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Music for today : TWild tigers I have known by Emily Jane White
Finally, the lonely tiger is back!!
He got mind and behavior questionings to solve!!
So he take a lot of new shots to express and resolve his ill-being!!
have a nice week-end dear friends!!
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Exhibition of questioning sculptures at La Maison Rouge, Paris-France. I forgot the name of the Italian artist, and I've been searching the web without success. If someone can help...
So what?
questioning.org/Mar2024/sowhat.html
When Hitler began the invasion of Poland and his march through Europe, there were many in the USA and Britain who asked, "So what? What does this have to do with me?"
Some of these same people ended up dying when German bombs fell upon London or when they joined the army to storm the beaches of Normandy a few years later. Much of the world came to understand the threat posed by Hitler, his allies and his manic drive to enlist, capture or subjugate all of his neighbors.
Sadly, it took the bombing of Pearl Harbor to convince some that what happened to Poland might happen to the USA.
The cost of appeasement was immense.
When some people say "So what?" it is more of a statement than a question, an act of defiance, of disregard. They are showing disinterest and rejecting any need to explore or understand.
Many years later we see history repeating itself, as many act as if the death of Alexei Navalny has little to do with them and ask "So what?" They watch Putin's cruel and criminal invasion of the Ukraine and shrug it off. "So what? What does this have to do with me?"
Continued at questioning.org/Mar2024/sowhat.html
.
Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is
guided by great feelings of love.
~ Che Guevara
The most violent element in society is ignorance.
~ Emma Goldman
All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight and who
therefore induce the young manhood of the whole world to do the fighting for them.
~ Emma Goldman
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
~ Leo Tolstoy
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
~ Ghandi
To overcome evil with good is good, to resist evil with evil is evil.
~ Mohammad
You must have the capacity to doubt, so that you will discover through that doubt what is truth, what is the essential and the lasting. But to doubt everything requires strength of intelligence, of thought, because from morning to night you have to be ceaselessly questioning, demanding, urging. What is life but a mere existence – earning money, gathering and rejecting experience, with all its sorrows – what is its value unless you live like a tremendous volcano that is a danger to everything?
~ Krishnamurti
And others of museums over here:
The eye like a strange balloon rising up
to infinity;
On the horizon, the angel of certitudes, and in the somber
sky, a questioning gaze;
Lady in despair;
The blood of Medusa;
The evil mothers;
I close the door on myself;
The kiss;
Another kiss;
Jealousy again;
and now the real Wuthering Heights,
followed by a curious sports race,
some pornography, and a godfather named
Cicero.
Dear friends, I have no idea where this is going.
I'm passing these postcards around
quickly. Notice these pockets attached with an
elastic band, oh I almost forgot to say
that you can and should turn them around
to check whether any words
are scribbled there, take this one for instance “When
might we have an esquisite time again?”,
exquisite with an s, or this one here, “Post 6,
where I spent my childhood and adolescence,
how has it changed!”, or this other one, listen,
“I'm still trying to send you a piece of where
I am but it's always missing.” And another with
tiny letters: “I've calmed down, I distracted
myself, I don't think as much, penso a te.” I think the end
is in Italian. Go on reading, go on, the most part
might be blank. Excuse me.
I have to go but I'll be right back.
I've got something in my eye, a little speck: when I return
I'll keep pulling out postcards from the bag, and who knows,
when the time comes, I might tell you the end
of that true story, but before I leave I should take off
my glove, leave it here on the back of the chair.
fragment 3 a.c.c.
Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) - My side garden, Space Coast, Florida
Did you notice the inverted question mark ( ¿ ) in its eye?
Well that's probably because these guys can climb right-side up or upside down, and it probably forgot how it was hangin'.
Or,
perhaps it has to do with how US/Cuban relations are upside-down these days.
Note: This is the first image in a series of images,
unfortynately, in order to see the other pics on the "new" improved Flickr, you'll have to scroll up the comment section to the top of the comment list, or click on the following link to
view the other image in this series
The Sacredness of Questioning Everything:
Questioning God, religion, offhandedness, passions, media, language, interpretations, history, governments, bureaucracy, future
a book by David Dark
"theres a reason i said i woudl be happy alone. it wasnt cause i thought I would be happy alone. it was because if I thought i loved someone and then it fell apart i might not make it isnt easy to be alone because what if you learn that you need love and then dont have it . what if you like it and lean on it. what if you shape your life around it and then it falls apart. can you even survive that kind of pain, losing love is like organ damage. its like dying only differene is death ends, this coudl go on forever.
i didnt write this but it fit so much . its from the show grays anatomy. if you havent watched if you showed. i noramlly dont like sappy shows but i like this includes medical stuff.
I think she's questioning how I dare put her in another Barbie outfit, but for a quick Sunday change, that was her only choice. :)
Doll: Feminine Perspective Agnes
Dress: Barbie/Mattel
"Questioning"
Le Parc de la Victoire a été inauguré en 1975 pour commémorer le 30ème anniversaire de la Victoire de la Grande Guerre Patriotique. Douchanbé (Asie Centrale - Tadjikistan)
Website : www.fluidr.com/photos/pat21
www.flickriver.com/photos/pat21/sets/
"Copyright © – Patrick Bouchenard
The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained here in for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved."
In this month's article available at questioning.org/Jan2023/happy.html I explore the meaning of happiness, euphoria and contentment along with depression and despair. The theme was inspired by Sheryl Crow's song — If it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?"
There's no questioning Pimmy's beauty. But Pimmy is more than just a pretty face. She's an absolute tiger in bed bringing out an arsenal of pleasure. Nice thick cock with a fat foreskin that's filled with cum, soft tits and incredible body with no tattoos. Pimmy loves cum inside her, taking cream pies deep and pushing it out for you to see. On LadyboyGold you will enjoy Pimmy in bikinis, lingerie and even dressed as your very own pirate wench!
Biennalist :
Biennalist is an Art Format commenting on active biennials and managed cultural events through artworks.Biennalist takes the thematics of the biennales and similar events like festivals and conferences seriously, questioning the established structures of the staged art events in order to contribute to the debate, which they wish to generate.
-------------------------------------------
links about Biennalist :
Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Geoffroy
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Room_(art)
www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html
—--Biennale from wikipedia —--
The Venice International Film Festival is part of the Venice Biennale. The famous Golden Lion is awarded to the best film screening at the competition.
Biennale (Italian: [bi.enˈnaːle]), Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. As such the term was popularised by Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895. Since the 1990s, the terms "biennale" and "biennial" have been interchangeably used in a more generic way - to signify a large-scale international survey show of contemporary art that recurs at regular intervals but not necessarily biannual (such as triennials, Documenta, Skulptur Projekte Münster).[1] The phrase has also been used for other artistic events, such as the "Biennale de Paris", "Kochi-Muziris Biennale", Berlinale (for the Berlin International Film Festival) and Viennale (for Vienna's international film festival).
Characteristics[edit]
According to author Federica Martini, what is at stake in contemporary biennales is the diplomatic/international relations potential as well as urban regeneration plans. Besides being mainly focused on the present (the “here and now” where the cultural event takes place and their effect of "spectacularisation of the everyday"), because of their site-specificity cultural events may refer back to,[who?] produce or frame the history of the site and communities' collective memory.[2]
The Great Exhibition in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851, the first attempt to condense the representation of the world within a unitary exhibition space.
A strong and influent symbol of biennales and of large-scale international exhibitions in general is the Crystal Palace, the gigantic and futuristic London architecture that hosted the Great Exhibition in 1851. According to philosopher Peter Sloterdijk,[3][page needed] the Crystal Palace is the first attempt to condense the representation of the world in a unitary exhibition space, where the main exhibit is society itself in an a-historical, spectacular condition. The Crystal Palace main motives were the affirmation of British economic and national leadership and the creation of moments of spectacle. In this respect, 19th century World fairs provided a visual crystallization of colonial culture and were, at the same time, forerunners of contemporary theme parks.
The Venice Biennale as an archetype[edit]
The structure of the Venice Biennale in 2005 with an international exhibition and the national pavilions.
The Venice Biennale, a periodical large-scale cultural event founded in 1895, served as an archetype of the biennales. Meant to become a World Fair focused on contemporary art, the Venice Biennale used as a pretext the wedding anniversary of the Italian king and followed up to several national exhibitions organised after Italy unification in 1861. The Biennale immediately put forth issues of city marketing, cultural tourism and urban regeneration, as it was meant to reposition Venice on the international cultural map after the crisis due to the end of the Grand Tour model and the weakening of the Venetian school of painting. Furthermore, the Gardens where the Biennale takes place were an abandoned city area that needed to be re-functionalised. In cultural terms, the Biennale was meant to provide on a biennial basis a platform for discussing contemporary art practices that were not represented in fine arts museums at the time. The early Biennale model already included some key points that are still constitutive of large-scale international art exhibitions today: a mix of city marketing, internationalism, gentrification issues and destination culture, and the spectacular, large scale of the event.
Biennials after the 1990s[edit]
The situation of biennials has changed in the contemporary context: while at its origin in 1895 Venice was a unique cultural event, but since the 1990s hundreds of biennials have been organized across the globe. Given the ephemeral and irregular nature of some biennials, there is little consensus on the exact number of biennials in existence at any given time.[citation needed] Furthermore, while Venice was a unique agent in the presentation of contemporary art, since the 1960s several museums devoted to contemporary art are exhibiting the contemporary scene on a regular basis. Another point of difference concerns 19th century internationalism in the arts, that was brought into question by post-colonial debates and criticism of the contemporary art “ethnic marketing”, and also challenged the Venetian and World Fair’s national representation system. As a consequence of this, Eurocentric tendency to implode the whole word in an exhibition space, which characterises both the Crystal Palace and the Venice Biennale, is affected by the expansion of the artistic geographical map to scenes traditionally considered as marginal. The birth of the Havana Biennial in 1984 is widely considered an important counterpoint to the Venetian model for its prioritization of artists working in the Global South and curatorial rejection of the national pavilion model.
International biennales[edit]
In the term's most commonly used context of major recurrent art exhibitions:
Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, South Australia
Asian Art Biennale, in Taichung, Taiwan (National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts)
Athens Biennale, in Athens, Greece
Bienal de Arte Paiz, in Guatemala City, Guatemala[4]
Arts in Marrakech (AiM) International Biennale (Arts in Marrakech Festival)
Bamako Encounters, a biennale of photography in Mali
Bat-Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism
Beijing Biennale
Berlin Biennale (contemporary art biennale, to be distinguished from Berlinale, which is a film festival)
Bergen Assembly (triennial for contemporary art in Bergen, Norway)www.bergenassembly.no
Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China
Bienal de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Biënnale van België, Biennial of Belgium, Belgium
BiennaleOnline Online biennial exhibition of contemporary art from the most promising emerging artists.
Biennial of Hawaii Artists
Biennale de la Biche, the smallest biennale in the world held at deserted island near Guadeloupe, French overseas region[5][6]
Biwako Biennale [ja], in Shiga, Japan
La Biennale de Montreal
Biennale of Luanda : Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace,[7] Angola
Boom Festival, international music and culture festival in Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal
Bucharest Biennale in Bucharest, Romania
Bushwick Biennial, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York
Canakkale Biennial, in Canakkale, Turkey
Cerveira International Art Biennial, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal [8]
Changwon Sculpture Biennale in Changwon, South Korea
Dakar Biennale, also called Dak'Art, biennale in Dakar, Senegal
Documenta, contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany
Estuaire (biennale), biennale in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, France
EVA International, biennial in Limerick, Republic of Ireland
Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art, in Gothenburg, Sweden[9]
Greater Taipei Contemporary Art Biennial, in Taipei, Taiwan
Gwangju Biennale, Asia's first and most prestigious contemporary art biennale
Havana biennial, in Havana, Cuba
Helsinki Biennial, in Helsinki, Finland
Herzliya Biennial For Contemporary Art, in Herzliya, Israel
Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, in Incheon, South Korea
Iowa Biennial, in Iowa, USA
Istanbul Biennial, in Istanbul, Turkey
International Roaming Biennial of Tehran, in Tehran and Istanbul
Jakarta Biennale, in Jakarta, Indonesia
Jerusalem Biennale, in Jerusalem, Israel
Jogja Biennale, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Karachi Biennale, in Karachi, Pakistan
Keelung Harbor Biennale, in Keelung, Taiwan
Kochi-Muziris Biennale, largest art exhibition in India, in Kochi, Kerala, India
Kortrijk Design Biennale Interieur, in Kortrijk, Belgium
Kobe Biennale, in Japan
Kuandu Biennale, in Taipei, Taiwan
Lagos Biennial, in Lagos, Nigeria[10]
Light Art Biennale Austria, in Austria
Liverpool Biennial, in Liverpool, UK
Lofoten International Art Festival [no] (LIAF), on the Lofoten archipelago, Norway[11]
Manifesta, European Biennale of contemporary art in different European cities
Mediations Biennale, in Poznań, Poland
Melbourne International Biennial 1999
Mediterranean Biennale in Sakhnin 2013
MOMENTA Biennale de l'image [fr] (formerly known as Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal), in Montreal, Canada
MOMENTUM [no], in Moss, Norway[12]
Moscow Biennale, in Moscow, Russia
Munich Biennale, new opera and music-theatre in even-numbered years
Mykonos Biennale
Nakanojo Biennale[13]
NGV Triennial, contemporary art exhibition held every three years at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
October Salon – Belgrade Biennale [sr], organised by the Cultural Center of Belgrade [sr], in Belgrade, Serbia[14]
OSTEN Biennial of Drawing Skopje, North Macedonia[15]
Biennale de Paris
Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA), in Riga, Latvia[16]
São Paulo Art Biennial, in São Paulo, Brazil
SCAPE Public Art Christchurch Biennial in Christchurch, New Zealand[17]
Prospect New Orleans
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
Sequences, in Reykjavík, Iceland[18]
Shanghai Biennale
Sharjah Biennale, in Sharjah, UAE
Singapore Biennale, held in various locations across the city-state island of Singapore
Screen City Biennial, in Stavanger, Norway
Biennale of Sydney
Taipei Biennale, in Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan Arts Biennale, in Taichung, Taiwan (National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts)
Taiwan Film Biennale, in Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art [el], in Thessaloniki, Greece[19]
Dream city, produced by ART Rue Association in Tunisia
Vancouver Biennale
Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon) in the Philippines [20]
Venice Biennale, in Venice, Italy, which includes:
Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art
Venice Biennale of Architecture
Venice Film Festival
Vladivostok biennale of Visual Arts, in Vladivostok, Russia
Whitney Biennial, hosted by the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City, NY, USA
Web Biennial, produced with teams from Athens, Berlin and Istanbul.
