Wednesday, February 7, 2018

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.

35 comments:

  1. ...during the long winter days, light is so important.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love those window panes and that sculpture. I had some Glenn Gould LPs back in the late 50s. Love his piano work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. lights, changes,and colours are magic. Have heard Glenn Gould play a favourite composer, namely Bach. Enjoyed seeing I Tonya, and there are champions from your land, it is a treat to see any skating as we are so out of the picture although some brave souls have made it to the Olympic skating - a bit like those amazing guys from the tropics who took up down hill races on the narrow run!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Essa visão noturna é espetacular
    Um abraço e um feliz dia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Spectacular building. The Gould piano eould be a thrill to play!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The glass enclosure is a dream William, will it be good for reflections in the daylight?

    ReplyDelete
  7. @Tom: that's true.

    @Lowell: he was a great pianist.

    @Francisco: thank you!

    @Julia: a recording of him playing Bach went out on the Voyager spacecrafts out of the solar system.

    @Marianne: they're quite something to see.

    @Janis: very much so!

    @Gracita: thanks!

    @Marie: it would be!

    @Grace: yes, particularly on a sunny day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Another post that makes me want to visit Ottawa again. Those windows are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The renovation of this center is a feast for the eyes, both inside and out. A great asset to Ottawa

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello, love the lights at night. Pretty series of photos. Enjoy your day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those windows are very impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely night shots ~ wonder if celebrations going on all the time or just in your photographing ????

    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nifty things are done with light these days. Here in the boonies we rarely see any light shows.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful photos!
    The snowflake sculpture is outstanding in the angle you capture so well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very cool what those windows can do! I like the snowflake too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Shammickite: they certainly are!

    @Jan: it was quite a good idea.

    @Eileen: I live close enough to it, so I often come by here in the evenings. It's quite a sight.

    @Cloudia: I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, it does look like a snow flake!

    @Sharon: they certainly are. I'm using a couple of spare shots for a theme day later in the year.

    @Carol: last year was a good deal more celebrations than this year!

    @Red: this is very creative. When you look at this glass in daytime, it's much less noticeable that there's anything unique about it.

    @Maywyn: that sculpture was a surprise.

    @RedPat: it is cool! I'll have to photograph it again sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I really like that sculpture..think it would look tacky on my lawn??

    ReplyDelete
  18. i love the sculpture, makes me think of a snowflake? just me?
    ( ;

    ReplyDelete
  19. That really is quite spectacular. I love how lights play in the dark!

    ReplyDelete
  20. The sculpture is nice, especially in the dark.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The sculpture looks great, I really like it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. @Nancy: it is!

    @Jenn: it would look different on a lawn!

    @Beth: I looked it up- it's called Frost, so it's an apt description.

    @Jeanie: so do I.

    @Lois: it stands out.

    @Revrunner: that'll come in handy down the line for a theme day.

    @Bill: I do too. It's a temporary sculpture, it seems, so it'll be in place a few more weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh! That is fabulous. I am impressed. : )

    ReplyDelete
  24. What an excellent space for entertainments! I love the blue screen shots!

    ReplyDelete
  25. The colored glass is superb! Thanks for the photos.

    ReplyDelete
  26. That glass wraparound is stunning. And I also was enraptured by the piano-shaped platform the piano is resting on.

    ReplyDelete
  27. That is a very cool and amazing feature on the NAC. I'll bet there are people working there who are thrilled to be able to post on a surface like that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. @Catarina: I have to photograph it again sometime soon. I've noticed a wintery theme lately.

    @Christina: it'll come in handy for some of this year's colour theme day posts!

    @Mari: you're welcome.

    @Catalyst: I like it too.

    @Kay: I think so too.

    @Klara: yes it does.

    ReplyDelete