Road trip to Rochester NY and Ithaca, with visits to art galleries as the days get shorter.
Buffalo, NY; Rochester, NY; Ithaca, NY; Niagara Falls, NY; Toronto, Ontario
UB Anderson Gallery: From wall to wall in the second floor gallery, Christy Rupp (2024) Runoff installation of pipeline brings an industrial architecture indoors. Obstruction of access to windows overlooking tree canopy outside reminds observers of dependence on fossil fuels that the human comfort enabled is typicallly overlooked. Brief waypoint on a journey into Western New York State. (University of Buffalo Anderson Gallery, Martha Jackson Drive, Buffalo, NY) 2024110214621 Neighborhood: Visit with a multigenerational family in the systems sciences, discussing making a difference in the world. Casual dinner sparked by selections from the flagship Wegmans market, spanning vegan, Asian and American cuisines. Making up for deferred shared time originally planned for Switzerland. (14621 Neighborhood, Rochester, NY) 20241102
Taughannock Falls Overlook: The path at the foot of Taughannock Falls looked inviting, but we hadn’t planned excursion time. Up from Route 96 on west side of Cayuga Lake, the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains is nestled in the Finger Lakes. Temperatures have fallen, so the trees with fall colors are dropping their leaves. (Taughannock Falls Overlook, Taughannock Park Road, Trumansburg, NY) 20241103
Ithaca Farmers Market: Long pavilion allows vendors to back in the their stalls, making unloading and loading off merchandise easier. Sunday morning seems to be popular with community shopping for items produced less than 30 miles from Ithaca. North end of pavilion has more vendors and artists, south end has food stalls offering service on reusable plates. (Ithaca Farmers Market, Third Street, Ithaca, NY) 20241103
Ithaca Falls: Sunday afternoon fisherman spinning flies into the brook by the gorge, dressed in hip waders. Easy walk on foot trail on east bank, seems popular amongst couples. Ruins of mills from the 1800s are visible on the way from the parking lot. (Ithaca Falls, Ithaca, NY) 20241103
Ithaca Falls: Reciprocal snapshots, as we asked the photographer with digital camera to shoot our picture in front of the falls. Funny that his girlfriend gave us her phone to capture their image, rather than the device with a zoom lens. We prepared for this trip with winter gear, weather has been sunny but freezing overnight. (Ithaca Falls, Ithaca, NY) 20241103
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Arranged in a semi-circle, Nigerian American artist and poet Precious Okoyomon (2024) The Self Grows Forward Out of Its Reference shows influences crossing West Africa, Europe and Japan. Artist was appointed as first visiting artist in 2022, engaging in research with faculty and students. Exhibition is part of Migrations Global Grand Challenge program at Cornell University. (Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Central Avenue, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York) 20241103
Statler Hotel: Opening speaker for Cornell Systems Summit, Patrick Hoverstadt compressed The Grammar of Systems talk as audience anticipated serving of food. Systems Practice is seen as balancing Structural Complexity, Dynamic Complexity, and Perceptual Complexity. I opted to pass on the wine and cheese led pairing tasting, since I gave up both alcohol and dairy about 30 years ago. (Statler Hotel, Corneill University, Ithaca, New York) 20241103Statler Hotel: First day of Cornell Systems Summit, Cliff Whitcomb setting the stage for program. Plenary speakers on systems science, then systems engineering for (i) energy, (ii) health, and (iii) cyber-enabled systems. Much of schedle for concurrent breakout focus groups on professional workfoce, educational curriculum, and systems foundations. (Statler Hotel, Corneill University, Ithaca, New York) 20241103Statler Hotel: At Cornell Systems Summit, Lynn Rasmussen introducing the systems sciences to an audience with varying levels of knowledge. Provided a history of branches of systems sciences, with appreciation of Len Troncale in his communications with decades of luminaries in the systems movement. Outlined her 2024 book Seeing as a field guide, with 19 systems processes she has found useful in her practice in Maui. (Statler Hotel, Corneill University, Ithaca, New York) 20241103Statler Hotel: At Cornell Systems Summit, Linda Booth Sweeney @lboothsweeney leads audience in thumb wrestling exercise from Systems Thinking Playbook. With instructions to maximize number of wins, almost all pairs had low scores, 2-2. One group cooperated to get higher scores 15-15, this is a story about how we may be predisposed to compete. (Statler Hotel, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York) 20241105Statler Hotel: Closing plenary speaker Jon Wade (UCSD) extending systems engineering into science, and ethics. Would like countries with highest ecological footprints to reduce, and countries with lowest human development to increase. Pessimistic about influencing leverage points at (1) paradigm of the system, more realistic on (5) information flows with transparency so that systems may self-correct or receive societal pressure. (Statler Hotel, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York) 20241105Schoellkopf Overlook: From American side of Niagara River, downstream and east of The Falls, is a view of the Rainbow international Bridge and downtown city centre in Ontario. We hadn’t crossed over from the USA as the sun set, and would only see the Canadian side in the dark. Swift drive from Ithaca, arrived home well after rush hour. (Schoellkopf Power Station, Niagara Falls State Park, USA) 20241105Bau-Xi Gallery Toronto Dufferin: In large exhibition space, #EricLouie (2023) Lucky Money II is built up of many thin layers of luminescent oil paint. Title could refer to the Chinese red envelopes in which currency gifts are contained, or possibly the green lettuce in lion dances representing prosperity. Vancouver-based artist, showing in flagship location opened in 2023 in midtown Toronto. (Bau-Xi Gallery Toronto Dufferin, Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario)Congee Queen Don Mills: Opportunistic early family lunch on Remembrance Day, when some employers choose to close while others have regular work hours. Father requested more dishes, as a change from the more limited but healthier menu at the retirement home. Chilly morning encourages winter jackets. (Congree Queen, Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mils, Ontario) 20241111