West Africa Architecture Biennale,[21] Virtual in Lagos, Nigeria.
WRO Biennale, in Wrocław, Poland[22]
Music Biennale Zagreb
[SHIFT:ibpcpa] The International Biennale of Performance, Collaborative and Participatory Arts, Nomadic, International, Scotland, UK.
—---Venice Biennale from wikipedia —
The Venice Biennale (/ˌbiːɛˈnɑːleɪ, -li/; Italian: La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation.[2][3][4] The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of its kind. The main exhibition held in Castello, in the halls of the Arsenale and Biennale Gardens, alternates between art and architecture (hence the name biennale; biennial).[5][6][7] The other events hosted by the Foundation—spanning theatre, music, and dance—are held annually in various parts of Venice, whereas the Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido.[8]
Organization[edit]
Art Biennale
Art Biennale
International Art Exhibition
1895
Even-numbered years (since 2022)
Venice Biennale of Architecture
International Architecture Exhibition
1980
Odd-numbered years (since 2021)
Biennale Musica
International Festival of Contemporary Music
1930
Annually (Sep/Oct)
Biennale Teatro
International Theatre Festival
1934
Annually (Jul/Aug)
Venice Film Festival
Venice International Film Festival
1932
Annually (Aug/Sep)
Venice Dance Biennale
International Festival of Contemporary Dance
1999
Annually (June; biennially 2010–16)
International Kids' Carnival
2009
Annually (during Carnevale)
History
1895–1947
On April 19, 1893, the Venetian City Council passed a resolution to set up an biennial exhibition of Italian Art ("Esposizione biennale artistica nazionale") to celebrate the silver anniversary of King Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy.[11]
A year later, the council decreed "to adopt a 'by invitation' system; to reserve a section of the Exhibition for foreign artists too; to admit works by uninvited Italian artists, as selected by a jury."[12]
The first Biennale, "I Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte della Città di Venezia (1st International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice)" (although originally scheduled for April 22, 1894) was opened on April 30, 1895, by the Italian King and Queen, Umberto I and Margherita di Savoia. The first exhibition was seen by 224,000 visitors.
The event became increasingly international in the first decades of the 20th century: from 1907 on, several countries installed national pavilions at the exhibition, with the first being from Belgium. In 1910 the first internationally well-known artists were displayed: a room dedicated to Gustav Klimt, a one-man show for Renoir, a retrospective of Courbet. A work by Picasso "Family of Saltimbanques" was removed from the Spanish salon in the central Palazzo because it was feared that its novelty might shock the public. By 1914 seven pavilions had been established: Belgium (1907), Hungary (1909), Germany (1909), Great Britain (1909), France (1912), and Russia (1914).
During World War I, the 1916 and 1918 events were cancelled.[13] In 1920 the post of mayor of Venice and president of the Biennale was split. The new secretary general, Vittorio Pica brought about the first presence of avant-garde art, notably Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.
1922 saw an exhibition of sculpture by African artists. Between the two World Wars, many important modern artists had their work exhibited there. In 1928 the Istituto Storico d'Arte Contemporanea (Historical Institute of Contemporary Art) opened, which was the first nucleus of archival collections of the Biennale. In 1930 its name was changed into Historical Archive of Contemporary Art.
In 1930, the Biennale was transformed into an Ente Autonomo (Autonomous Board) by Royal Decree with law no. 33 of 13-1-1930. Subsequently, the control of the Biennale passed from the Venice city council to the national Fascist government under Benito Mussolini. This brought on a restructuring, an associated financial boost, as well as a new president, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata. Three entirely new events were established, including the Biennale Musica in 1930, also referred to as International Festival of Contemporary Music; the Venice Film Festival in 1932, which they claim as the first film festival in history,[14] also referred to as Venice International Film Festival; and the Biennale Theatro in 1934, also referred to as International Theatre Festival.
In 1933 the Biennale organized an exhibition of Italian art abroad. From 1938, Grand Prizes were awarded in the art exhibition section.
During World War II, the activities of the Biennale were interrupted: 1942 saw the last edition of the events. The Film Festival restarted in 1946, the Music and Theatre festivals were resumed in 1947, and the Art Exhibition in 1948.[15]
1948–1973[edit]
The Art Biennale was resumed in 1948 with a major exhibition of a recapitulatory nature. The Secretary General, art historian Rodolfo Pallucchini, started with the Impressionists and many protagonists of contemporary art including Chagall, Klee, Braque, Delvaux, Ensor, and Magritte, as well as a retrospective of Picasso's work. Peggy Guggenheim was invited to exhibit her collection, later to be permanently housed at Ca' Venier dei Leoni.
1949 saw the beginning of renewed attention to avant-garde movements in European—and later worldwide—movements in contemporary art. Abstract expressionism was introduced in the 1950s, and the Biennale is credited with importing Pop Art into the canon of art history by awarding the top prize to Robert Rauschenberg in 1964.[16] From 1948 to 1972, Italian architect Carlo Scarpa did a series of remarkable interventions in the Biennale's exhibition spaces.
In 1954 the island San Giorgio Maggiore provided the venue for the first Japanese Noh theatre shows in Europe. 1956 saw the selection of films following an artistic selection and no longer based upon the designation of the participating country. The 1957 Golden Lion went to Satyajit Ray's Aparajito which introduced Indian cinema to the West.
1962 included Arte Informale at the Art Exhibition with Jean Fautrier, Hans Hartung, Emilio Vedova, and Pietro Consagra. The 1964 Art Exhibition introduced continental Europe to Pop Art (The Independent Group had been founded in Britain in 1952). The American Robert Rauschenberg was the first American artist to win the Gran Premio, and the youngest to date.
The student protests of 1968 also marked a crisis for the Biennale. Student protests hindered the opening of the Biennale. A resulting period of institutional changes opened and ending with a new Statute in 1973. In 1969, following the protests, the Grand Prizes were abandoned. These resumed in 1980 for the Mostra del Cinema and in 1986 for the Art Exhibition.[17]
In 1972, for the first time, a theme was adopted by the Biennale, called "Opera o comportamento" ("Work or Behaviour").
Starting from 1973 the Music Festival was no longer held annually. During the year in which the Mostra del Cinema was not held, there was a series of "Giornate del cinema italiano" (Days of Italian Cinema) promoted by sectorial bodies in campo Santa Margherita, in Venice.[18]
1974–1998[edit]
1974 saw the start of the four-year presidency of Carlo Ripa di Meana. The International Art Exhibition was not held (until it was resumed in 1976). Theatre and cinema events were held in October 1974 and 1975 under the title Libertà per il Cile (Freedom for Chile)—a major cultural protest against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
On 15 November 1977, the so-called Dissident Biennale (in reference to the dissident movement in the USSR) opened. Because of the ensuing controversies within the Italian left wing parties, president Ripa di Meana resigned at the end of the year.[19]
In 1979 the new presidency of Giuseppe Galasso (1979-1982) began. The principle was laid down whereby each of the artistic sectors was to have a permanent director to organise its activity.
In 1980, the Architecture section of the Biennale was set up. The director, Paolo Portoghesi, opened the Corderie dell'Arsenale to the public for the first time. At the Mostra del Cinema, the awards were brought back into being (between 1969 and 1979, the editions were non-competitive). In 1980, Achille Bonito Oliva and Harald Szeemann introduced "Aperto", a section of the exhibition designed to explore emerging art. Italian art historian Giovanni Carandente directed the 1988 and 1990 editions. A three-year gap was left afterwards to make sure that the 1995 edition would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Biennale.[13]
The 1993 edition was directed by Achille Bonito Oliva. In 1995, Jean Clair was appointed to be the Biennale's first non-Italian director of visual arts[20] while Germano Celant served as director in 1997.
For the Centenary in 1995, the Biennale promoted events in every sector of its activity: the 34th Festival del Teatro, the 46th art exhibition, the 46th Festival di Musica, the 52nd Mostra del Cinema.[21]
1999–present[edit]
In 1999 and 2001, Harald Szeemann directed two editions in a row (48th & 49th) bringing in a larger representation of artists from Asia and Eastern Europe and more young artists than usual and expanded the show into several newly restored spaces of the Arsenale.
In 1999 a new sector was created for live shows: DMT (Dance Music Theatre).
The 50th edition, 2003, directed by Francesco Bonami, had a record number of seven co-curators involved, including Hans Ulrich Obrist, Catherine David, Igor Zabel, Hou Hanru and Massimiliano Gioni.
The 51st edition of the Biennale opened in June 2005, curated, for the first time by two women, Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez. De Corral organized "The Experience of Art" which included 41 artists, from past masters to younger figures. Rosa Martinez took over the Arsenale with "Always a Little Further." Drawing on "the myth of the romantic traveler" her exhibition involved 49 artists, ranging from the elegant to the profane.
In 2007, Robert Storr became the first director from the United States to curate the Biennale (the 52nd), with a show entitled Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense.
Swedish curator Daniel Birnbaum was artistic director of the 2009 edition entitled "Fare Mondi // Making Worlds".
The 2011 edition was curated by Swiss curator Bice Curiger entitled "ILLUMInazioni – ILLUMInations".
The Biennale in 2013 was curated by the Italian Massimiliano Gioni. His title and theme, Il Palazzo Enciclopedico / The Encyclopedic Palace, was adopted from an architectural model by the self-taught Italian-American artist Marino Auriti. Auriti's work, The Encyclopedic Palace of the World was lent by the American Folk Art Museum and exhibited in the first room of the Arsenale for the duration of the biennale. For Gioni, Auriti's work, "meant to house all worldly knowledge, bringing together the greatest discoveries of the human race, from the wheel to the satellite," provided an analogous figure for the "biennale model itself...based on the impossible desire to concentrate the infinite worlds of contemporary art in a single place: a task that now seems as dizzyingly absurd as Auriti's dream."[22]
Curator Okwui Enwezor was responsible for the 2015 edition.[23] He was the first African-born curator of the biennial. As a catalyst for imagining different ways of imagining multiple desires and futures Enwezor commissioned special projects and programs throughout the Biennale in the Giardini. This included a Creative Time Summit, e-flux journal's SUPERCOMMUNITY, Gulf Labor Coalition, The Invisible Borders Trans-African Project and Abounaddara.[24][25]
The 2017 Biennale, titled Viva Arte Viva, was directed by French curator Christine Macel who called it an "exhibition inspired by humanism".[26] German artist Franz Erhard Walter won the Golden Lion for best artist, while Carolee Schneemann was awarded a posthumous Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.[27]
The 2019 Biennale, titled May You Live In Interesting Times, was directed by American-born curator Ralph Rugoff.[28]
The 2022 edition was curated by Italian curator Cecilia Alemani entitled "The Milk of Dreams" after a book by British-born Mexican surrealist painter Leonora Carrington.[29]
The Biennale has an attendance today of over 500,000 visitors.[30][31][32]
Role in the art market[edit]
When the Venice Biennale was founded in 1895, one of its main goals was to establish a new market for contemporary art. Between 1942 and 1968 a sales office assisted artists in finding clients and selling their work,[33] a service for which it charged 10% commission. Sales remained an intrinsic part of the biennale until 1968, when a sales ban was enacted. An important practical reason why the focus on non-commodities has failed to decouple Venice from the market is that the biennale itself lacks the funds to produce, ship and install these large-scale works. Therefore, the financial involvement of dealers is widely regarded as indispensable;[16] as they regularly front the funding for production of ambitious projects.[34] Furthermore, every other year the Venice Biennale coincides with nearby Art Basel, the world's prime commercial fair for modern and contemporary art. Numerous galleries with artists on show in Venice usually bring work by the same artists to Basel.[35]
Central Pavilion and Arsenale[edit]
The formal Biennale is based at a park, the Giardini. The Giardini includes a large exhibition hall that houses a themed exhibition curated by the Biennale's director.
