Architecture Asks Questions About Government

“The Eye of Government” is the nickname given to the current city hall in Toronto, Ontario.  It was built by a Finnish architect named Viljo Revell who sadly died just a few months before completing the project. Revell said he wanted the structure to look like an eye with the round center building the pupil in the middle and the two side buildings the upper and lower lid. 

As we stood looking at City Hall in Nathan Phillips Square on a recent visit to Toronto I thought about how ‘the eye of government’ could be both a positive and a negative concept. It is the role of government to ‘watch’ over its citizens and protect them. But if a government becomes over zealous about keeping too close ‘an eye’ on its people it can infringe on their privacy.  

It is also interesting to note that the windows on the two towers all look inward and the different government departments can look into each others’ windows. It is important that various branches of government monitor one another to prevent corruption and foster cooperation. Something negative about the lack of windows that look out however, is that government can become too interested in self-preservation and too preoccupied with itself and not look outward at the people and communities it has a mandate to serve. 

The architecture and nickname of Toronto’s uniquely designed City Hall raise some important questions about the purpose of government. 

Other posts about Toronto’s City Hall………

100,000 Nails- A Musical Mural

Sweet Revenge

Faith For Free- Faith That Frees

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto was built in 1847 with money donated by a twenty-five year old British woman named Mary Lambert Swale.  She had one stipulation for her donation. Attendance at Holy Trinity must be free and no one would be allowed to pay to sit in a certain pew. The tradition at the time was that rich people bought family pews near the front of the church. They were the most expensive pews. The less fortunate parishioners sat nearer the back or stood, if they could not afford a pew. Mary said everyone should be welcome at Holy Trinity and should be able to sit wherever they wanted.  

We visited Holy Trinity on a tour of Toronto and learned the church has carried on Mary’s tradition of equality and justice.  They have supported more than ninety refugees to come to Canada. They have opened two affordable, safe housing units in downtown Toronto, with a diverse population of tenants who take an active role in managing their community. 

They were the first church in Canada to sanction and perform ceremonies for  same-sex marriages. A banner on the front of the church proclaims that “Every Day is Pride Day At Holy Trinity.”On the first Tuesday of every month Holy Trinity holds a memorial service for the homeless people of Toronto who have died during the previous month. A special sign board outside the church lists the names of these people. 

The Church of the Holy Trinity was built thanks to the generosity of  a woman who believed that a faith community should be open to everyone. Over 150 years later her vision continues to be carried out in the mission of Church of the Holy Trinity. 

Other posts about churches………….

Grace Mennonite 50th Anniversary

All Saints Church

On Being A Church Tourist

Church of the Holy Cross – Sedona

A Bike Ride in Toronto

Our last day in Toronto we rented bikes and went for a five-hour ride around the city.  You appreciate the sights and sounds and smells of a city so much more from a bicycle seat than from a car seat. 

A pitcher of Sangria on a sunny patio. The perfect end to a bike ride.

Other posts about Toronto……

100,000 Nails in a Musical Mural

Meeting Friends in Toronto

Sweet Revenge

A Quick Dip Into the AGO

The Fist

This unique sculpture caught my eye on a recent drive through Detroit and my brother-in-law Paul was kind enough to drive by it a couple of times so I could take some photos. This art piece is called The Fist and is a tribute to the boxer Joe Louis who was born in Detroit and was the heavy weight champion of the world from 1937-1950. It was commissioned by Sports Illustrated magazine and cost $350,000. Weighing 8000 pounds, 24 feet long and 24 feet high it was dedicated on October 16, 1986. Joe Louis died in 1981.

Joe Louis was the first African American to become a national hero when he helped shatter the German myth of Nazi supremacy by beating German fighter Max Schmeling in 1938. He helped to fight Jim Crow laws in the United States. Some say the fist in this sculpture by Mexican American artist Robert Graham is aimed at racial injustice.

This sculpture has created some controversy. Some critics say it doesn’t reflect Joe Louis’ generous spirit or his gentle funny nature. Other people like The Fist because they say it shows Louis’ determination, endurance and creative energy. 

Artist Ed Hamilton felt so strongly that The Fist was not a fitting tribute to Joe Louis that he created a statue of his own of the fighter which is located in the Cobo Centre next to the Joe Louis Arena. 

This August  The Fist was at the center of a controversy again when artist Jerry Vile placed a large sculpture of a can of Crisco underneath The Fist. He called his sculpture Vessel of Hope. It was removed the same day by the city and Vile sold it on e-bay shortly after.  

The Fist is an eye-catching piece and whether or not you agree that it is a fitting tribute to Joe Louis it certainly puts a symbol of his legacy front and center in his hometown. 

Other posts about Detroit……….

The Heidelberg Project

Detroit Tigers In the Pink

Visitors in Winnipeg from ICS in Hong Kong via Phnom Penh

We had some unexpected visitors for brunch on Saturday.  We were very surprised when Danny Hein contacted us and said he, his wife Jessica and their son Joshua were coming to Winnipeg.  We taught with Danny for two years in Hong Kong but then he moved on to an international school in Phnom Penh Cambodia where he became the principal.  He met his wife Jess there since she was teaching at the same school. They have two daughters and this summer their son Joshua was born. They came to North America for the birth since medical services in Phnom Penh aren’t always very dependable or up to date.  Dave had lots of fun playing with Joshua during the few hours they spent at our place.