Evergreen Brick Works: Third of three parts of Space for Grief art installation, revised for fall 2024 showing at city’s flagship environmental park. Paper birds suspended from ceiling slowly drift, with projected movies and ambient music. Dark space with benches invites visitors to sit and reflect on losses that might have consumed them, or deterred moving on. (Evergreen Brick Works, Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20241111
Evergreen Brick Works: Talk by Frances Rawlings Quintero and Ziyan Hossain following group viewing of fall 2024 version of Space for Grief art installation at city’s flagship ecological paark. In-person Systems Thinking Ontario meeting coincided with claosing evening of show. Video production and music expanded from a Major Research project completed at OCADU master’s program in Strategic Foresight and Innovation. (Evergreen Brick Works, Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20241111North York Central Library: Chinatown in Photos conversation with historian @ArleneChan1, photographer #MorrisLum and architect #LindaZhang as part of @torontobiennial. History of Old Chinatown from Chinese Canadian Archive at @torontolibrary, and side-by-side images of buildings changing over the last decade. Educational for many young adults in the audience, this was a stroll down member lane from my 1960s childhood. (North York Central Library, Yonge Street, North York, Ontario) 20241114The Auto BLDG: Wooden rack frames Sameer Farooq (2024) Flatbread Library at @TorontoBiennial, mounting shellacked lavash, naan, roti, tortilla and taboon from 11 diasporic bakeries. Food embeds collective and ancestral memories as vehicles for building community. Each bakery has its own pattern or motif imprinted on its bread. (The Auto BLDG, Sterling Road, Toronto, Ontario) 20241115
The Auto BLDG: Carved wood and textile installation Cristina Flores Pescoran (2023-2024) Caressing the Heart of the Bone at #TorontoBiennial represents parts of the artists body, including legs, breasts, arms and head. Self-portrait with personal experience of cancer treatment and recovery. Artwork suspended in a corner of the 9th floor, between mushroom columns of concrete. (The Auto BLDG, Sterling Road, Toronto, Ontario) 20241115
Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto: Surrounded by cord barrier, Tishan Hsu (2023) mammal-screen is resin-wrapped foam and fibreglass on a steel frame. Curved surface painted like skin or meat feels organic. Apertures and protrusions feel inorganic. (Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, Sterling Road, Toronto, Ontario) 20241115
Rogers Centre: Before 4 pm, three hours before Taylor Swift concert begins, crowds are channelled along barricades and streets are blocked by police cars. Lots of girls and women dressed for the occasion, stopping to take selfies. Biked around the building from south around to north, hadn’t appreciated lineups to multiple gates on the back side. (Rogers Centre, Bremner Boulevard, Toronto. Ontario) 20241116
Collision Gallery: Acrylic painting and paper mache sculptures Tessa Mars (2024) All Islands Touch as part of @TorontoBiennial. Together, the landscape is a background for objects that viewers might carefully step around. Artwork addresses impact of human disruption on nature. (Collision Gallery, Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20241116Royal Ontario Museum: In the Samuel European Galleries, Jean Emile Puiforcat (1890) Pitcher for Orange Drink in silver with Rosewood handle, produced in France early in the Art Deco period. The saturation of Art Nouveau designs circa 1910 led to increasingly simple geometric shapes at the 1925 Exposition Internationale Des Arts Decoratif et Industriels moderns in Paris. This museum has more artifacts inside glass cases than I remember elsewhere. (Royal Ontario Museum, Queens Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20241119Royal Ontario Museum: In the Teck Galleries, this naturally occurring cluster of barite roses (also called rock roses or desert roses) comes from Noble, Oklahoma. This mineral specimen was formed in groundwater saturated with barium and sulfate, crystalizing and expanding in surroiunding weathered sandstone. Amused at so many rocks in glass cases that probably aren’t precious, and unlikely to be damaged by visitors. (Royal Ontario Musieum, Queens Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20241119
Power Plant Gallery: In darkened room, Charles Campbell (2024) How Many Colours Has The Sea interprets the journey of enslaved Africans crossing the Atlantic. On south and west walls, four of the 9 breath portraits celebrate the divine spirits of the sea. Overhead aluminum sculpture on steel cables are inspired by the bathymetric data of submerged terrain where tectonic plates converge. (Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Queens Quay West, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario) 20241124
Power Plant Gallery: In atrium, Vladimir Kanic (2022) Garden of Breath Part 100 is one of many algae polymer sculptures on display. Dried biomass takes in carbon dioxide from visitors, becoming thicker and deeper in colour. Calls for a symbiotic, decoarbonized future. (Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Queens Quay West, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario) 20241124
L’Amoureaux neighbourhood: My friend Don has all of the tools to fix a computer, but it’s distressing to employ a drill when the last screw holding the motherboard is stripped. Replaced the fan led to a POST error, so we put the noisy one back in. The Thinkpad X230T is 12 years old, I’m now shopping for an updated model. (L’Amoureaux neighbourhood, Scarborough, Ontario) 20241127
Journey from Lugano Switzerland, return via Milan Italy, to fall in Toronto
Lugano, Switzerland; Milan, Italy; Toronto, Ontario