Initiated in 1980, the Aperto began as a fringe event for younger artists and artists of a national origin not represented by the permanent national pavilions. This is usually staged in the Arsenale and has become part of the formal biennale programme. In 1995 there was no Aperto so a number of participating countries hired venues to show exhibitions of emerging artists. From 1999, both the international exhibition and the Aperto were held as one exhibition, held both at the Central Pavilion and the Arsenale. Also in 1999, a $1 million renovation transformed the Arsenale area into a cluster of renovated shipyards, sheds and warehouses, more than doubling the Arsenale's exhibition space of previous years.[36]
A special edition of the 54th Biennale was held at Padiglione Italia of Torino Esposizioni – Sala Nervi (December 2011 – February 2012) for the 150th Anniversary of Italian Unification. The event was directed by Vittorio Sgarbi.[37]
National pavilions[edit]
Main article: National pavilions at the Venice Biennale
The Giardini houses 30 permanent national pavilions.[13] Alongside the Central Pavilion, built in 1894 and later restructured and extended several times, the Giardini are occupied by a further 29 pavilions built at different periods by the various countries participating in the Biennale. The first nation to build a pavilion was Belgium in 1907, followed by Germany, Britain and Hungary in 1909.[13] The pavilions are the property of the individual countries and are managed by their ministries of culture.[38]
Countries not owning a pavilion in the Giardini are exhibited in other venues across Venice. The number of countries represented is still growing. In 2005, China was showing for the first time, followed by the African Pavilion and Mexico (2007), the United Arab Emirates (2009), and India (2011).[39]
The assignment of the permanent pavilions was largely dictated by the international politics of the 1930s and the Cold War. There is no single format to how each country manages their pavilion, established and emerging countries represented at the biennial maintain and fund their pavilions in different ways.[38] While pavilions are usually government-funded, private money plays an increasingly large role; in 2015, the pavilions of Iraq, Ukraine and Syria were completely privately funded.[40] The pavilion for Great Britain is always managed by the British Council[41] while the United States assigns the responsibility to a public gallery chosen by the Department of State which, since 1985, has been the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.[42] The countries at the Arsenale that request a temporary exhibition space pay a hire fee per square meter.[38]
In 2011, the countries were Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia and Slovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Wales and Zimbabwe. In addition to this there are two collective pavilions: Central Asia Pavilion and Istituto Italo-Latino Americano. In 2013, eleven new participant countries developed national pavilions for the Biennale: Angola, Bosnia and Herzegowina, the Bahamas, Bahrain, the Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Kuwait, the Maldives, Paraguay, Tuvalu, and the Holy See. In 2015, five new participant countries developed pavilions for the Biennale: Grenada,[43] Republic of Mozambique, Republic of Seychelles, Mauritius and Mongolia. In 2017, three countries participated in the Art Biennale for the first time: Antigua & Barbuda, Kiribati, and Nigeria.[44] In 2019, four countries participated in the Art Biennale for the first time: Ghana, Madagascar, Malaysia, and Pakistan.[45]
As well as the national pavilions there are countless "unofficial pavilions"[46] that spring up every year. In 2009 there were pavilions such as the Gabon Pavilion and a Peckham pavilion. In 2017 The Diaspora Pavilion bought together 19 artists from complex, multinational backgrounds to challenge the prevalence of the nation state at the Biennale.[47]
The Internet Pavilion (Italian: Padiglione Internet) was founded in 2009 as a platform for activists and artists working in new media.[48][49][50] Subsequent editions were held since,[51] 2013,[51] in conjunction with the biennale.[52]
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وینسVenetsiya
art umjetnost umění kunst taideτέχνη művészetList ealaínarte māksla menasartiKunst sztuka artăumenie umetnost konstcelfקונסטարվեստincəsənətশিল্প艺术(yìshù)藝術 (yìshù)ხელოვნებაकलाkos duabアートಕಲೆសិល្បៈ미(misul)ສິນລະປະകലकलाအတတ်ပညာकलाකලාවகலைఆర్ట్ศิลปะ آرٹsan'atnghệ thuậtفن (fan)אומנותهنرsanat artist
venice biennale Venezia Venedig biennalen Bienal_de_Venecia Venise Venecia Bienalo Bienal Biënnale Venetië Veneza Μπιενάλε της Βενετίας ヴェネツィ ア・ビエンナーレ 威尼斯双年展 Venedik Bienali Venetsian biennaali Wenecji biennial #venicebiennale #venicebiennial biennalism
Veneziako Venecija Venècia Venetië Veneetsia Venetsia VenedigΒ ενετία Velence Feneyjar Venice Venēcija Venezja Venezia Wenecja VenezaVeneția Venetsiya Benátky Benetke Fenisוועניס Վենետիկ ভেনি স威尼斯 威尼斯 ვენეციისવે નિસवेनिसヴ ェネツィアವೆನಿಸ್베니스வெனிஸ்వెనిస్เวนิซوینس Venetsiya Italy italia
--------key words
headband protest fashion protestfashion artistic intervention performance artformat action installation critical critic critique institutional critic choregraphy scenography
#venicebiennale #biennalist #artformat #biennale #artbiennale #biennial
#BiennaleArte2024 #artformat
One, long night. That's what it's been. Felt like weeks. The security cameras were turned off during the breakout, so the person who broke Lynns free has access, making him a guard. All of the guards on shift are being taken into questioning. Joker is currently under strict surveillance in Gotham General. Batman probably believes he's behind this, but I think he's just being paranoid. Don't blame him though. I have been too, as well as Dianna... She did not approve of my going to the Asylum. The first thing I get when I arrive at the apartment and into the bedroom is "Abe, thank god you're okay!" My heart goes to ease. Her relief overpowered her being pissed.
"Of course I am."
"How the hell could you do something so stupid?! Weren't you thinking of us?" Or not.
I start removing my suit, getting dressed for bed. "What does that mean?"
"That asylum is - is dangerous! You could have killed yourself! One of them could have eaten your face or something!"
"Dianna, I know what I'm doing."
"You didn't have to go!"
"No, I did. It is my job. I made an oath to protect Gotham. You know why? To protect you and Johnny. You two are why I do what I do."
"Abe..."
"No, I'm not finished. When a break out happens, I need to be there. I need to know it's under control. I need to know who has escaped. I need to protect you. And I will go to extremes you won't believe to do so."
"I'm- I'm just worried... About Pyg..."
She starts tearing up. "What if he finds us. What if he comes back?" She buries her face in her hands.
"The GCPD is on his trail. We're close to apprehending him. We have a few leads.. well, they have a few leads. I'm off the case." I sit down and wrap my arm around her shoulders.
"I'm tired of this Abe..."
"Me too..."
"I'm tired of living here."
"Look, I hate my parents' place more than you do."
"No, I mean Gotham. I hate it. I can't walk down the goddamn street without being afraid of getting mugged. There's a psycho everywhere you turn, an Arkham break out every week! I can't take it! I can't take this!"
"Dianna, we can't -- Pyg's about to be--"
"Abe, it's not about just Pyg. It's about the entire city. Once Pyg gets put away, another psychopath will threaten our lives."
"I understand what you're saying... but what about your law firm? The GCPD?"
"You can transfer... I can get a job somewhere else."
"I can't do this somewhere else. This is my city. This is where I belong, where I can help the most."
"Fuck, Abe, open your eyes. You're one man. You can't make a difference, not in this city... this hell."
"One man can most certainly make a difference."
"And he dresses up as a goddamned bat. The most powerful man in this city is a rodent! See the problem with that?"
"I - I see what you're saying. I agree. It'd be for the best..."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course"
"Abe, I love you."
"I love you too."
What the hell did I just do?
I'm starting to post photos from last month's spontaneous trip to London, which turned out to be very successful, with me spotting some truly insane plates, some of which some of you may've already seen, and some which may come as a surprise to you.
I'm starting off with this old Mercedes on old French FNI plates, parked in an underground car park in Knightsbridge. The registration on this car isn't as old as what the plate format would suggest, with this combination being issued around the year 2000. At that time, the car would've been issued with white/yellow plates, possibly pre-Euroband examples(?), so the owner has opted for black/silver plates instead, possibly early on, or a later addition. It looks amazing on these old plates, that's for sure, even if I'm questioning the legality of having such plates made for a newer FNI format. The car was registered to the department of Gironde, in south-western France.
Knightsbridge, London, United Kingdom
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
Spectacular view associated with wind gust.
Beautiful flowers at Reford Gardens.
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
VERTICAL LINE GARDEN 2017
Julia Jamrozik, Coryn Kempster
Buffalo, United States.
Visit: www.ck-jj.com
From the plaque:
Drawing on the formal language of historical garden design, and the contemporary means of mass-produced safety and construction material, the project is a strong graphic intervention that aims to produce an abstract field.
Defining a geometric zone out of tightly spaced parallel lines of stretched commercial barrier tape , the installation introduces ordered man-made elements into the cultivated natural environment of the Reford Gardens. Through this juxtaposition, a dialogue between the two spheres is created based on the shared theme of protection and necessary safe-guarding while questioning the definition of what is truly natural.
As one approaches and then walks around and through the installation the changing viewpoint will allow the shifting of the tape lines in space and thus varied views of the overall composition. Further the movement of the lines with the changing of the climate, the wind and the sun will ensure a dynamic optical and auditory engagement for the audience. As visitors enter and inhabit the space by occupying the provided loungers, the fluctuating appearance of the installation is further enhanced.
In the 2015 version of the garden, we have decided to alter the colours of the field and provide and to provide canpy elements which will not only provide shade but also give a different experiential perspective of the banner tape.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Texte de la plaque:
S'appuyant sur le langage formel de la conception du jardin historique, sur des moyens modernes de sécutité et sur des matériaux de construction produits en massa, le projet se veut une intervention graphique cherchant à créer un champs abstrait.
Des lignes parallèles de rubans de sécurité étroitement espacés définissent une zone géométrique. Cette installation d’éléments ordonnés prend place dans un milieu d’aspect naturel. Par cette juxtaposition, un dialogue entre les deux se crée basé sur le thème commun de la protection et de la sauvegarde , tout en s’interrogeant sur la définition de ce qui est vraiment naturel.
En s’approchant, en marchant autour et au travers le jardin, le point de vue change, ce qui permet le déplacement des lignes dans l’espace pour offrir de nouvelles perspectives sur la composition globale. Outre le mouvement des lignes, les changements de climat, le vent et le soleil procurent aux visiteurs des expériences visuelles et auditives dynamiques. Lorsque les visiteurs entrent et habitent l’espace en s’assoyant sur les chaises, l’aspect fluctuant de l’installation est renforcé.
Dans la version 2015 du jardin, les couleurs des rubans sont différentes et trois canopées ont été ajoutés. Ce qui va non seulement fournir de l’ombre mais aussi offrir une perspective expérientielle différente sur les rubans de sécurité.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
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This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.
BRAINIAC "Are you questioning my authority Grodd?"
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As CNN’s Michael D'Antonio recently stated, “…President Donald Trump now seems wounded and desperate—and this makes him dangerous.”
"Now wounded, Trump is resorting to a kind of political terror campaign, spreading blatant lies about foreign-based election fraud and a "RIGGED 2020 ELECTION." Trump's false claims, which have been repeatedly debunked by CNN and others, destroy public trust in the foundation of our democracy and set the stage for a potentially dangerous crisis if voters end up questioning the results on Election Day."
Things have not being going well for Donald. He has abdicated his duty to help Americans during the pandemic; and it shows the dismal state of Trump's leadership abilities. We are not only disappointed. We are sick and dying. He takes no responsibility for that. The economy is not bouncing back, despite the rebound of the stock market. When millions have lost their jobs and few are finding new ones, the market means nothing to even the lucky ones who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. The longer this pandemic goes on, the more businesses will fail. And this was to be Trump's principal re-election selling point.
Revelations of the inner workings of Trump's White House by former National Security Adviser John Bolton and of his dysfunctional family by his niece, Mary Trump, in her book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man," have peeled away much of the protective edifice Trump has worked so hard to maintain.
