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.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Smiles

 The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo, and for February, that theme is Smiles. See how others are interpreting that theme right here.

I'm relying in part on archive shots, starting with this one taken at Arts Court downtown in 2015 during Nuit Blanche. Allison Blakley, a member of a local dance company, did a performance piece through the night at Arts Court and gave me this shot following one of those performances, with a splendid smile.

2017 was the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, and there were multiple events to mark the occasion that year in the city. One of those events, running through the year, was Ottawa Welcomes The World, held at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe. It was a series of events held by embassies to showcase their countries. One such occasion for Columbia featured this woman, Pilar, part of a chocolate consortium, with a bright smile.

Another occasion, profiling the country of Uruguay, featured candombe dancers with bright smiles and high energy.

Another event held that year was MosaiCanada, which was done over on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River in Jacques Cartier Park. Part of the park hosted large topiaries in 2017 and 2018. They included a majestic First Nations version of Mother Earth with a gentle smile.

Doors Open is an event usually held here in Ottawa at the beginning of June. We'll see if it happens this year. In 2019, I happened to be at the National Arts Centre on stage and took this shot at the right moment, with a woman at the conductor's position holding the baton.

And then there's the smile. In 2019, the Canada Science And Technology Museum, another of our national museums, hosted an exhibit marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, examining his art, inventions, and concepts from a scientific perspective. That included an in depth analysis of his most famous painting, presented in multiple visual spectrums, with a look beneath the surface of the work, and an actual sized replica of the painting, front and back.

What is Mona Lisa smiling about?

Now for some fresh shots, these brought out smiles or laughs from me. First, this sheet I've come across showing the proper and improper way of masks in the Covid era, Gotham City style.

This is in a restaurant window in Centretown.

And this is the front billboard for a church in the Glebe.