MASI Lugano: The naming by Johanna Kolaris of 12-foot work as “The sun is standing at about 35° from the gound. Just the way it should be at this time of year” makes more sense when explained that the painting is UV sensitive paint on drywall. Opening night for the Humere exhibition, titled as a play on the Latin root for web and also for humour. Winner of the Manor Art Prize 2024 for Lugano awarded biannually for artists under 40 years of age. (Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana, Piazza Bernardino Luini , Lugano, Switzerland) 20241003MASI Lugano: Positioned by windows facing east towards mountains across Lago di Lugano, Alexander Calder (1957) Funghi Neri is part of the Sculpting Time exhibition. On loan from the Calder Foundation in New York, the American artist is familiar to me in galleries on the other side of the Atlantic. Lineup to enter this hall, maybe a side effect of visitors for opening night downstairs. (Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana, Piazza Bernardino Luini, Lugano, Switzerland) 20241003Grottino Viganello: Morning plenary of day 5 of 2024 Banathy Conversation of #CSRPInstitute, with two groups in the reflecting phase, relating experiences from the prior 4 days. One group followed the traditional conventing of full-week immersion of international participants. The other group involved members within the region, and experimented with a core group maintaining continuity while swapped in as available. Asynchronous recollecting phase will follow with asynchronous collaborative editing of proceedings. (Grottino Viganello, Via della Pergola, Lugano, Switzerland) 20241004 https://sites.google.com/lab.csrp.institute/2024-banathy-conversation/engaging/reflectingGrottino Viganello: Concluding 5 days immersed on the 2024 Banathy Conversation of #CSRPInstitute. This meeting room was the venue for Team Brown, and plenary sessions with the second team breaking out nearby. Kitchen facilities meant shared lunches and dinners together, following runs to the grocery story down the street. (Grottino Viganello, Via della Pergola, Lugano, Switzerland) 20241004
Lake Como:: With 5:02pm southbound departure from Lugano, opted for first class tickets to escape the standing-room-only ride we encountered in the second class northbound trip 6 days earlier. First class is only one half of the railcar, so we could see standees packed in through the door behind us. Arrival in Milan delayed before Como, we were messaging apartment agent for assisted check-in. (Lake Como, Italy) 20241004
Fondazione Prada Milano: In the Sud exhibition space is Le Studio d’Orphée, the living-working place of Jean-Luc Godard from Rolle Switzerland, transferred in 2019 before his passing in 2022. Born in 1930, with his influence on French New Wave movies in the 1960s, his digital editing of a 2018 work shows his keeping up with technology. The permanent installation television monitor shows a loop of clips of variousGodard movies, including this image of a woman slipping down her stocking. (Sud space. Fondazione Prada, Largo Isarco, Milan, Italy) 20241005
Fondazione Prada Milano: Panoramic view north from eighth floor of the Torre building, with a series of glass cases including Damian Hirst (1997) Tears for Everybody Looking at You. An umbrella protects the decoy ducks from a continual rainshower, yet waterfowl need pools of water to float and swim. The other glass cases behind with collections of dead flies are less humourous. (Fondazione Prada, Largo Isarco, Milan, Italy) 20241005
Fondazione Prada Milano: On ninth floor of Torre building, visitors first trace a blind handrail through Carsten Holler (2000) Gantenbein Corridor (i.e. goose leg maze) completely dark passageway, to emerge out into brightness of (2000) Upside Down Mushroom Room. Lights from floor and spinning for ceiling produce a hallucination enjoyed by children. Adults attempt to capture the experience on their smartphones. (Fondazione Prada, Largo Isarco, Milan, Italy) 20241005
Ancient Lavoir Vicolo Lavandai: In a quiet alley north of the Naviglio Grande canal is a narrow stream, quiet except for the number of tourists visiting. The male guild of laundrymen used wooden slabs back into the 1700s. The stone slabs became known for laundrywomen taking over in the 1900s to bleach linens with ash, soap and soda, until mechanization became common in the 1950s. (Vicolo Lavandai, Navlgli, Milan, Italy) 20241005Naviglio Grande: Squinting into setting sun, aligned with the canal teeming with visitors on a busy Saturday. Enjoyed pizza and meatballs with potatoes for early dinner at restaurant facing the passersby. Nearby Mudec wasn’t as close as maps suggested, as the walking path has to circumnavigate the railway tracks running parallel. (Naviglio Grande, Milan, Italy) 20241005
Pirelli HangarBicocca:: A video projector at each end of 24 silk panels #SaodatIsmailova (2024) As We Fade, part of the exhibition A Seed Under Our Tongue. One of twelve installations in the dark Shed, the Uzbehki video artist transmits landscapes and moving artifacts that dissolve into shades of colour less than halfway through the fabric series. Pictures in motion are reduced in translucence as light is dematerialized. (Pirelli HangarBicocca, Via Chiese, Milan, Italy) 20241006
Pirelli HangarBicocca: The first of five large painting added Anselm Kiefer (2009) Jaipur is at the north end of the Navette exhibition space. Of the Seven Heavenly Palaces first exhibited in 2004, the closest is (2004) Sefiroth, associated with ten different channels through which the one God reveals His will, in the later Jewish literature. The original temporary installation has become permanent, probably because moving and storing the work would destroy it. (Pirelli HangarBicocca, Via Chiese, Milan, Italy) 20241006
Sforzesco Castle: Originally built as Castello di Porta Giova for Visconti dukes circa 1370, the structure was enlarged in 1450 by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. Repurposed many time over centuries, the city reconstructured the fortress as museums after WWII. Espoused as open until 7:30pm, we arrived after 5:00pm when ticket offices were closed. Sforzesco Castle, Piazza Castello, Milan, Italy) 20241006
Swiss Alps: Air Baltic 1617 flight from Milan to Zürich, flight time less than an hour over the Alps. Departure was cloudy, snow was evident in the southern facing mountain slopes. As we travelled north, the snow cover on peaks appeared less and less, exposing either rocks or trees. (LX1617, Alps, Switzerland) 20241007
15 Merchants Wharf: Ecological flipbook in #NuitBlanche Extended with #IsaacKing (2024) Humans Build the Biggest Nests. Narrative thinking about entangled ecologies influenced by theorists and indigenous thinkers. Visitors were encouraged to run hands through the cards to trace the interactions between species. (15 Merchants Wharf, East Bayfront, Toronto, Ontario) 20241009
125 Queens Quay East:: Unfixed dyed sand in #NuitBlanche Extended with #ShannonGardenSmith (2024) Snail-work (For The Lake) showed carefully grains at outset. Visitors were invited to gently disrupt the patterns by walking through. This reminds individuals about the accumulated environmental, historical and economic impacts of the world’s most popular construction material. (125 Queens Quay East, East Bayfront, Toronto, Ontairo) 20241009