Politico's John F. Harris has to ask, "What do we not yet know about Donald Trump?" How have his business dealings affected critical geopolitical decisions during his presidency? Trump refuses to divulge his tax returns, which would shed light on this part of his world. What's really behind the President's relationship with Vladimir Putin? We know a little about how his inner circle thinks of him. Former chief of staff John Kelly and former national security adviser H. R. McMaster have called him an "idiot." And former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has called him a "moron."" It's easy to hear Trump's angry ramblings as was clear during in his July 14 Rose Garden press conference (i.e. campaign rally). This leads to speculation about both his physical and mental health. But there are so many others who, over the years, have worked with and for him. These things will eventually come out, despite anyone's best efforts to conceal them. More than likely, not before the November election. But we have enough to go on.
While there is much more to know about the Trump presidency, we are watching him back into a corner right now. I once described my father as having his hand on the doorknob to his own emotions. As long as his hand was there, he felt in control and could slam the door closed at any moment, should I get too close and ask too many questions. Darth Vader wrapped himself in a similar shield. He felt invincible until his helmet came off and we saw the real man underneath. As Trump grapples with his own realities, he's becoming fearful his empire is disintegrating. His disheveled look and disappointment as he walked from his helicopter back to the White House after his diminutive Tulsa rally was telling.
To draw attention away from his social and political failings, the President has authorized federal agents to quell the protests of, as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf stated, "violent anarchists." In Portland, Oregon, a city besieged by over 50 days of protests over the killing of George Floyd, both peaceful and violent, federal law enforcement from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), began rounding up protesters into unmarked vans. Dressed in camouflage fatigues with "unspecified 'police' patches" protesters were taken to unspecified areas to be interrogated. Both the governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, and the Mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, asked the federal government to leave the city, as their presence only escalated tensions. Wheeler referred to these police as "Trump's private army." And Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall reports the Department of Homeland Security's Deputy Secretary, Ken Cuccinelli told NPR not only are they not stopping with their actions in Portland, but have plans to take them nationwide.
Shockingly, this is not illegal. The New York Times reported Washington officials cited 40 U.S. Code 1315, which, under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, gives the department’s secretary the power to deputize other federal agents to assist the Federal Protective Service in protecting federal property, such as the courthouse in Portland. But these abductions took place off federal property. This is exactly what one would expect of an authoritarian leader with lagging support would do to both create a diversion from his failures and to bolster his claim as the "law and order president."
Donald Trump works on instinct, his gut. The closer we get to revealing the secrets he has tried to hide, the more desperate he will get. And the more desperate he gets, the more dangerous he will become. Portland is a prime example. Our only antidote is to prepare for the worst. He will not make voting easy for us and he will try hard to discredit the process, from mail-in voting to questioning the outcome. There's more at stake than just the Oval Office. Lawsuits await a former president, no longer shielded by his sycophants and Executive Privilege. And as we all know, rats don't hesitate to abandon a sinking ship.
For the last 19 years, since the attacks on 9/11, we have been engaged in a “war on terror.” This has taken us to the Middle East for numerous wars in an effort to keep America safe. That rationale has consistently been used to restrict the rights of American citizens (i.e. domestic surveillance of Americans from the Patriot Act). While, at the same time, Congress has refused to pass laws allowing law enforcement to effectively monitor domestic terrorist groups, who pose a more dire problem. In fact, Immigration and Nationality Act expressly prohibits the Department of State from “sanctioning groups with a significant domestic presence.” Our rights are eroding under the guise of global terrorism. What's happening in Portland, and soon the rest of the country, is a glaring example.
To end this path to authoritarianism, our most powerful tool is our vote, electing politicians who will alter our international and domestic policies to focus on a more just America. So make sure you're properly registered. Know your local requirements and on election day, vote as if your life depends on it. Because it does.
See the rest of the posters from the Chamomile Tea Party! Digital high res downloads are free here (click the down arrow on the lower right side of the image). Other options are available. And join our Facebook group.
Follow the history of our country's political intransigence from 2010-2018 through a six-part exhibit of these posters on Google Arts & Culture.
5109
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
Spectacular view associated with wind gust.
Beautiful flowers at Reford Gardens.
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
VERTICAL LINE GARDEN 2019
Julia Jamrozik, Coryn Kempster
Buffalo, United States.
Visit: www.ck-jj.com
From the plaque:
Drawing on the formal language of historical garden design, and the contemporary means of mass-produced safety and construction material, the project is a strong graphic intervention that aims to produce an abstract field.
Defining a geometric zone out of tightly spaced parallel lines of stretched commercial barrier tape , the installation introduces ordered man-made elements into the cultivated natural environment of the Reford Gardens. Through this juxtaposition, a dialogue between the two spheres is created based on the shared theme of protection and necessary safe-guarding while questioning the definition of what is truly natural.
As one approaches and then walks around and through the installation the changing viewpoint will allow the shifting of the tape lines in space and thus varied views of the overall composition. Further the movement of the lines with the changing of the climate, the wind and the sun will ensure a dynamic optical and auditory engagement for the audience. As visitors enter and inhabit the space by occupying the provided loungers, the fluctuating appearance of the installation is further enhanced.
In the 2015 version of the garden, we have decided to alter the colours of the field and provide and to provide canpy elements which will not only provide shade but also give a different experiential perspective of the banner tape.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Texte de la plaque:
S'appuyant sur le langage formel de la conception du jardin historique, sur des moyens modernes de sécurité et sur des matériaux de construction produits en massa, le projet se veut une intervention graphique cherchant à créer un champs abstrait.
Des lignes parallèles de rubans de sécurité étroitement espacés définissent une zone géométrique. Cette installation d’éléments ordonnés prend place dans un milieu d’aspect naturel. Par cette juxtaposition, un dialogue entre les deux se crée basé sur le thème commun de la protection et de la sauvegarde , tout en s’interrogeant sur la définition de ce qui est vraiment naturel.
En s’approchant, en marchant autour et au travers le jardin, le point de vue change, ce qui permet le déplacement des lignes dans l’espace pour offrir de nouvelles perspectives sur la composition globale. Outre le mouvement des lignes, les changements de climat, le vent et le soleil procurent aux visiteurs des expériences visuelles et auditives dynamiques. Lorsque les visiteurs entrent et habitent l’espace en s’assoyant sur les chaises, l’aspect fluctuant de l’installation est renforcé.
Dans la version 2015 du jardin, les couleurs des rubans sont différentes et trois canopées ont été ajoutés. Ce qui va non seulement fournir de l’ombre mais aussi offrir une perspective expérientielle différente sur les rubans de sécurité.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
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I was on a photo shoot for a cookbook. As I waited for the next item to be prepared for me to shoot, I noticed these egg shells on this glass plate. I was taken with how interesting they looked, and made a few exposures. I received a few questioning looks and comments ("Just WHAT are you going to do with those shells?"). I just smiled and said, "trust me."
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today is Tuesday and in the kitchen of Lettice’s flat Edith, her maid-of-all-work, and Mrs. Boothby, Lettice’s charwoman* - who has come from her home in Poplar to do all the hard jobs Edith doesn’t do around the flat – are taking tea before commencing on their chores around the flat. Edith is grateful that unlike her previous positions, she does not have to scrub the black and quite chequered kitchen linoleum, nor polish the parquetry floors, not do her most hated job, black lead the stovetop. Mrs. Boothby does them all without complaint, with reliability and to a very high standard. She is also very handy on cleaning and washing up duty with Edith after one of Lettice’s extravagant cocktail parties. Edith’s only complaint is Mrs. Boothby’s heavy smoking in the flat’s kitchen, so whilst Edith takes her tea as she stands at the deal kitchen table cutting tart cases from some freshly made dough, Mrs. Boothby sits in a chair by the slightly ajar door leading from the kitchen out into the back outdoor delivery stairs where she blows at least some of her flumes of grey pungent smoke go as she draws contentedly on her latest cigarette as she peruses The Times and sips her own tea with noisy slurps.
Emblazoned on the front page, the main headline in bold black capital letters reads ‘GENERAL STRIKE** CALLED OFF’, with smaller headlines on individual articles beneath stating ‘Dramatic Peace Visit to Premier – Miners’ Executive Decision’, ‘Miners’ Defeat’ and ‘T.U.C.*** Basis for Renewal of Coal Negotiations’. Behind the upheld broadsheet, curlicues of greyish white smoke drift into a ray of mind morning sunshine pouring through the window, and Mrs. Boothby unleashes one of her heavy, fruity coughs, which causes the newspaper to shake in her hands, crumpling noisily.
Edith sighs. “Thank goodness that’s all over.”
Mrs. Boothby lowers the newspaper and looks quizzically at Edith. “What?” A puff of grey billowing smoke is cast forth from her cracked lips as she speaks. Her thin, pale face, heavy with a myriad of wrinkles and jowls twists questioningly. “Thank goodness what’s over, Edith dearie?”
“That,” Edith replies, nodding her head at The Times front cover as she presses her flower shaped cutter into the dough. “The General Strike.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Boothby acknowledges, shifting the newspaper in her hands so she can glance again at the headlines. “Oh that.”
“You must be pleased it’s over now too, Mrs. Boothby.”
Mrs. Boothby stares at the newspaper print for a few moments, her brow furrowing with concentration, almost as if it is the first time she was made aware of them.
“After all, you were the one who said you didn’t have time for the miners’ strike when it didn’t involve you.”
“Well,” she finally replies, coughing deeply again and clearing her throat. “Well dearie, I must say I’m glad the general disruption’s over, and I can catch the omnibus**** from ‘ome up the top of Tottenham Court Road.”
“Not all the disruption is over,” Edith interrupts Mrs. Boothby. “I am still struggling to get some of the staples for the pantry from Mr. Willison’s grocery*****. I’m only grateful that Hilda had spare flour for me to borrow to make these tarts.”
“Ooooh!” Mrs. Boothby enthuses before drawing on her cigarette again. She exhales another tumble of smoke like a steam shovel****** as she adds, “Luverly! What kind ‘a tarts you makin’, Edith dearie?”
“I’m making jam tarts for Miss Lettice and her guest this afternoon, but I’ll have enough dough spare to make a few treacle tarts for us*******.”
“Oh luverly!” Mrs. Boothby opines again. “I’m quite partial to a sweetheart*******.” She slurps her tea, and then adds, “Especially with me Rosie-Lee*********.”
“Well, you can’t have one now, Mrs. Boothby, but you can have one at lunch,” the young girl picks up the cut out dough and drops it lightly into an empty slot in the greased patty pan**********. “And one to take home, to Ken.” Edith smiles ass she mentions Mrs. Boothby’s grown-up disabled son.
“Ta,” Mrs. Boothby says, before her face crumples. “’Ere! What about a sweetheart for me to take ‘ome ‘n all?”
“I won’t be able to make enough spare for you to take two home, Mrs. Boothby, unless you take home the one I’m offering you with lunch.”
“’Ow many of them jam sweethearts youse makin’ will Miss Lettice ‘n ‘er guests eat, then?”
“It’s Mr. Bruton coming to tea, and he’s very partial to my jam tarts, Mrs. Boothby, so I always need to make extra.”
“Couldn’t ya make a nice give ’n take, instead?”
“A what, Mrs. Boothby?” Edith asks as she glances with wide eyes at the older woman.
“A give ’n take – cake, Edith dearie. Couldn’t cha make ‘em a cake instead?”
“Oh!” Edith chuckles as she understands a new piece of Cockney rhyming slang. “Oh no, Mrs. Boothby. A cake would require even more flour, and eggs too, which seem to be in short supply at Mr. Willison’s just now, as well as flour.”
“Yes, we was ‘it pretty ‘ard by food shortages in Poplar too.” Mrs. Boothby replies, nodding sagely. “’N far worse than ‘ere, I reckon, if a few eggs ‘n some flour all youse got to complain about.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it, Mrs. Boothby. The East End always seems to have less of everything.”
“Except poverty and illnesses.” the old Cockney remarks wryly. “But as we’s all used to it in Poplar, so we knew we couldn’t rely on the government to ‘elp us. We ‘ad ter ‘elp ourselves***********.”
“What did you do, Mrs. Boothby?” Edith pauses in her task to listen to the older woman.
“Nahw, don’t you worry your pretty little ‘ead ‘bout Ken ‘n me, Edith dearie.” Mrs. Boothby lets the paper drip into her lap and wags the index finger of her left hand at Edith. “We done alright, Ken ‘n me.” She smiles wistfully. “I guess we’s ‘ardened by the lean times we’ve ‘ad over the years, so I’m like a squirrel,” She pauses for a moment and considers. “Nah, I’m probably more a rat than a squirrel, scavenging about places I clean up ‘ere in the West End where so much good food goes to waste, that I manage to keep a bit of food stocked by for a rainy day. Plus me and Lil Conway next door – you remember Lil don’t cha, Edith dearie?”
“Yes Mrs. Boothby, I remember your neighbour, Mrs. Conway. She’s the one you give the remnants of soap bars to, to wash the clothes and bodies of the children she looks after for the people around you.”
“That’s ‘er, Edith love!” Mrs. Boothby smiles warmly. “She’ll be chuffed that you remember ‘er. Anway, we pooled resources, as she tries to keep a bit of food aside for a rainy day too, so we didn’t starve, nor go wivvout much.”
