Minerals

The Earth Gallery explores minerals, and how some of them are crafted into gemstones. Display panels and cases are found throughout here, with colourful examples to be found.

Volcano

Returning today to my series on the Canadian Museum of Nature, an area here in the Earth Gallery examines volcanoes, with panels of information and photographs of each type, and rocks created by the various kinds.

A series of photographs grouped together brings it home just how devastating volcanic eruptions can be.

Earthquakes are also featured, including an interactive global map that shows you where recent quakes have been observed. A nearby panel shows the damage they cause.

Easter

Happy Easter! I'm taking a break today from my current series for shots fitting the occasion.

These first shots date back to Good Friday 2018, and I felt they were appropriate to hold back for this Easter, as I hadn't started setting up posts until after last Easter. I paid a visit that day to the Canada Agriculture And Food Museum, housed on the grounds of our Central Experimental Farm. A working farm, it houses animals and information in a series of barns and other buildings. One of those is a building called the Learning Centre, and on its second floor, two large kitchens for demonstrations can be found. In one of them were several displays for the Easter season, with an emphasis on eggs.

Back in early January I visited the National Gallery of Canada, and among my shots taken on that date were some paintings that fit the other side of the Easter weekend. The Arrest Of Christ is an oil painting done circa 1630-32 by the Dutch artist Matthias Stom, who spent time in Italy being inspired by Caravaggio and others (this painting was likely done in Rome). Stom depicts Christ and Judas highlighted at the moment of betrayal, while deliberately choosing to depict those arresting Christ in more contemporary clothing of his own era.

The Crucifixion is an oil painting circa 1515 by the Flemish artist Quenten Massys. Christ is on the cross, and his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the disciple are below, each caught up in their grief.

The Lamentation is from the workshop of Massys, done at some point around 1511, with Christ's followers tending to his body after it has been taken down from the cross. This painting is based on a large altarpiece Massys was working on, and would have been done by one of his apprentices.

This is from the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens. Christ dates to around 1612, and was done by one of Rubens' apprentices. His own version of this hangs in a Vienna gallery, while this would have been done side by side with the master himself. It was the habit of assistants to copy the work, though this one lacks the vitality of Rubens' own handwork.

Rocky

The Earth Gallery is the next space within the Canadian Museum of Nature as one works their way downstairs. It examines rocks, minerals, and the geological processes of making the world and that continue today. Items are displayed alongside panels and videos, as well as interactive elements.

There are numerous display cases throughout containing things like rocks, minerals, and refined products. I'll have more from here in coming days, though tomorrow I'm taking a break from the series for an Easter themed post from two different locations.

The North

Picking up where we left off, here we have clothing and artifacts typical of Inuit people from time immemorial. While some might be older, many of these are relatively contemporary, but made with regard to the same cultural influences passed down for generations. This part of the Arctic Gallery really shows the collaboration done with indigenous peoples of the north to create this space. Many of the panels are less third-person and more 'our story' in emphasis.

Two display cases, side by side. The items at top left are plastic toys created in the current era to help children learn about fishing through play. The boots, purse, and tool bag are contemporary as well, but done in the same way as has been done for thousands of years, using materials like fish skin, seal skin, and caribou sinew. The tool bag makes use of the better part of a fish skin for carrying tools needed, and these items were created to show these old ways.

The items in this case are a century old, used as tools for fishing- the rod, the lure, the stringer, or an item called a leister, used to spear fish in rivers or from the sea ice. Materials used in items like this include wood, caribou bone or sinew, sealskin, or copper.

This copper sample was collected by the Canadian Arctic Expedition. Indigenous peoples of the far north were making use of copper for thousands of years in their every day life.

Emerging from the exhibits, one comes into an area with a video screen that shows a wealth of images from the Canadian Arctic, both nature and people.