HTO Park: On sidewalk just north of urban beach, #NuitBlanche Extended with #MichaCárdenas + the #CriticalRealitiesStudio (2024) The Probability Engine: Atlantic Overturning. Sculpture undulates for 15 feet, evoking the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a critical system of global ocean currents. Accompanying lighting, sound, and poetry from the night time festival is absent in the late afternoon. (HTO Park, Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontaro) 20241009Dai Kuang Wah Herb: Prescription of herbs for decoction, following 4 days of holiday weekend with the runs. Chinese doctor diagnosed as food poisoning, not notovirus where my tongue would be red. Now have been home from Italy for 7 days, malady has resulted in 9 lb. loss that might have been welcomed if interruption in life wan’t so severe. (Dai Kuang Wah Herb , Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20241015
Toronto Biennial of Art: Hanging strips of fabric mimic bamboo forest in multimedia installation #KarenTam (2024) #ScentOfThunderbolts of stage with Cantonese opera for #TorontoBiennialOfArt. Visitors are invited to walk around backstage, and view vintage photos of last century shows. A diasporic visual and sonic memory more for my father’s generation than me. (Toronto Biennial of Art, Lisgar Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20241019
Leslie Lookout Park: Exceptionally warm day draws out bicyclists and sunbathers, towards beach facing west into ship channel running to the inner harbour. Lookout tower can be approached by stairs or slow ramp, with bike repair station its base. Architected shape of lookout respects the cylindrical tower of the St. Mary’s Cement factory to the north. (Leslie Lookout Park, Leslie Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20241020
Full House Chinese Cuisine: Large print on wall seems incongruous with dim sum served, appears to be a 20th century copy of Cornelis Springer (1853) “The Quasihuis of Rembrandt on the St. Anthoniebreestraat” in Amsterdam. Enjoyed menu with more vegan options than is usual with other restaurants in the neighbourhood, some topped with fish paste. Day was full of medical appointments, this venue was in the same plaza as optometrist office. (Full House Chinese Cuisine, Finch Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario) 20241022Aga Khan Museum: Electric blue neon light on ceramic tile Jamelie Hassan (2009) Arabic letter ن (pronounced “noon”) represents the 26th letter in that alphabet of 28. Part of the exhibition Light: Visionary Perspectives at the 10th year anniversary of the museum. Open late on Wednesday, couples visit just as sun was setting as fall days get shorter. (Aga Khan Museum, Wynford Drive, Don Mills, Ontario) 20241023
Aga Khan Museum: Immersive looped video in dark corner, Tannis Nielsen (2020) mazinibii’igan/ a creation as a reimagining of residual radiation from the Big Bang. Dressing in monochrome challenges discerning figures moving in the space. Short line up for visitors to become part of the art installation. (Aga Khan Museum, Wynford Drive, Don Mills, Ontario) 20241023
Centre for Social Innovation Spadina: Founder celebrating first @inwit_app Awards Party online, while staff and guests enjoy drinks and snacks in person. Recognition of partners who have shared the vision of zero-waste food service, enabling the business to grow. Company has pivoted from the original consumer target market to commercial catering, further web app enhancements coming. (Centre for Social Innovation, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20241025
Gerrard-Ashdale: Diwala Mela lights up the darkness with sparklers and dancing. Throbbing music attracts the crowd, and a dancer on stilts encourages joining in. Major street not closed off, neighborhood event in Little India. (Gerrard Street East at Ashdale Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20241026
Art Gallery of Ontario: In Moments of Modernism exhibition, Tome Oktake (1973) Opus 3, oil on canvas. Japanese artist visting Brasil in 1936 couldn’t return home during Second Sino-Japanese War. Thin coats of paint applied with spray gun, layer by layer , to result in luminous, deep colour. (Art Gallery of Ontario, Dundas Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20241030
Art Gallery of Ontario: Across four walls, Jinny Yu (2023) Cuboids + Colour, watercolors extended with gouache. Visual connection in series of three-dimensional shapes with six rectangular faces. Korean-born artists trained in Canada, now a professor in Ottawa. (Art Gallery of Ontario, Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20241030
Zhang Liang Spicy Hotpot: Acknowledging malatang is not Cantonese cuisine, decided my father might try a style of pick-your-own ingredients for soup if we opted for the mild broths not available in mainland China. He chose lobster balls, crab balls, cut fish, mussels on the shell, tofu, beef tripe and hand-pulled noodles. I was expecting mushroom broth as vegan and non-spicy, but only tomato soup base was available at this branch. (Zhang Liang Spicy Hotpot, Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario) 20241031
Market Street:: On west side of St. Lawrence Market, @OldTownToronto lunchtime jazz duo @AndrewMarzotto guitar + @AndrewMcAnsh trumpet in loose gig. Shoppers walking by, trucks with backup alerts, and car noises on The Esplanade behind. The musicians weren’t responsive to my request for songs from this century, the old standards are more familiar. (Market Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240903