“Well, I’m relieved to hear that, Mrs. Boothby. I’d imagine Ken would be beside himself if he didn’t get enough food, and he’d make trouble for you.”
“That ‘e would, dearie.” Mrs. Boothby chuckles. “You know my Ken so well nahw, don’t cha? You got a soft spot for ‘im ‘n all.” She wags her finger admonishingly at the young maid. “Spoil ‘im you do. Books to read and treacle sweethearts what ta ‘ave wiv ‘is tea.”
“I know Mrs. Boothby,” Edith admits. “But I can’t help it. I enjoy it.”
“I know you do, Edith dearie, but one day you’ll ‘ave other littluns what you’ll be wantin’ to spoil, ‘specially once youse married.”
“Shhhh!” Edith cries, raising her finger to her lips.
The old Cockney woman leaps in her seat and nearly spills some tea on the black and white chequered linoleum floor of the kitchen. The brittle ashy end of her cigarette breaks off and scatters on the floor instead.
“I still haven’t told Miss Lettice about that,” Edith whispers back. ‘And I don’t want her to know until Frank and me have set a date .”
“Sorry Edith dearie.” Mrs. Boothby replies in a hushed hiss. Then, clearing her throat a little awkwardly she returns to normal volume with another fruity cough as she changes the subject. “Anyway, goin’ back to Miss Lettice and her guests, well, they’s greedy buggers, scoffin’ the lot of tarts like that.” The old cockney mutters and shakes her head as she stubs out her cigarette in the black Bakelite************ ashtray.”
“You can say what you like, Mrs. Boothby,” Edith replies, sighing with relief as she watches the older woman snuff out her cigarette. “But Miss Lettice is my mistress. She must come first.” Her shoulders slump as she watches Mrs. Boothby fish out another rolled cigarette from the pocket on the front of her colourful floral printed pinny. “It’s the natural order of things.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Boothby hisses from between her teeth as she holds her cigarette between her lips whilst she fetches out her box of Swan Vestas*************, striking a match to then light her second cigarette. “The natural order. Them what’s got plenty first and then us last.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like Frank, Mrs. Boothby.” Edith chuckles. “Don’t tell me that the General Strike has turned you into a radical! I don’t know if I could manage Frank, Hilda, and you, Mrs, Boothby.”
Mrs. Boothby draws pleasurably upon her lit cigarette, making the embers on the end glow and the thin cigarette paper crackle as more of it is consumed by her sucking upon it. She then snorts two plumes of acrid smoke down her nostrils as she chuckles herself. “Na! I ain’t no radical, Edith dearie.” She pauses and reflects on the headlines again. “But I’ll tell you what I do fink.”
“And what’s that, Mrs. Boothby?”
Edith busies herself rolling out the last bit of pastry to try and fill an extra empty round in her patty pan to make a full tray of twelve, and thereby be able to send Mrs. Boothby home with two treacle tarts.
“Well, I may not get into all this political stuff, not ‘avin’ the vote************** to ‘ave my say, but, I think the Conservative government*************** behaved appallingly towards the poor miners, and I ain’t got no admiration for Mr. Baldwin no more****************. ‘E done wrong by them, ‘is own people, by not makin’ any concessions to ‘em. “Ow’s ‘e like to work longer ‘ours for nuffink. No wonder they’s still strikin’ up north, even if we ain’t dahwn ‘ere in London.”
“Yes, Frank has expressed the same opinion.” Edith unscrews a jar of strawberry jam and begins to drop a heaped teaspoon full into each of the prepared tart cases. “And I don’t think he’s wrong. I feel for their plight as well. As you say, Mrs. Boothby, working for longer and being paid less is nothing short of unfair. All the same, I do feel that the General Strike was too much.”
“Too much, Edith dearie?”
“Yes, Mrs. Boothby.” Edith replies resolutely. “I firmly believe that, as a general rule, we are law aboding citizens, otherwise how could we have an Empire on which the sun never sets*****************? I think that the strikers went too far and created too much disruption in attempting to force the government's hand******************.”
“Well, you may be right ‘bout some of that, Edith dearie, but I’ll tell you somefink else. Our local Whig******************* member for Towers ‘Amlets********************, Mr. Charlie Hatchett better watch out where ‘e goes in ‘is constituency. ‘E ain’t too popular dahwn Poplar way right about nahw.”
“Whyever not, Mrs. Boothby?”
“Well, it’s not like ‘e did anyfink to ‘elp the poor miners. They’s in a worse position nahw than they was before the strike.”
“But that’s not Mr. Hatchett’s fault, Mrs. Boothby. His party is in opposition, so doubtless Mr. Baldwin and his government overruled any attempts he made to defend the workers.”
Mrs. Boothby tuts and shakes her head. “Well, people round my way reckon ‘e’s a bit on the nose now, and ‘e ain’t no man of the people like ‘e campaigned on. If I could vote, I wouldn’t vote for ‘im right nahw, an’ that’s a fact.” She nods seriously as her mouth thins to become a mean little line dividing her upper and lower parts of her wrinkled face.
“Well,” Edith says as she finishes her spooning of jam into the tart cases and opens the tin of treacle and begins to spoon the thick and gooey golden sugary stuff into the remaining four empty cases. “I think that no matter what has or hasn’t happened, the sooner life returns to normal in the aftermath of the Great Strike, the happier I’ll be, and that’s a fact. I have a life to get on with, and I’d prefer to live it in peace and harmony.”
“And enough flour to make an extra treacle tart for me to take ‘ome.” Mrs. Boothby adds, stubbing out the end of her last cigarette.
Proudly Edith lifts the tray of twelve tarts off the scrubbed pine surface of the kitchen table and holds it up for Mrs. Boothby to see. In the patty pan there are eight strawberry tarts with fluted edges and four treacle tarts, also with fluted edges.
“Cor!” Mrs. Boothby gasps. “You’ve dunnit Edith dearie! You managed to make me an extra treacle sweetheart!”
Edith smiles at Mrs. Boothby proudly. “Only just, Mrs. Boothby, but I managed.”
“Luverly!” Mrs. Boothby enthuses as she looks at the tarts with hungry eyes.
*A charwoman, chargirl, or char, jokingly charlady, is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually lives as part of the household within the structure of domestic service. In the 1920s, chars usually did all the hard graft work that paid live-in domestics would no longer do as they looked for excuses to leave domestic service for better paying work in offices and factories.
**The 1926 General Strike was a nine-day nationwide stoppage in the United Kingdom between the third and twelfth of May. It was called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to support over a million coal miners facing wage cuts and longer hours. Following "Black Friday" in 1921, miners faced a lockout after refusing "not a penny off the pay, not an hour on the day" wage reductions and longer hours. About one point seven million workers paralysed transport, printing, and heavy industries temporarily. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's Conservative government declared a state of emergency, using volunteers and the military to maintain essential supplies and transport. The government produced the British Gazette to counter the strikers' message. The TUC ended the strike on May the twelfth, 1926, fearing it was moving toward a revolutionary, anti-democratic action. The miners remained locked out until the autumn, eventually accepting lower pay and longer hours, without securing any concessions.
***The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is the national umbrella organization for trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of affiliated unions and millions of workers. Founded in 1868, and playing a major role in the 1926 General Strike, the TUC acts as the voice of British trade unionism, lobbying government, campaigning for worker rights, and fostering unity among workers. The TUC played a crucial role in forming the Labour Representation Committee in 1900, which later became the Labour Party in the United Kingdom.
****An omnibus is the original Nineteenth Century term for a large horse-drawn carriage or bus, meaning it was for all people. Being a Victorian, even though my the 1920s, buses were generally known as motor buses, with the horse-drawn variety long since replaced with petrol powered ones, Mrs. Boothby would have been likely to have continued to call them omnibuses because that was what she would have called them in her youth.
*****The General Strike was short lived, lasting only nine days, so there were not lasting food shortages in London in the immediate aftermath of the strike. Whilst transport was crippled and food deliveries were disrupted during the strike, the government’s emergency measures, including the establishment of regional food control officers in 1925 and military-escorted supply convoys during the strike, prevented severe food shortages. There were however, unavoidable disruptions to supply chains as life and deliveries returned to normal, so whilst there were not food shortages as such, there were some products and foodstuffs that were less available in the days following the General Strike.
******A steam shovel is a large, steam-powered excavating machine invented by William Otis in 1839, designed to dig and move massive amounts of soil or rock. Popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these machines used cable-operated buckets and were essential for building railways, canals, and mining, eventually being replaced by diesel shovels in the 1930s.
*******Treacle tarts are enjoyed across society today, but they had their roots as a thrifty, lower-class staple before becoming a universally beloved British gastronomic classic. Because they were made from simple ingredients—bread, golden syrup, and pastry—they were a popular, high-calorie, and inexpensive treat. The lower classes in the 1920s—particularly working-class families in urban areas—often had high-calorie and high-fat diets, but these diets were typically low in essential vitamins and variety, often described as "deficient" rather than nutritious. Whilst the affluent began embracing a more "moderate," health-focused diet during this period, the poor relied on calorie-dense, inexpensive fillers to keep hunger at bay and give them strength to perform hard work.
********Sweetheart is rhyming Cockney slang for a tart.
*********Rosie-Lee is Cockney slang for tea, and it is one of the most well-known of all Cockney rhyming slang.
**********A patty pan is a small, shallow, and often scalloped-edged baking tin or paper cup used for making individual, bite-sized pastries, jam tarts, fairy cakes, or savoury patties. Historically, these pans were designed for small savory "patties" or pastries, but are now widely used for baking delicate sweets like mince pies, mini tarts, and butterfly cakes.
***********During the 1926 General Strike, East Enders faced more acute food shortages than places like the West End of the city. Therefore, citizens relied on local community and solidarity, for organising and distributing food, often done through strike committees, which generally implemented a system based on need. Workers took control of food distribution (like milk), while the government used the army to escort lorries.
************Bakelite, was the first plastic made from synthetic components. Patented on December 7, 1909, the creation of a synthetic plastic was revolutionary for its electrical nonconductivity and heat-resistant properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewellery, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms. A plethora of items were manufactured using Bakelite in the 1920s and 1930s.
*************Swan Vestas is a brand name for a popular brand of ‘strike-anywhere’ matches. Shorter than normal pocket matches they are particularly popular with smokers and have long used the tagline ‘the smoker’s match’ although this has been replaced by the prefix ‘the original’ on the current packaging. Swan Vestas matches are manufactured under the House of Swan brand, which is also responsible for making other smoking accessories such as cigarette papers, flints and filter tips. The matches are manufactured by Swedish Match in Sweden using local, sustainably grown aspen. The Swan brand began in 1883 when the Collard & Kendall match company in Bootle on Merseyside near Liverpool introduced ‘Swan wax matches’. These were superseded by later versions including ‘Swan White Pine Vestas’ from the Diamond Match Company. These were formed of a wooden splint soaked in wax. They were finally christened ‘Swan Vestas’ in 1906 when Diamond merged with Bryant and May and the company enthusiastically promoted the Swan brand. By the 1930s ‘Swan Vestas’ had become ‘Britain’s best-selling match’.
**************The Representation of the People Act of 1918 granted the right to vote to women over thirty years of age who met minimum property qualifications (such as being a householder or married to one) or were university graduates. This enfranchised approximately eight and a half million women. However, women like Edith and Mrs. Boothby, not being property owners did not receive the vote until the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act was introduced by government in 1928. This bill lowered the voting age for women to twenty-one, regardless of marital status or wealth, finally giving them the vote on the same terms as men.
***************In 1926, the United Kingdom was governed by the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. Baldwin’s second ministry (1924–1929) held power during the 1926 general strike, and the nation was under the reign of King George V.
****************In working-class areas of London, such as Hackney and Poplar, there was strong sympathy post the General Strike for the miners, who were seen as having been treated "abominably" by mine owners. Many recognised that if the miners' pay was cut, other workers would be next. When the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called off the strike on May 12, 1926, without securing a deal, many supporters in London felt a sense of "disbelief, then anger". This was seen as a "betrayal" of the miners by their own leaders. Despite the strike’s collapse, support did not vanish. Sympathy shifted from active industrial action to supporting the miners and their families, who were left to survive on their own until November, facing severe hardship.
*****************Although not exclusively, the term an “Empire on which the sun never sets” most commonly is used when referring to the vast British dominion covering nearly a quarter of the earth's landmass, including India, Australia, Canada, and large parts of Africa, making the phrase literally true due to worldwide time zones.
******************Many ordinary Londoners, despite their sympathy, believed that while the miners' situation was dire, the strikers had gone too far in attempting to force the government's hand. The general sentiment was that the strike was a "noble fight" in theory but a "futile gesture" that ended in a major, and sometimes bitter, defeat for the workers.
