssa Thunderpuss, left, are female impersonators and were part of the entertainment during the China Town Remixed festival. When they are not performing, Willyssa works for the government, and Giselle is an accountant.

 Lisa Zimmerman has been hoola-hooping for only less than a year, and learned everything she knows from Youtube. Zimmerman grew up in Montreal, spent 10 years in New Zealand, and upon returning to Canada last year, had the free time to invest in mastering this new skill. She makes and sells her own hoops, which, she says, are wider and with a better grip, and so more user friendly than the standard hoops available anywhere. 

 Natalie Fournier is a performance artist.

"Some artists use paint, some use clay. I use myself and objects; sometimes it takes 10 minutes, sometimes all day."

The red dress, which Fournier says deals with issues of femininity, took her several hours to sew together, while standing outside this corner store.

A piece by Daniel Martelock

Collaborative street art

A Saturday Morning in the Life of Shahar Parush

My little bro is growing up... *sigh*
Jewish tradition requires every male turning 13 years old to have a Bar Mitzva; basicallly read a story from the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible) in front of all his family and friends, and making a huge day-long event from it, culminating in eating a lot of food and drinking a lot of wine.
This is extra challenging, I think, for someone growing up in Canada, where such a ceremony is only celebrated among a select few... while all his friends might be playing with the latest and greatest video game, my little brother Shahar is at home practicing reading the Torah in a language which he has almost completely forgotten since he was 6 years old when we moved to Canada.
Also, he would probably hate me right now for this.

Learning to balance work and play.

A regular position my brother assumes around the house.

Answering the dreaded call of duty (pun intended)

and 5 minutes later, taking a break.