Bicentennial Party

I continued my wanderings around the Byward Market during Nuit Blanche. This band caught my attention.

I took this panoramic shot from this corner.

And then I continued on my way.

There was more music to be found.

A look east. Note the Beavertails outlet. This is the Beavertails outlet, home of a fried pastry in the shape of a beaver's tail, and topped in various ways. A Canadian tradition.

The crowds were out and about, and I took several shots looking south in short order. The odd time in a crowd I feel a bit claustrophobic, but not on this occasion. I really needed this night. I've been having a rough go of it in the past few months with my depression, triggered by a situation at work, and being out here helped. 

I looked back at the main market building. I wondered what the little dog thought of all this.

I took two shots of this pub. I've never been by for a meal, but should sometime.

My path took me a short walk away. This is Arts Court, a former 19th century courthouse that is now home to multiple arts organizations. It was busy participating in the day's events, including one of the embassies putting on a sauna out front- an odd thing, I thought. The building is lovely when lit up at night.

Visiting Nuit Blanche

 There was a lot going on in the Byward Market during Nuit Blanche, with music, art installations, and restaurants doing a brisk business. It was crowded- I've only seen it like this at Canada Day- but enjoyable to circulate around.

Illuminated teeter-totters were a big hit with guests.

This drew my eye.

A series of prisms were set up nearby. Spin them around, and the colours within would brighten up and dance.

Ottawa School Of Art

 Nuit Blanche was a big part of the bicentennial party in the downtown core, taking place in the Byward Market. The dusk to dawn arts festival has been back with a preview last fall, after getting interrupted by Covid, and I particularly wanted to see this. I stopped in at one of the participating sites, the Ottawa School of Art. The school is a non-profit art school serving the community in a variety of ways, and this is one of two locations, the other being out in Orleans. The place was busy.

I headed upstairs, finding a cartooning workshop where guests could have a go at things.

Another workshop was busy, this one working with clay.

Moving along, I came into one studio where a small band was playing. I noticed this work on a sheet, looking vaguely human. It drew my eye.

And the music drew my ear.

Another studio, with multiple easels. Instructors were working with guests, who were painting their own interpretations of a cottage in a meadow scene projected onto the wall.

Back downstairs, there is a gallery space where the visitor can buy art made here in the school.

Back outside, and a look up at the building. The school has roots going back nearly 150 years now, and remains a vibrant part of the city.

Music Beneath The Bridge

 September 26th was the date of a big party downtown, marking the bicentennial of Ottawa. What became the city dates back to 1826 and the beginning of the Rideau Canal project. The city put on multiple events in an area ranging from City Hall up through the Byward Market. I was able to get to some of it. My first stop was at Plaza Bridge, which spans the Rideau Canal as it begins its descent down to the Ottawa River. The space beneath the bridge, alongside the Canal, is wide and ideal for acoustics. A company called SoundScape put together music beneath the bridge for the occasion, with blues and purples projected within the space. When I arrived, Indigenous music was being played. When I later left the area, it was definitely East Coast Atlantic music.

The line was long, and I decided to go back up and photograph from above. I paused to take a shot of the nearby War Memorial, dramatic at night.

There is a wide central staircase leading down into the underside of Plaza Bridge. It turned out to be a good way to frame the coloured lighting down below. A careful eye might pick out busts and statues ringing this staircase at street level. They are The Valiants- Canadian military figures from across our history.