*******************Historically, the British Liberal Party evolved from the Whigs. While Tories became the Conservative Party, the Whigs merged with radicals and Peelites in the 1850s to form the Liberals. The Whigs championed constitutional government and, over time, progressive reform, distinguishing them from the traditionally conservative Tories.
********************The London constituency of Tower Hamlets includes such areas and historic towns as (roughly from west to east) Spitalfields, Whitechapel, Bethnal Green, Wapping, Shadwell, Mile End, Stepney, Limehouse, Old Ford, Bow, Bromley, Poplar, and the Isle of Dogs (with Millwall, the West India Docks, and Cubitt Town), making it a majority working class constituency in 1925 when this story is set. Tower Hamlets included some of the worst slums and societal issues of inequality and poverty in England at that time.
This comfortable domestic kitchen scene is a little different to what you might think, for whilst it looks very authentic, it is made up entirely of 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures from my miniatures collection.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The eggs, including the those broken in the bowl are all 1:12 artisan miniatures with amazing attention to detail.
On Edith’s deal table is a floured wooden chopping board on which she has rolled her dough, and is now busily cutting out flower shaped rounds with her cutter to create fluted tart cases in the patty pan to the left of the tray. Both pieces are 1:12 miniature artisan pieces made in the United Kingdom by an unknown artist. I acquired them from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House Shop in the United Kingdom. The blue and white pottery shell shaped spoon rest and the “enamel handled” spoon in the foreground. The tin of Macfie’s Finest Black Treacle, two jars of P.C. Flett and Company jam, are also 1:12 artisan miniatures made by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire, with great attention to detail paid to their labels and the shapes of their jars and cans. There is a jar of Golden Shred Marmalade and Hale’s honey on the counter in the background which also come from Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures.
Robert Andrew Macfie sugar refiner was the first person to use the term Golden Syrup in 1840, a product made by his factory, the Macfie sugar refinery, in Liverpool. He also produced black treacle.
P.C. Flett and Company was established in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands by Peter Copeland Flett. He had inherited a small family owned ironmongers in Albert Street Kirkwall, which he inherited from his maternal family. He had a shed in the back of the shop where he made ginger ale, lemonade, jams and preserves from local produce. By the 1920s they had an office in Liverpool, and travelling representatives selling jams and preserves around Great Britain. I am not sure when the business ceased trading.
Golden Shred orange marmalade still exists today and is a common household brand both in Britain and Australia. It is produced by Robertson’s. Robertson’s Golden Shred recipe perfected since 1874 is a clear and tangy orange marmalade, which according to their modern day jars is “perfect for Paddington’s marmalade sandwiches”. Robertson’s marmalade dates back to 1874 when Mrs. Robertson started making marmalade in the family grocery shop in Paisley, Scotland.
Edith’s Windsor chair is a hand-turned 1:12 artisan miniature which came from America. Unfortunately, the artist did not carve their name under the seat, but it is definitely an unmarked artisan piece.
In the background you can see a very modern and up-to-date 1920s gas stove. It would have been expensive to instal at the time, and it would have been the cook’s or maid’s pleasure to cook on and in. It would have included a thermostat for perfect cooking and without the need of coal, it was much cleaner to feed, use and clean. It is not unlike those made by the Roper Stove Company in the 1920s. The Roper Stove Company previously named the Florence-Wehrle Company among other names, was founded in 1883. Located in Newark, Ohio, the company was once the largest stove producer in the world. Today, the Roper Stove Company is a brand of Whirlpool.
The bright brass kettle on the stove comes from a miniature specialist stockist overseas.
On the bench in the background is a toaster: a very modern convenience for a household even in the early 1920s, but essential when there was no longer a kitchen range on which to toast the bread. Although toasters had been readily available since the turn of the century, they were not commonplace in British kitchens until well after the Great War in the late 1930s. Next to the toaster is a biscuit barrel painted in the style of English ceramic artist Clarice Cliff which is a hand painted 1:12 miniature made by Karen Ladybug Miniatures in England. It contains its own selection of miniature hand-made chocolate biscuits! Next to that stands a bread crock which is part of the same set from which the flour canister in the foreground comes from. The white porcelain teapot is covered with a snig fitting tea cosy, which has been hand knitted in fine lemon, blue and violet wool. It comes easily off and off and can be as easily put back on as a real tea cosy on a real teapot. It comes from a specialist miniatures stockist in the United Kingdom.
Tim found himself gripping his staff nervously as his father stared him in the face questioningly. Then, he began to speak,
“My name is Duke Thomas. I’m a friend of your son. We met at school. He was so distraught when he saw you’d been kidnapped he said he’d pay all he had to have you back safe. How could I refuse?” Bruce had prepared Tim for this. From the day he had learned of Tim’s relationship with his father, he had come up with a contingency plan for this exact scenario. As he did for every scenario. The lies felt as if they were burning Tim’s mouth, but he pressed on in an attempt to convince his father that he was not his son, “Batman doesn’t like to see kids in pain. It’s a trigger of his. So when I brought the case to him, and it just so happened that the maniac upstairs had you captured we thought we’d kill two birds with one stone…metaphorically of course, he’s really not all about killing.” Jack Drake remained silent, staring at Tim’s face, as the boy began to ramble more, “We need to get you out of here before more mercenaries come, we have to save you.” Tim’s father then moved quickly, scaring Tim for a moment as he believed the man was going to attack him, but then he realized what was happening. It was an unfamiliar feeling, something Tim had certainly not felt often since traveling to Gotham. It was a hug.
“Thank you,” Jack Drake said as Tim returned the hug, “Thank you, Mr. Thomas.” Judging by the emphasis placed on ‘Mr. Thomas’, Tim knew his charade had failed. He pulled away from his father, beginning to walk back towards the elevator as the latter called after him, “Duke!”
“Yes?” Tim answered, turning back.
“If you see my son, tell him how proud I was that he made this…” Here Jack pointed to the unconscious mercenaries, “…all happen. He’s a better kid than I can ever hope to give him credit for.” Smiling back, Tim said,
“Come tell him yourself.” Then he turned back and exited the room, Jack following just behind. The two quickly met up with Spoiler, who was wiping blood off of her arm. Tim attempted to help, but she simply replied,
“It’s not mine. I just wish I could get it out…”
“What about the mayor?” Tim asked.
“Safe. Ran the second I freed him. So ungrateful, really.” Both Tim and Jack nodded to this before the trio made their way back up to the top floor of City Hall. Judging by the silence, Tim was certain that the fight was over between Batman and the Crimson Knight, so he led his small group out into the main hallway. They found Batman, standing triumphantly over an unmasked, unconscious Crimson Knight. Tim’s smile from his conversation with his father suddenly dropped as he recognized the figure lying on the ground. The black and brown hair, the unmistakable chin, the nose, the evidence all pointed to one person: the man under the mask standing over the Crimson Knight. Whoever was lying unconscious could have stood in Bruce Wayne not even ten years earlier, as he looked like a twin. Or a son. Meeting Batman’s gaze, Tim realized this was no place to discuss what had happened while the latter was in the basement, so he instead said,
“Spoiler, get Mr. Drake back to his hotel room. I’ll call you later.” Spoiler simply cleared her throat in response. Looking back at her, Tim raised his hands in confusion, then rolled his eyes as he said, “Also, thank you for your help Spoiler.”
“That’s more like it.” Stephanie then grabbed Jack Drake by the arm and lead him out of City Hall, leaving Batman, Robin, and the unconscious Crimson Knight.
Glasgow was the last British transport undertaking to introduce trolleybus services, and it did so at a time when others were questioning the future of their systems. A major aim for Glasgow was to enable tramway replacement whilst ensuring a continued load of the city’s own Pinkston Power Station. In practice, actual tram-to-trolleybus conversions were somewhat piecemeal and the system never reached its full potential before diesel buses took over. The initial trolleybus fleet comprised three-axle BUTs with Metro-Cammell bodies to the same style as London Transport’s Q1 Class. This digital representation depicts FYS 704 (fleet number TB4) in the latest of several livery variants carried by this class of trolleybuses (10-Sep-22).
All rights reserved. Not to be re-posted anywhere without prior written permission. Please follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr collection and the techniques used:
Is a botanical garden a museum of art? Site of colonial control, systemic oppression and power structures that come apparent between lightplays on leaves and sculptural plants. We have stolen human art and natural art in order to exert control.
I have loved these gardens though. They gave me home when it was far away. Such comfort, to see orchids and palmtrees grow same as me, sharing dreams of faraway open nightskies.
Their home was too organized at first, too delimited, until they grew out of it. You cannot trim a plant forever.
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***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on April 30th 2015
CREATIVE RF gty.im/ 552123007 MOMENT OPEN COLLECTION**
This photograph became my 591st image to be selected for inclusion and sale in the Getty Images 'Moment' collection, and I am very grateful to them for such an amazing opportunity.
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THE BEST LAID PLANS..... (Part One)
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COFFEE TASTING KISSES
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Caffè Artigiano, Hornby Street, just off of Robson. Early in the AM and I'm in need of my caffeine fix. I'm here for a reason, not simply by chance or else any Starbucks offering overpriced grinds and yesterdays cake would suffice. The joint is relatively quiet right now, just a handful of early birds revelling in the delicious aromas of freshly ground coffee beans or grabbing a bite to eat to start the day before the rush sets in. Commuter zone in the big city, bored faces, blank expressions, dashed aspirations crushed on the rocks of a world of tedium and conformity. Damn this modern day life and the frenetic pace that we lead like sheep, following the pack, never questioning why we do what we do, never stopping to smell the roses and take some time out to enjoy what we actually have. Not the commercialism nor Rolex around our wrists, but the purity of life, the wonder of our existence, the simple things that fall prey to the darkness all around us, victim of our need and greed.
I clear the table of all debris and distractions, every trace of the people who sat here before me. I like clean lines, a lack of clutter, room to think and move, nothing invading my personal space as I brush aside some sugar granules and a cellophane wrapper to an oatmeal cookie that offends my eyes as it covets the beautiful antique styled wooden table at which I sit. My left hand rises slowly to reveal the Omega chrome bezel of my wrist watch flashing beneath the overhead strip lighting which tells me that it's just turned eight. The coffee parked up in front of me, teasing my senses is a work of art, I ask you, how can a simple coffee look so fucking appealing for a couple of measly bucks?
That old Omega reminds me of my own mortality. A parting gift from the only woman I ever truly loved and the only person to get close enough to me to scare me shitless at the very prospect of giving up the only life that I have known ever since I was a rebellious and wayward kid. The soldier within me still yearns for leadership, like a scruffy mutt I await my orders before I commit to action. Times change, people bend the truth, lips lie but memories stay as true and fresh as the day that they formed in your pathetic little mind. I'm the same man yet different from the one back then. Older and wiser, more resigned and bitter at life's misfortunes and twists of fate, I believe in always looking to the future, though a nod to the past sometimes keeps us from insanity.
The rich dark roasted beans seduce my taste buds as I take a sip, carefully placing lips to porcelain, cautious not to burn my flesh and take layers off the roof of my mouth in the process. But I needn't worry. Corporate bullshit, health and safety gone mad, rules and regulations regarding the safe operating temperatures of tea urns and coffee machines to safeguard against customer claims of injury and the subsequent backlash of claims and counter claims in the Canadian court rooms. It's civilisation gone mad as newspapers daily tell us of fatheads playing the system and winning millions in damages for the grape that they slipped over on in Walmart whilst browsing for some breakfast fruit, the burns received from the hot apple pies that are served in MacDonald's or the Winnebago that crashed on cruise control when the driver left the drivers seat to go to the porta-loo thinking that the vehicle would just follow the road on it's own volition.
There is a dumbing down of society, a wising up to the intricacies of playing the system, screwing your fellow man and taking them for everything you can get. I could weep. Still, the Java tastes good as I completely destroy the delicate and ornate patterning that now swirls around like a tsunami in my neatly monikered cup, eyes subtly surveying the room as the people sit in their own little worlds. To my right at a two seater table sits Miss Prissy knickers, Librarian looks, mousy hair that could do with a little TLC, glasses that could kill a mans passion at twenty yards and eyes glued to the pages of this weeks new Stephen King best selling paperback. She's a speed reader, well practised in the art of darting through those written words at a rate of knots, taking in the impactive detail, digesting the characterisation without a hint of emotion in her face. Not a twitch nor flicker of the eybrows, not a muscle moved in the mouth, jeez, she'd make the perfect assassin with that poker face. She's blissfully unaware of anything around her, devoted to the storyline, immersed. No hint of a wedding ring on her fingers, she's married to her job, resolutely single and has probably never had a decent lay in her entire life.
A guy passes by her table, emerging from the tight and compact dimensions of the wash-room at the rear of the coffee-house, discreetly placed and merging into the décor with an elegant simplicity. His hands are still slightly wet, beads of water tumbling from his flesh to the ground like jumpers from a blazing sky scraper. He walks to the table and gathers up his belongings, checking his inner jacket pocket for his cell phone which he flicks open and checks, eyes registering a degree of disdain at not receiving whatever message he had hoped. A lovers words, a secret rendezvous, work details and directions, whatever, he's none too pleased as he pulls a set of car keys from his pocket, I catch a brief glimpse of the manufacturers corporate logo as he winks at the pretty young thing behind the bar who served him as she has each morning this week at the same time, same beverage, same price. People and habits, you just gotta love 'em.