Dan and Jessica are on an extended leave and are missing the first months of school this year but will return to Phnom Penh shortly. They had left their two daughters with Dan’s parents in British Columbia for the trip to Manitoba so we didn’t get to see them. Dan and Jessica were here to meet with a family who had taught at their school in the past and  also touch base with a donor who supports the work of their school in Cambodia. 

I had seen Dan in May of 2011 when I took a group of students from ICS, our school in Hong Kong, to Cambodia on a trip. I visited Logos School and Dan gave me a tour. He actually became interested in teaching at Logos School when he was on a trip to Cambodia with a group of Hong Kong students over a decade ago. 

Dan and Jessica spent sometime looking at the history of ICS book, since they had never received a copy. I had interviewed Danny for the book and there were quotes and comments from him in several sections as well as a short story about how a trip with his ICS students had led him to teach in Cambodia.

It was great to see the Heins and catch up on one another’s lives. Teaching abroad has given us connections with people all over the world and we are always surprised at how many opportunities we have to reconnect with them. 

Other posts about meeting with former Hong Kong colleagues……..

Visiting the Hubbards

Visiting the Wongs

Visiting the Weiss Family

ICS Colorado Reunion

Visiting Karen Lee

The Burnetts and Tad Visit

Rebekah Visits

Music Snobs- What’s On Your Play List?

When I taught high school journalism one of my students created an editorial cartoon showing a girl being shunned by other teens because of the music she enjoyed. “Is this really a problem?” I inquired. “Oh yes”, my student replied. “If kids don’t approve of the kind of music you listen to they won’t talk to you. Some guys won’t ask out a girl whose music tastes are different than his.” I was surprised that choice of music could have such an impact on a teen’s social life. Apparently some teenagers are music snobs. They make assumptions and judgements about one another based on the music they have downloaded into their i-tunes library. Only certain kinds of music pass the coolness muster. 

Research has been done on college campuses where they show students an I-Tunes library and ask them what kind of a person would have that sort of music collection. Young people can readily come up with a personal profile for someone simply by looking at their music choices. They are sometimes surprised to find when they are introduced to the actual owner of the library that some of their assumptions have been false. 

 Are adults really so different? Do we have a tendency to pigeonhole sixties music fans as aging hippies, classics lovers as high brow intellectuals and country music aficionados as unsophisticated and less cultured? 

The idea has made me look at my I-Tunes playlists and wonder what people would think of me if they saw it. Here’s a short list of some of my selections. If you didn’t know me and just saw my  I-Tunes collection what kind of personal profile would you create for me? 

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough- Marvin Gaye

All You Need is Love- The Beatles

Bridge Over Troubled Water- Simon and Garfunkel

Both Sides Now- Joni Mitchell

Concerto for Two Violins- Bach

Canon in D Major- Pachelbel

Desperado- The Eagles

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart- Elton John

Exodus of the Year- Royal Canoe

Flashdance- What  A Feeling- Irene Cara

Forever Young- Bob Dylan

Growing Old in the City- The Liptonians

Hallelujah- K.D. Laing

I Will Survive- Gloria Gaynor

Jump For My Love- The Pointer Sisters

Layla- Eric Clapton

Let the River Run- Carly Simon

Oh What A Beautiful Morning- Gordon MacRae

Only Love Can Break Your Heart- Neal Young

The Power of Love- Celine Dion

Rolling in the Deep- Adele

Spring: Allegro- Vivaldi

Takin’ it To the Streets- The Doobie Brothers

Teach Your Children Well- Crosby Stills Nash and Young

Up Where We Belong- Joe Cocker

Whiter Shade of Pale- Procol Harum

What a Big Surprise- Chicago

You’ve Got a Friend- Carole King

Other posts about music………

A Soundtrack for Daily Living

Steinway Pianos

Musical Instrument Museum

Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Arizona

Leonard Cohen

Music Across the Generations

 

 

100,000 Nails- A Musical Mural

Toronto artist David Partridge used more than 100,000 nails to create a mural called Metropolis on the wall of the lobby of Toronto’s City Hall. Just as a city is made up of many different people so too the mural is made from nails of different sizes, shapes and materials. The mural has nine panels each weighing 180 kg. The centre using copper nails represents the heart of the city. The next concentric circles represent the suburban regions and then the circles move on to show the more treed areas outside the city. 

If you drop a coin into the mural near the top it will find a path through the maze of nails down to the bottom and create a beautiful musical sound on its way. As we were leaving City Hall a large group of visitors were all sending coins through the mural and it made a kind of lovely metallic symphony. 

Other posts about Toronto……

Tasting Toronto

The DeGrassi Girls

A Quick Dip Into the AGO

Visiting ICS Students in Toronto