Chester Hill Lookout: View southwest beyond Prince Edward Viaduct over the Don valley, towards downtown core apartment buildings, bank towers, and the CN Tower. Summer heat is over, but foliage has not yet turned into autumn colours. Sun is setting earlier, I got caught out without my bike light. (Chester Hill Lookout, Playter Estates, Toronto, Ontario) 20240904Bakery Lane: Disrupted morning with flat tire, that deflated overnight. Used @CAA app to request help, estimate was 40 minutes, they arrived in 25 with a flatbed truck that does fit into the laneway with new buildings both north and south. Opted to inflate the tire and drive the 2km to @CanadianTire nearby, we called ahead for an appointment and hope for an earlier slot. (Bakery Lane, Riverside neighbouthood, Toronto, Ontario) 20240906McCowan Log House: One of three buildings of the Scarborough Museum, constructed the 1830s in Malvern, moved in 1948 to Morningside Heights, then finally to 1974 to current location in Thomson Memorial Park. City-owned buildings are accessible with ramps into structures from before Canada was a country. Donned an extra layer of clothing for a cooler autumn Sunday. (McCowan Log House, Scarborough Museum, Brimley Road, Scarborough, Ontario) 20240907Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre: Part of Vibrate / Still exhibition #NobuoKubota (2024) Lee88, part of the Intermedia series. Developer has filed for building designed and built by Moriyama Teshima Architects in 1963 to be demolished or altered for condominiums, facing resistance from city council and neighbours. Late Sunday afternoon quiet, with judo students enjoying after-lesson social plans. (Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Sakuray Way, Don Mills, Ontario) 20240907Kew-Balmy Beach: Bench conveniently located alongside the Boardwalk, with prime view of family playing baseball on the sand. Cool Sunday afternoon, the sun disappeared and a few drops of rain sprinkled later. Still lots of people strolling while talking, some with pets. (Kew Balmy Beach, Hubbard Bouldevard at Glen Manor Drive, Toronto, Ontario) 20240907Pho Com Tam 168: Convening for early Saturday family dinner while grandfather is downtown. Schedules have been busy, it’s been a challenge to find a slot when everyone is available. Sons said this venue was a hangout under a different name when they were going to high school. (Pho Com Tam 168, Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20240907Gravenhurst Muskoka Wharf: Quick hometown day trip, five years since the Ing family officially fully decamped. Needed map navigation to find the steamships with Bay Street torn up for underground pipe replacement. I don’t recall James Street running behind the high school when I was growing up. (Gravenhurst Muskoka Wharf, Bay Street, Gravenhurst, Ontario) 20240908
Market Street:: Languid noontime pace with @gisun_music “Never Met” as summer weather returned after a cold spell. Still tourist buses at top of street for St. Lawrence Market @OldTownToronto , with shoppers enjoying lunch in the sun. Musical intermission as a short break on a busy day, biking cross town. (Market Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240911
The Gooderham: Outdoor patio on the fourth floor activity area of The Gooderham apartment tower in the Distillery District, with a small gap to the Clear Spirits tower to the west. Observing residents in the neighbourhood suggests young professionals, separate from the tourists in the historic attractions. Visiting for a birthday part hosted in the party room of a son’s friend. (The Gooderham, Cherry Street, Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario) 20240914The Gooderham: Set up to deejay for 5 hours, changing cuts every 3 minutes. Observed the way digital mixing happens, the knob twiddling reduces the bass when swtiching songs, so that transitions are smoother. Preview in the headphones plays higher quality than is heard in the speakers. (The Gooderham, Cherry Street, Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario) 20240914
The Gooderham:: Birthday celebration dancing with family and friends. We didn’t know what to expect, the group retreated to privacy when the choreographer arrived. Performance ended with vegan cake. (The Gooderham, Cherry Street, Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario) 20240914
The Gooderham:: Winding down the evening with the lights down, just dancing for selves, not for performance. Birthday celebration did offer dinner and cake, yet setup for deejay with hiphop and breaking is unusual for most families. Met again some friends that we say at the big party before the move to NYC, a few years back. (The Gooderham, Cheery Street, Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario) 20240914
Dundas Street East, west of Logan Avenue: Looking southwest, construction widening Bala Subdivision rail line that currently services the Go Train Richmond Hill line, will have additional tracks for the Ontario Line. Sidewalks are temporarily unpassable, road is narrowed to single lane each direction. Homes on Paisley Avenue that back onto this zone minimally get a reprieve from machines and trucks on a Sunday afternoon. (Dundas Street East, west of Logan Avenue, Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20240915Notre Place Monument: Unveiled in 2018 on the Western Gateway Lawn at the south edge of Queens Park, monument represents the contribution of Franco Ontarians to building the province. Notre place (our home) has three parts: le sentier (the path), la forêt (the forest), and la clairière (the clearing). History counts back over 400 years to French explorer Samuel de Champlain mapping the land from 1613. (Notre Place Monument, College Street at University Avenue, Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20240915
Market Street:: Lunchtime performance @oldtowntoronto @EmilyNSchultz singing The Sun, a tune inspired by the relationship with her sister. Singer-songwriter with inventive technique on hollow body electric guitar, plus added complexity with loop pedal. Monday seems to have more traffic on the street behind, with tourists still visiting the neighbourhood on a warm fall day. (Market Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240917
Ikea North York: Friday night cheap date, shopping for ideas and buying nothing. Situation with a room with a second single bed that can’t be removed, looking at alternatives to repurpose the furniture for sitting by adding firmer deeper cushions. Store associate said that soft cushions can’t be bought separate from sofas, so we toured the fabrics sction. (Ikea, Provost Drive, North York Ontario) 20240920Rosetta McClain Gardens: After flying in on red eye from Los Angeles, drove from Markham south to edge of Lake Ontario to look at flowers. Found a wedding party also doing portraits on a cloudy day. Rain started just as we departed from the park. (Rosetta McClain Gardens, Glen Everest Drive, Scarborough, Ontario) 20240921Tim Hortons, Midland and Steeles: California resident taking in the Canadian experience in lineup for takeout breakfast. Observed fluid service roles with a senior role switching between cashier and expediting tasks, in a trying to speed up the customer queue. Located in the heart of the local Chinese community, tables were full of family and friends gathering on me a Sunday morning. (Tim Hortons, Midland Avenue at at Steeles Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario) 20240922Varley Art Gallery: Tracing Patterns exhibition Andrew Benyei (2005) Public Opinion three dimensional mixed media sculpture of resin and oil paint framed for wall hanging. Characters are not long crowded together, they’re stepping on teach others feet. Highlighted fabric is denim, the swatch to the left is available for those who want a tactile involvement with their art. (Varley Garllery of Art, Main Street, Unionville, Ontario) 20240922Varley Art Gallery: Before opening reception of Meera Sethi A Brief History of Wear, with 2 blue walls hung salon style. Sixteen acrylic paintings 2009 to 2022, in five series of Firangi Rang Barangi (Colourful Stranger); Foreign Returned; Begum; Upping The Aunty; and Who’s Your Dadi? Indian-born Canadian visual artist with interest in making, wearing and disposing of cloth, and self-expression through clothing. (Varley Art Gallery, Main Street, Unionville, Ontario) 20240922