" Have a good one Ray ", she says as he reaches the door and throws a smile back her way. I drain my cup of it's final liquid droplets and rise to my feet, pushing the wooden chair back a way before turning and making my exit through the door. The sunlight is bright and brilliant, piercing my retinas as I place my Ray bans on walk down the road about thirty five paces behind Ray. An unremarkable man of five feet ten inches in height, thirty six years old, married with two children. Samantha aged fourteen and David aged twelve. A picture of bliss with a neat condo on Beacon Avenue near the waterfront in Sidney, BC, two cars, a dog and two cats. The details from his file are fresh in my mind as I increase my pace to within twelve paces of the mark as he winds his way unwittingly towards the end of his life. A gambling man by any standards, neatly attired, respectable and clean, though up to his neck in debt thanks to a dead cert bet that he obtained through a friend of a friend who just happened top hear a couple of guys in the know talking shit near the race track. I hate gamblers more than any other form of low life scum sucking mother fuckers. The thin veneer of honesty and integrity whilst all the while they would sell their own grandma down the line if they thought it would fund their next certainty. I learned long ago in life that there is no such thing as a certainty, and any fool who lives with that lie and hope deserves what's coming to him. In Ray's case it's a head full of nine millimetre full metal jacket for defaulting on his twenty five thousand dollar stake money that he borrowed form some very unsavoury dudes. These are the sort of guys that would kill your family right out in front of you just to prove a point, not that that ever crossed Rays stupid head when the moment came to place the bet that he could never honour should the worse scenario play out, which it surely did.
He is striding casually, oblivious to my presence, unaware that he is now about a minute from his own death and that his wife and two children have already been taken care of by the men who shall remain nameless. You see, in this game, nothing is sacrosanct, not the solemn vows of marriage nor the bonds of love from a husband to a wife, a mother to her daughter, a father to her son. You take the risk, you make the bet, you borrow the money and if you fail to deliver what's owed on time, well then let's just Say that all hell breaks loose until the beneficiaries, who in this sad situation in fact benefited from a big fast zero in monetary gain terms, deem that the punishment has indeed been made to fit the crime. My eyes are surveying the scene, looking ahead, my brain calculating angles and degrees, seconds and minutes of escapes routes from the scene of the crime before it has been committed. Lucky for me, Ray turns Eastwards and moves into a skinny alley between two buildings, like a set from a motion picture as I hone in on his footsteps and reach inside my coat pocket for the cold steel of the weapon. In a way I'm helping the hapless fool out, he has no idea that his family home is now a bloodbath resembling a shoot out scene from a Quentin Tarantino flick, everything he loved wiped out in an instant. Well, I say everything, but of course that is not counting the blonde floozy twenty two year old from work that he has been enjoying after hours horizontal naked dancing with in the week that I have tailed and watched his every move. Me, I'm methodical if nothing else. I like to study the mark, learn their traits and characteristics, those little things that define who they are, daily details lost amidst the city lights and hubbub of noise and people. And what a sweet little thing his mistress is. I can almost hear her tears and see the droplets flood from the beautiful eyes when she discovers the awful truth that will hit the newspaper stands by the morning.
My hand emerges wit the silenced gun, the metal texture glistening under the sunlight as I come to a standstill right next to Ray who has stopped by the wall to pull a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. We exchange a glance as he suddenly sees the weapon and realizes that for him, there is no hiding now, no turning back the clocks.
" Please, whatever they are paying you, I can match it, double it.... name your price "
Quite understandably, the man is shaking with fear as he drops the unlit cigarette from his hand, those eyes begging my approval and acceptance like a scolded child looking to his fathers face. I'm just not the forgiving type sadly for Raymond Jacobs as I raise the silencer to within just a few inches from his right temple and reply.
" Really Ray. See, from where I am standing, you don't have a fucking pot to piss in what with the money you lost at the race track. Oh and by the way, Mr Stokes and Mr Reynolds both send you their warmest regards, and wish you to know that your wife and two children will be waiting for you somewhere in the afterlife. Hey, what's it to be, head or heart? "
Ray looks momentarily bemused as tears form in his eyes, " What? ", he says, staling for time, an effort wasted on a cold hearted bastard such as I. And after the silence comes the pain and as he begins to beg like an animal for his life, a mouth off all at a tangent spouting all manner of gibberish that is beyond my comprehension. Now me, I'm a tolerant man, I can suck it in wit the very best of them, I can stand most anything in life except maybe the sight of a man crying like a baby. I hate it when a mark does that, I mean, come on fella, at least face your plight like a grown man and die with a little semblance of dignity would ya!
" Okey-dokey, head it is then my friend ", I calmly announce as I pump a single round round straight into his skull. A spurt of blood splatters across the cement wall behind, leaving a pattern like a map of Africa as the bullet pushes out with a mixture of bone fragment and brain matter. The shell embeds itself in the wall as the casing hits the floor with a glorious ping of metal on pavement. His body rocks upwards and back, falling to the ground like a sack of the proverbial shit, eyes registering the shock and pain of that moment of impact before I pump two further rounds into his heart. His ribcage rises one last time, the expellation of air from his lungs is loud and forced, followed by silence as the life bleeds out of his eyes. I holster my gun, checking the vicinity for unwelcome attention, though mercifully the coast is clear. I retrieve the shell casing from the ground, placing it into my pocket, and also the slug from the wall which comes out with a couple of prods of my bony fingers. I hate clutter, I don't like debris and remnants left at the scene, it's just plain sloppy work.
The job is done, my work is finished, and my bank balance will be swollen by twenty large ones no sooner than I have contacted my keeper with confirmation of the kill. Time to vacate the scene before the cops come tumbling down upon me. The coffee is still on my mind and lips, staining my teeth and overwhelming my senses with the delerium of that java buzz as I make good my exit. Coffee kisses from the bosses, Ray. At least you are reunited with your family now
As I begin walking along the corridor between the two building, ears prick up to the sound of cough. Dust allergy perhaps, muted tone, stifled by a closed hand across the convulsing lips. Eyes hone in on the doorway slightly ajar to my immediate left where I stand. Dusty layers formed like a blanket through non use, finger prints and a palm fresh and staring me right in the face. I place my right hand onto the wooden textures of the old lockless door, perhaps once a storage room to one of the nearby shops, and press firmly as it creaks under protest and leaves a shadow across the floor that dances a tango of delight to the woman cowering in the shadows. Eyes meet for the first time and form a deep and abiding dislike for one another.
She darts past me like a frightened mouse and heads towards the network of quaint shops with faux period facades and cobbled stones. I cannot allow her to escape. The hunt is on.......
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TO BE CONCLUDED......
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Written June 8th 2011
Photograph taken at 08:25am inside the Caffe Artigiano coffee house in Hornby Street, just off Robson Street in down town Vancouver, Canada on April 5th 2010.
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Nikon D90 15mm 1/60s f/4.0 iso450 Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di LC II. UV filter
"The British Library, a colourful work, celebrating and questioning how immigration has contributed to the British culture that we live in today. Shelves of books covered in colourful wax fabric fill the Sunley Gallery, their spines bearing the names of immigrants who have enriched British society. From T.S. Eliot and Hans Holbein to Zaha Hadid, The British Library reminds us that the displacement of communities by global war has consequences that inform our lives and attitudes today."
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
Spectacular view associated with wind gusts.
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
VERTICAL LINE GARDEN 2018
Julia Jamrozik, Coryn Kempster
Buffalo, United States.
Visit: www.ck-jj.com
From the plaque:
Drawing on the formal language of historical garden design, and the contemporary means of mass-produced safety and construction material, the project is a strong graphic intervention that aims to produce an abstract field.
Defining a geometric zone out of tightly spaced parallel lines of stretched commercial barrier tape , the installation introduces ordered man-made elements into the cultivated natural environment of the Reford Gardens. Through this juxtaposition, a dialogue between the two spheres is created based on the shared theme of protection and necessary safe-guarding while questioning the definition of what is truly natural.
As one approaches and then walks around and through the installation the changing viewpoint will allow the shifting of the tape lines in space and thus varied views of the overall composition. Further the movement of the lines with the changing of the climate, the wind and the sun will ensure a dynamic optical and auditory engagement for the audience. As visitors enter and inhabit the space by occupying the provided loungers, the fluctuating appearance of the installation is further enhanced.
In the 2015 version of the garden, we have decided to alter the colours of the field and provide and to provide canpy elements which will not only provide shade but also give a different experiential perspective of the banner tape.
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Texte de la plaque:
S'appuyant sur le langage formel de la conception du jardin historique, sur des moyens modernes de sécutité et sur des matériaux de construction produits en massa, le projet se veut une intervention graphique cherchant à créer un champs abstrait.
Des lignes parallèles de rubans de sécurité étroitement espacés définissent une zone géométrique. Cette installation d’éléments ordonnés prend place dans un milieu d’aspect naturel. Par cette juxtaposition, un dialogue entre les deux se crée basé sur le thème commun de la protection et de la sauvegarde , tout en s’interrogeant sur la définition de ce qui est vraiment naturel.
En s’approchant, en marchant autour et au travers le jardin, le point de vue change, ce qui permet le déplacement des lignes dans l’espace pour offrir de nouvelles perspectives sur la composition globale. Outre le mouvement des lignes, les changements de climat, le vent et le soleil procurent aux visiteurs des expériences visuelles et auditives dynamiques. Lorsque les visiteurs entrent et habitent l’espace en s’assoyant sur les chaises, l’aspect fluctuant de l’installation est renforcé.
Dans la version 2015 du jardin, les couleurs des rubans sont différentes et trois canopées ont été ajoutés. Ce qui va non seulement fournir de l’ombre mais aussi offrir une perspective expérientielle différente sur les rubans de sécurité.
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Visit : www.refordgardens.com
From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/english/
LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
© Copyright
This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.
100 photos challenge | 16. questioning
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i wanted to tackle one of the oldest questions of mankind. . . what is out there?
i think this question is so romantic, so vast, and so creative.
thanks to my LOVELY model katie for going into my creepy basement and playing with the lights.
also, this was a collaboration with Nesta
Hehe, i went round today questioning our existance as we are in a day that usually doesnt occur.
Today is the whole reason why project 365 was turned on its head and aptly renamed project 366, sounds odd for a picture a day, for a year group.
This day does then have big significance. Its not everyday you have a 29th of Feb XD. I was planning on ding some strange unusual photoshop edit saying something like "Error, day not found" or something along those lines but tomorrow im starting my one week intensive driving course so havent really had time. Ive spent the last 3 hours reviewing some driving DVD's and shall spend the next few filling out questions in a workbook.
Just a simple shot of the MBP, i was messing around with some tips Scott Kelby gives in his first book about making your images "tack sharp", not sure if i quite succeeded but i did use a lot of his "tactics".
Friends of ours constantly bicker at each other in their ongoing parenting disagreements. It never ends. Needless to say, their 2 kids have learnt how to manipulate them both while playing them one against the other.
And with advance to REALITY COPY there’s certainly no way of changing this perception only enforcing it, nothing in reality is good enough for “REALITY COPY” that is just another paradox that is not futuristic.
We might be still skeptical about the arrival of REALITY COPY, but its only before its sold at the supermarkets.
What would happen after “Reality Copy” when the progress of all possible levels of true “reality copy” (in technical sense, not psychologically-philosophical) are achieved. The reality hence is copied and sealed.
Technology won’t stop there… one wonders. What is next.
In political sense when reality in representation is something embraced by conservative social power than with “reality copy” the conservative power is the dominating from the social point of view having new level of reality and it’s copy to be controlled.
*seems like the only possibly alternative to REALITY COPY could be ultra radical Invisibility)
In principle the artist aims to deform the reality subjectively to create not the “reality copy” lacking such skills but to convey the artistic poetic goal of expressing whatever given artist wants to express.
In a matter of “reality copy” what is left for the artist to argue with and deform… to question and test… Nothing really changes socially except for more pressure applied to the issue of dealing with self-image and tools to “sell” When a person changes the image the higher the technology the more transformed is the final product.
The progress of mental growth is just as conservative as control on the “visual image of reality” and its copy.
The ongoing technological progress is irreversible as it carries percent of good with bad,
It is common knowledge how for instance internet is benefit and at the same time does damage. A person who knows about the addiction and suffers would acquire the knowledge and hope from the place the person suffers the internet of course.
Same thing is with photography and video. Reality copy would add more psychological problems to the present but create more visual attraction of true-life experience with whatever could be rediscovered in Lifecopy style. Probably is benefits pornography since it will continue same as consumption of food. The basic things… Consumerism benefits since it is super-trained for “instant reach” affect and will commercially exploit the “reality copy” to sell more of “reality copy” gadgets the phones, screens, etc.
