Lighting Up The Arts Centre

When the National Arts Centre was undergoing its renovation project that saw a good deal of the structure enclosed by glass, along with other modifications, I regularly did posts on the project. Part of that enclosure is something I haven't shown to you yet, something that one notices at night. I have a view here from the south, crossing over the Mackenzie King Bridge in the evening.

Heading towards one of the entrances, I paused to photograph the banner. The building stayed open for performances throughout the project, and these days is open for much of the day, so even if you're not attending a concert, you can come and visit.

Inside, this new sculpture caught my eye in one of the lobbies.

Glenn Gould left one of his grand pianos to the NAC, on display in the lobby area outside Southam Hall, the largest of the performance spaces. The piano is still in tune and occasionally played by soloists. During the project, the piano was stored in safekeeping over at the Museum of Nature. 

This is what I came to photograph on this particular evening. The glass enclosure, which wraps around the north side and sections of the east and west sides of the building, includes in some of its sections technology that turns the window panes into screens that are very colourful, especially at night. Mostly what is seen on these screens are banners for the NAC itself, including upcoming concerts, or images from across the country. Occasionally the screens can be used to show a performance inside, or something of significance to the country- like the Remembrance Day ceremony, since the War Memorial is across the street from this spot. I wanted to photograph the slowly changing screens from both inside and outside.