Varley Art Gallery: Hanging in a circle, Meera Sethi (2018-2023) Outerwhere is 12 used coats with mixed media. The winter coat is essential for Northern climates, for both physical and metaphorical protection. Articles sewn in by hand include toys, flowers, plastics, fibre crafts. (Varley Art Gallery, Main Street, Unionville, Ontario) 20240922
Maple Leaf Lounge, Domestic, Toronto Pearson Airport: Starting the trip to Italy in the domestic lounge, with a domestic Canadian VQA Sauvignon Blanc. Asked Omari to serve DY the smallest taste possible, we’re not really drinkers. Booked on a direct but not nonstop flight, so we may see the international lounge in Montreal. (Maple Leaf Lounge, Domestic, Toronto Pearson Airport) 20240925Montreal Trudeau Airport: Transferring from domestic to international terminal, there’s an immediate sensory overload of duty free shops. Flying on the direct one-stop route, we enjoyed the privilege of marching across the airport with an entire passenger group travelling on the single flight number. First leg was on equipment coming from Frankfurt second leg is on plane from Nice. (Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, Quebec) 20240925Milano Centrale: Transferred from 50 minute Malpensa Express airport train to Milano Centrale, onto 2 hour regional train for Genova Brignole. Trenitalia app won’t install from Google Play store from Canada, so resorted to booking on kiosk near tracks. Wanted to take an earlier intercity train that is 30 minutes faster, but that was listed as unavailable. (Milano Centrale station, Italy) 20240926
Castello di Riomaggiore: Cloudy morning view east of vineyards cultivated since the 13th century. Castle was built in 1260, served as a cemetery in three 19th century. Slow ascent via steep roads and narrow pedestrian steps. Construction noise hammering somewhere in the village resounds everywhere. (Castello di Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, Italy) 20240927
Riomaggiore Marina: In the valley of Rivus Maior, the river flowing into the sea was buried under the street. The original founders of the village built 3 to 4 storey houses against the cliffs. As the clouds gave ways to the sun, the wind brought waves to crash against the breakwater. (Riomaggiore Marina, Cinque Terre, Italy) 20240927
Via dell’Amore: Booked ahead for the walk reopened just last month from Riomaggiore north to Manarola, bypassing the lineup of 100 people at the bottom of steps looking for tickets. Rockslide from 2012 injuring tourists are now precluded by metal mesh covering the east wall alongside the path. Names of Roman and Greek poets who wrote of love appear on plaques periodically, remembering couples from villages who would meet halfway between. (Via dell’Amore, Cinque Terre, Italy) 20240927
Mercato Orientale: First opened in 1899, the outdoor market on the east side of Genoa became covered. Sellers of fresh produce and local meats have stalls in the inner ring, with a semi-hidden outer ring of specialty products. Tastes of imported foods would seem to be against Italian tradition. (Mercato Orientale, Via XX Settembre, Genoa, Italy) 20240927
MOG Mercado Orientale Genoa: Modernization of the central core space in the larger product and meat market aims to attract trendy locals and foodie visitors. Acronym implying modernity reflects brightly-lit central area raised up a few steps from the traditional stalls of uncooked ingredients. At early dinnertime on a Thursday night, the restaurateurs were just opening up, and customers had not year arrived. (MOG Mercado Orientale Genoa, Via XX Settembre, Genoa, Italy). 20240927
Chiostro di Sant’Andrea: In the ruins of a monastery from the 12th century, the @BilbosaBand was doing a sound check 90 minutes before their live @teatrodelchiostro performance. Approaching the Porta Soprano walk, we heard drums and individual instruments in the 30-minutes setup. We were intrigued by the musicianship, but hanging out for an 8:30pm start wasn’t a good idea for Canadians trying to beat jet lag with early nights. (Chiostro di Sant’Andrea, St. Andrews Cloisters, Vico Dritto di Ponticello, Genoa Italy) 20240927
Dogali Funicular (Montegalletto Lift) from vertical to horizontal: Rode bus to upper station of the Dogali Funicular, the only lift in the world that switches from vertical to horizontal motion. Looking out the front door, counted about 20 florescent tubes on the way down, stopping with a pause to see motorized wheels on the track spinning. When the sister car arrived and started ascent, our car rolled south to the exit. (Dogali Funicular (Montegalletto Lift), Genoa, Italy) 20240928
Piazzale Porta del Molo, Porto Antico: Walked the Old Port from west to the Piazzale Porta del Molo, bypassing the Maritime Museum and Aquarium. Redeveloped in 1992, the area saw lots of families out for the Saturday afternoon. We didn’t notice any fishermen, they supposedly land on the western docks. (Piazzale Porta del Molo, Porto Antico, Genoa, Italy) 20240928Via Banchi, Sottoripa: Walked the porticos (covered narrow lanes) originally initiated circa 1125 as an planned urban district by the consults of the Municipality of Genova for hosted shops, artisan workshops and warehouses. Originally close to docks by the harbour’s edge, piers extended the land further into the sea. Now has a variety of retail shops, with fresh fruit markets with open storefronts every few blocks. (Via Banchi, Sottoripa, Genoa, italy) 20240928Comune di Genova: Amidst the grandeur of palaces on this street, we encountered a large group of well-dressed people. Late on this Saturday afternoon, we then saw a bride in a wedding dress. It seems as though civil ceremonies in Genoa city hall can be the size