New generation of people will repeat the cycle in new technological means of having “reality copy” as nothing new but similar to any visual information currently available.
The creative people are the ones BEHIND the time it seems in a matter of “reality copy” and being unable to have anything is an alternative.
The Invisible alternative is the ONLY ONE to question “reality copy”
That is the power of UNKNOWN.
Techno progress can deal in “reality” bringing higher resolution to the fore to sell new generation of phones and gadgets.
But it really doesn’t change the philosophical issue of questions asked by philosophers, what is life, what is art, why do we live. Questions remain unanswered when techno progress veils those questions with the promise that higher technology would bring the end to all unanswered questions and answer them for people.
So far the techno advance puts the artistic, literary and philosophical field out of business. As when people get the toys (gadgets) and the playground (the podium of internet) the art is irrelevant and completely disconnected from the social phenomenon of self-representation. Art is not interested to question something with no philosophical substance to it.
The commercial art is willing to supply more stuff for consumerism. If its reality-copy than someone empowered by financial wealth (born rich) would come up with more decorative solutions that could serve REALITY COPY in needed fashion, add more details to the “reality set” to those who can afford it.
Same way it is now when people with means live with more things.
“Reality Copy” of people without means would look just as it is in reality, gray and unexciting. To help people without means the software would offer “decoration” solutions to add the faux details able to transform the surroundings to less depressing. It would enter the person into “life copy” of vacation at Caribbean resorts… etc.
What in such situation could be philosophically questioned, if nothing changed in human morality, but techno advance manage to involve people into self-entertainment to such degree that a person is no longer interested to read books about other people or watch movies and hear news. Self-promotion is the ongoing and time-consuming thing. One has to research the “popular” topics.
As to participating in reality activities, there’s the issue of not having time for anything that doesn’t deal with self-promotion and earning a living.
ART commerce is growing commercially going Industrial since supplying consumer goods is always rewarding in sales. On the other hand this and techno revolution reduces interest of writers and philosophers to dig in depths where there is no depth. It makes such people disengaged with the process. When there are no critical voices to the established situation or some few art critics pretend to do what is expected of them – know about current situation not only on the art scene but at large - socially, and have strong voice against the trends that contribute to the lowering of culture. There’s no more liberal freedom since nobody reads the newspapers. Even if the working critics were principal enough to write articles and books they know their voice would not be heard. They are not vociferous about anything at all because there’s a concept of supporting and art endavour since art is in decline and anything that relates to art needs their support.
There are no voices to oppose the current situation for many reasons such as no younger people would be interested in such undertaking also for many reasons of being disoriented in expectation of techno changes or living their me-life.
The young ones are the invisibility movers, every day someone who is young, information and internet savvy adds the invisibility statement to their online identity. I saw it on tumblr and Iheart. (samples year web address – source)
Art consumer goods sell and make the seller get the goods since sale is the rule.
Art critics silently agree and actually it seems if they even try to disagree there is nothing in art that presently shows any direction against the established art situation.
There isn’t anything not saying a serious claim to deny aesthetic values of the art present and past, to turn away from any influence and history by the fashion avant-garde to question than resuscitate (bring back from death) art that lost vitality and practically is a dead art of dominating taste in an authoritarian culture and conformity.
Bring new blood to reinvent the art into weapon against the outlived old and positioning itself as direct opposition AGAINST art that represents culture of the present time.
Culture of consumerism that turned into visual consumerism with the help of internet is hard to oppose and challenge in any attempt of making bid public art spectacle, won’t challenge any concept but serve certain need for entertainment.
Invisible art of Paul Jaisini stands against all that is dominating and culturally regressive in the present, false visual multiplicity that imply democracy and absence of segregation in visual sphere, all inclusiveness.
On so many levels Paul Jaisini brings knowledge of how the present condition reflect on a mind. (non-linear thinking, information processing, constant analysis is the advanced state of high analytical creative mind /osd, adad is the side effect but there are more worse side effects) Shows the burst to create in manifestation of genius mind (can do any task without training) but unable to maintain the creative process as wholesome, bored with the immediate results. Invisibility is theoretical stability and result of high impact activity that gives fast result of creativity and genius realized in art. Then instability in the fact of the created art un--preserved and lost, destroyed.
On a lower level of people who start building some blog with enthusiasm dedicating time, research than abandoning it to become digital graveyard demonstrates inability to continue and search for new. Inability to face what yesterday seemed interesting and capture someone’s mind to give the creative boost.
(fast life, no sleep, high tech knowledge, constant search for new, unsatisfied… new is old – altogether supports “CONSUMERISM” when buying is haul more than physically needed, quantity is the need for new.
Invisible art as a concept seem to attract wide public and elite in such diametrically opposed combination, of people without high aesthetics in mind or the complete opposite illuminati-culturati. People with average or below average taste and aesthetic requirements are as interested and supportive as the elite. When it comes to someone in the middle- another phenomena, quite often those who are educated and intelligent take a stand against even one mention of the art being possibly somehow invisible.
These people respond very well and willing to agree with the concept as Invisible art is brought to them by mass media. In the beginning I was using internet to send out essays and saw the proof that as avant-garde wanted to reach people who never acquired artistically developed taste the invisible art was and now is more than ever suits their taste even to degree of obsession.
That’s adds insult to injury when nobody even pay attention and there’s nothing to offer as the alternative.
They want something tangible as the alternative, the grown philosophy to brew in the minds of people and artists as the sign of time.
The invisibility is the idea that has the power to antagonize the “reality copy” but not in a sense that is widely used in the present time. To express social isolation in case of the teens as seen on tumblr. (examples and variations of Invisibility trend in primitive pictures shared every day in such huge quantities no art publication ever knew, teens and pre-teens are those with passion among the rest of us, when they spread the word it goes far, same as the early internet time, when the word would go far distances to large number of people)
Historically known of the episodes when many artists tried to create the so-called invis art but it really didn’t involve much creativity except for the concepts they came up with, but in reality it involved the reduction of visual means and performance art when the audience came up with more ideas acting around the non-existent artwork than the artist.
Personally I discovered high interactive value of the “PRESUMED” invisible painting when I was getting a lot of responses with very interesting commentaries from the people who actually insisted I was sending them info about the invisible artworks. I never made any claims when sending written essays. People decided for me and probably this is the best way for the interactive dialogue to let people decide.
The only known versions of invisible artworks would be not something that can turn into a philosophical school of thought but random reductions of visual means of various artists. It all came to same MOA that involved frames etc., not the process of creativity or life long creativity that would show how such artistic philosophy develops and what various periods of the artist’s life produce by his belief in his artistic style.
The known precedents of exhibiting so-called invisible art were always random statements that never continued to develop in a distinct style.
What one usually expects is a blank canvas, a picture with some written ideas which is more a topography art, a picture that is in a wrapping of covered up and is a found object art. The only known artists who continued wrapping is Christo but his art is not considered invisible even though he hides or attempts to hide what is inside the wrapping….
Recently same as in more distant periods in time many artists are trying to reduce their visual means. There’s a difference though. In previous times artists ventured into reduction of visual means with more ease. The artworks from older times with reduced visual means had much less labor and look less worked on.
Now the reduction of visual means is something that doesn’t fall under the artistic philosophy when an artists trying to prevent an overkill of the visual imagery.
If Rothko worked on his abstract painting laboriously than in current standards his work would be considered not sale’s worthy. Now to be sale-worthy the abstraction is worked to show a lot of workmanship. Surely Rothko doesn’t want anyone to see a lot of workmanship quite the opposite, he wanted his paintings to look fresh and not overdone. And in current standards he would have to toil on every dot in his painting to perfect it.
Today’s abstract paintings look like very hard-worked on simulations of surfaces that look like some textures (varieties of plain or distressed surfaces /stone and whatever is the decorative surfaces of abstracts, patterns that are used in interior design.
Overworked, machine-like is expensive looking enough to sell in the gallery but it creates a certain amount of fatigue in time. The commerce knows about it, the fatigue would bring the art buyer to buy more to add some new life to the art collection ed infinitum.
Art commerce wants more art collectors in the times when art is selling and makes money and should be called what it is – decorative luxury items.
Art or luxury decorative items was always meant for people with wealth and they always wanted to get their money worth.
When abstract painting is done in a manner to be worthy of selling price it is not creativity of conceptual thought and has no abstracted meaning. The craft of simulating surfaces is widely known and is used in interior design. When it is unique that no other craftsman can repeat it is recognized nearly as jewelry and rag-making, etc. All the items that cost money due to the high workmanship and hours, months and sometimes years of creation. Same way was built the historical hand-made furniture. Same way the current abstract decorations will hold in time. It is made for someone as rich as royalties but it doesn’t mean that it has anything to do with artistic creativity, the most mysterious and unexplained human phenomenon.
So anyone who is interested to earn money as a maker of such luxury items and be able to place them in the store for sale – the art gallery, can come up with own recipe for surface replica and start working will find a paying job on the art scene nowadays...
It doesn’t involve questioning of morals, times and life. It involves many hours of working and ability to produce varieties of the same surfaces in good taste. Instead of questioning human spirituality, or questioning art means that someone considers irrelevant and outdated, not for any breakthrough to create something revolutionary new.
The deep harm that was mercilessly inflicted upon you left you withering away, barely functioning, questioning the unspeakable reality you endured and what was ok and what wasn’t ok and nearly brought your life to an end. Now, with healthy support you’re very slowly learning it’s ok to protect yourself. This certainly isn’t easy for you and you’re growing and moving forward in wonderful ways.
#NotetoSelf
[image created on 10-9-2023]
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When I noticed this leaf lying on the ground at home it reminded me of how I feel when I’m experiencing awful somatic flashbacks which take me back to the past as I re-experience awful harm from many years ago in physical and emotional form which is extremely terrorizing. As I’m shaking and panicking very intensely sometimes my body—in it’s God-given wisdom— automatically is compelled to work to protect me in various ways which often involve curling up small, shaking and leaning forward to shield myself in protection. This all seems to be [an extremely difficult] part of the healing process as my body and mind/brain work to rewire and integrate awful trauma memories. Like this leaf I feel withered, curled up, face down in order to protect myself. And, like this image shows, there is light shining on, in and through me and my heartbreaking experiences and circumstances as the healing slowly takes place over time with lots of deep, intentional work and support.
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
Spectacular view associated with wind gusts.
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
VERTICAL LINE GARDEN 2018
Julia Jamrozik, Coryn Kempster
Buffalo, United States.
Visit: www.ck-jj.com
From the plaque:
Drawing on the formal language of historical garden design, and the contemporary means of mass-produced safety and construction material, the project is a strong graphic intervention that aims to produce an abstract field.
Defining a geometric zone out of tightly spaced parallel lines of stretched commercial barrier tape , the installation introduces ordered man-made elements into the cultivated natural environment of the Reford Gardens. Through this juxtaposition, a dialogue between the two spheres is created based on the shared theme of protection and necessary safe-guarding while questioning the definition of what is truly natural.
As one approaches and then walks around and through the installation the changing viewpoint will allow the shifting of the tape lines in space and thus varied views of the overall composition. Further the movement of the lines with the changing of the climate, the wind and the sun will ensure a dynamic optical and auditory engagement for the audience. As visitors enter and inhabit the space by occupying the provided loungers, the fluctuating appearance of the installation is further enhanced.
In the 2015 version of the garden, we have decided to alter the colours of the field and provide and to provide canpy elements which will not only provide shade but also give a different experiential perspective of the banner tape.
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Texte de la plaque:
S'appuyant sur le langage formel de la conception du jardin historique, sur des moyens modernes de sécutité et sur des matériaux de construction produits en massa, le projet se veut une intervention graphique cherchant à créer un champs abstrait.
Des lignes parallèles de rubans de sécurité étroitement espacés définissent une zone géométrique. Cette installation d’éléments ordonnés prend place dans un milieu d’aspect naturel. Par cette juxtaposition, un dialogue entre les deux se crée basé sur le thème commun de la protection et de la sauvegarde , tout en s’interrogeant sur la définition de ce qui est vraiment naturel.
En s’approchant, en marchant autour et au travers le jardin, le point de vue change, ce qui permet le déplacement des lignes dans l’espace pour offrir de nouvelles perspectives sur la composition globale. Outre le mouvement des lignes, les changements de climat, le vent et le soleil procurent aux visiteurs des expériences visuelles et auditives dynamiques. Lorsque les visiteurs entrent et habitent l’espace en s’assoyant sur les chaises, l’aspect fluctuant de l’installation est renforcé.
Dans la version 2015 du jardin, les couleurs des rubans sont différentes et trois canopées ont été ajoutés. Ce qui va non seulement fournir de l’ombre mais aussi offrir une perspective expérientielle différente sur les rubans de sécurité.
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Visit : www.refordgardens.com
From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/english/
LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
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