normally expected in churches, with a large number of guests. (Comune di Genova, Via Garibaldi, Genoa, Italy) 20240928Genova Brignole station: One of seven Metaphor of Travel sculptures in Genoa spring to fall 2024, Bruno Catalano statue Simone is outside the Brignole train station, as we are departing. With a history of the Moroccan artist exiled to France as a teenager with his family, the suitcase symbolizes the baggage that we carry with us. Yesterday walking around the Piazza Ferrari, we saw the brother bronze, Khadine. (Genova Brignole station, Italy) 20240829Lugano Stazione: Arrived at the primary destination for this trip, the train was packed to standing room with a lot of passengers getting off at Como, the last stop in Italy. Paused at the border for inspectors to check passports, Switzerland isn’t part of the EU. Coming from busy urban Genoa, this city seems more orderly and quiet. (Lugano Stazione, Switzerland) 20240929Grottino Viganello: Plenary start to 2024 Banathy Conversation by @garysmetcalf for #CSRPInstitute, explaining history of Social Systems Design dialogues contrasting to academic paper-reading presentations. Experimenting with evolving methods with face-to-face inquiry amongst a new generation of scholars, no wifi in the venue. Some unfortunate last-minute cancellations, we hope to invite them to subsequent meetings in 2025. (Grottino Viganello, Via della Pergola, Viganello, Switzerland) 20240930
Parco Ciani: Pedal boat on Lago di Lugano, looking south from the city at sunset. In the distance, the shore of comune Campione d’Italia to the east in Italy, and the peak of San Salvatore in Switzerland, where country borders are not straight lines. Leisure touring time is short with sunset around 7:00pm with meetings concluding at 5:30pm. (Parco Ciani, Lugano, Switzerland) 20240930
Mackenzie House: Noontime solo electric violin performance of “Farewell”, by @victoriayeh for @downtownyonge summer series. albeit a winter feel. In small courtyard, focusing on the music masked the construction noise of the building being erected directly north. Instrument has a low C string, plus an octaver setting for play low notes, all run through effects pedals including a looper. (Mackenzie House, Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240802
Newtwonbrook East: A 40th birthday party turned into a summer backyard partial family reunion. Cousins we knew as babies in the years before we had our own children. Our side appeared as the dinner crew, the other friends and family came for lunchtime in the all-day invitation. (Newtonbrook East neighbourhood, North York, Ontario) 20240803Chow Eye Clinic: After over 40 years of wearing rigid contact lenses, switching to one soft lens for 3 months, in anticipation of cataract surgery. Hard contact lenses reshape the eye, the technicians can measure after not wearing soft lenses for a few days, rather than months for hard lenses. Now astigmatism isn’t corrected, and I have to wear reading glasses even to read my phone. (Chow Eye Clinic, Ferrier Street, Markham, Ontario) 20240809
Trillium Park: Dusk short set @wavelengthmusic by alt jazz fusion #LavenderTown band, named in reference to Pokemon. Specialists in reworking video game music, “Song of Storms” is from The Legend of Zelda. Casual event with mostly millennials sprawled out on the lawn, bike parking overfull with security guards prowling. (Trillium Park, Lake Shore Boulevard West, Toronto, Ontario) 20240810
Yonge Street at Farnham Avenue: Followed bike lane southbound through Yonge Street midtown, not a favoured route northbound due to incline. Path wends around CafeTO restaurant carve outs replacing parking spaces in the affulent neighbourhood. Ride home through Rosedale Valley Road considerably faster than the ride up over Millwood Overpass Bridge. (Yonge Street at Farnham Avenue, Midtown, Toronto, Ontario) 20240816
Varley Art Gallery of Markham: Solos @ChrisDonnelly99 piano, #TaraDavidson sax, #LaurenFalls bass, @ErnestoCervini drums, on Nowhere Girl @nickyschrire @markhamjazzfest. A few famous musicians in the audience, alumni of Toronto who now live in the USA. Performance moved inside, with rain cancellation the two open air venues down the street. (Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Main Street Unionville, Ontario) 20240817
Varley Art Gallery of Markham: Composition of “A Little Louder Please” #LaurenFall bass, with #TaraDavidson sax doubled by @NickySchrire on wordless voice, accompanied by @ChrisDonnelly99 piano, @ErnestoCervini drums @markhamjazzfest. Vocalist and bass player knew each other in graduate school in NYC, now both in Toronto. Rain re-asserted with thunder, glad to be inside the only one of three festival venues under cover. (Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Main Street Unionville, Ontario) 20240817
Varley Art Gallery of Markham: Still yet unrecorded Daffodil @RobertLeeMusic bass, #RoaLee @roa_gayageum, @AllisonAu sax, @jay.myoo guitar, #Jen.Lo piano, #AndrewMccarthy drums, @markhamjazzfest. Larger ensemble than first performance I saw at Distillery District in May. Fortunate to have an indoor venue, the rain squashed the possibility of playing on the patio. (Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Main Street, Unionville, Ontario) 20240817
Varley Art Gallery of Markham: Introduction by #Roa’Lee gayageum on composition about Korean mountain and drumming pattern @RobertLeeMusic bass, accompanied by @AllisonAu sax, @jay.m.yoo, #JenLo piano, #AndrewMcCarthy drums, @markhamjazzfest. Bandleader filled in with patter about growing up in Markham not speaking Korean, now getting language help from bandmates. Korean zither took a few minutes between songs for tuning, and then more adjustments while other players took lead. (Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Main Street, Unionville, Ontario) 20240817
Village of Yorkville Park: Relaxed afternoon “Paradise” @kublamusic_boi guitar, with #CameronTinklenberg keyboards and #AustinGembora drums on Sunday @BloorYorkville . Trio configuration in daytime, will have 6-piece band at upcoming nightclub date. Sunny break, but bank was watching clouds overhead, for heavy rainfall warning. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240818
Village of Yorkville Park: Audience requested “Changes” @kublamusic_boi guiar, with #CameronTinklenberg keyboards and #AustinGembora on Sunday @BloorYorkville . Song was one of the earliest official releases by the band. Trio configuration in daytime, will have 6-piece band at upcoming nightclub date. Also call outs for some other covers, but maybe too obscure for a casual gig. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240818
Spadina Chinatown: West half of street closed to southbound traffic @TOChinatownBIA Festival. South of Dundas Street the fragrance of food stalls with frying and stinky tofu is hard to escape. North of Dundas Street were merchandise vendors. Stages at both ends, wall-to-wall people. (Spadina Avenue at Grange Avenue, Chinatown, Toronto, Ontario) 20240818Edwards Gardens: Annual ritual repeated for the 39th time on a busy Saturday afternoon. Gardens busier than on weekdays, we waited for a wedding party to leave, and saw another coming after us. Camera was set up on tripod, we asked a groomsman to trip the shutter, I hadn’t noticed that we’ve blocked off the view of the lady in limestone. (Edwards Gardens, Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mills, Ontairo) 20240824Commissioners Street Bridge: Looking upstream, the north plug wall has not yet been removed, tracing the westbound turn where water was unnaturally routed into the Keating Channel since the 1890s. Renaturalizing the river restores marshlands, filled in a new district called the Villiers Island precinct. On the east side, Don Roadway is closed until sometime in 2025. (Commissioners Street Bridge, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario) 20240825
Toronto Music Garden: Outdoor performance of Kyoto by @UofTMusic Percussion Ensemble quintet, mostly uninterrupted by boat engines roaring in the Inner Harbour. Premiered in 2011 by New Zealander #JohnPsathas , the music was inspired by a 1976 improvisation by Keith Jarrett in that city in Japan. Full audience, appreciative on a Sunday afternoon. (Toronto Music Garden, Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario) 20240825
Toronto Botanical Garden: Flowers in full bloom with @alexisbaro at Edwards Summer Music Series as dusk. Single woman up front, dancing as if no one is watching. Full audience, parking lot full. (Toronto Botanical Garden, Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario) 20240829
Village of Yorkville Park: Noontime gig @BloorYorkville dropping into #BennettYoung bass solo, with #ChrisPlatt guitar and #RobinClaxton drums, a challenge to name that tune extends to minutes. Trio discussed the standards to be played a few minutes before each, to check if each might remember playing it recently. Other tunes were interrupted by roars of jets overhead, rehearsing for the Canadian International Air Show officially starting tomorrow. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240830
Mel Lastman Square: First act on Saturday @tujazzfest stage, #leocodiga and the #SouthwestCorridor playing “True”. Band of university studies left Montreal at 5:30am to attend this festival. Audience in bright August sun, from the bleacher concrete steps. (Mel Lastman Square, Yonge Street, North York, Ontario) 20240831
Mel Lastman Square: Saturday afternoon @tujazzfest #EmmettHodgins Coast Group playing tunes with strange titles like Dingle bop? Concluding an album release and touring as a band, composed new music on the road. Folding chairs put under tents for shade, clearer view of raised stage still from the concrete bleachers. (Mel Lastman Square, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240831
Summer festivals and music incubator shows in Toronto, all within biking distance.
Toronto, Ontario
Princess of Wales Theatre: Family viewing of the North American touring company of the musical Wicked, more than 20 years after ithe show premiered on Broadway. Three nights earlier, sons had a home viewing of the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie, for which the parent did not need a refresher. The twists in the story in the second act require in-person watching, unless we want to wait for the movies coming part 1 in November 2024 and part 2 in 2025. (Princess of Wales Threatre, King Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20240706
The Yorkville Rock:: Vista from atop the 650-ton tectonic puzzle outside the TTC Bay subway station exit, sees pedestrians on Cumberland Street potentially drawn to the afternoon jazz @BloorYorkville #SummerMusicInThePark. Loose set by five players billed as the #BrendanCassidy Quartet, some stepping off the tiny riser when solos are taken. Tables and chair have been set in front of the stage, but wiser listeners have placed themselves in the shade beyond the icicle curtain or by the tree planters. (The Yorkville Rock, Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240707
Nathan Phillips Square:: Weekend crowds outside City Hall for @TasteMiddleEast, featuring entertainment on stage. Ensemble stepping to the drumbeats, next coming down into the audience seeking willing partners for belly-dancing. Tents set up to the east, selling handicrafts and ethnic cuisine. (Nathan Phillips Square, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20240707
OCADU Graduate Programs: In the Visual Analytics Lab, #SystemsThinking Ontario presentation by #MorganBath + Travis Erickson on synthesis map of “The Weight of Tomato Waste”. Output from Understanding System course was related to larger foresight project on Circular Economy. Audience of former SFI students, but some newcomers to the in-person meetings. (OCADU Graduate Programs, Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20240708OCADU Graduate Programs: Visual Analytics Lab presentation at #SystemsThinking Ontario by #Priyal Mehta + SilvanaSari on Regenerative Tourism in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Analysis of complex interests across multiple municipalities with disincentives to moving on from the status quo. Involved discussion following from questions by participants external to OCADU about how instructors might judge a good synthesis map from a bad one. (OCADU Graduate Programs, Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario 20240708
Nathan Phillips Square:: Weekend crowds outside City Hall for @TasteMiddleEast, featuring entertainment on stage. Ensemble stepping to the drumbeats, next coming down into the audience seeking willing partners for belly-dancing. Tents set up to the east, selling handicrafts and ethnic cuisine. (Nathan Phillips Square, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20240707
McGill Parkette:: After-work @DowntownYonge #PlayTheParks @sleepyjeansings duet on “Once Held My Heart” with two guitars. Style is described as spaghetti western infused Americana may be more imagined than anchored, with performers originating from Welland, Ontario. Full band would have included drums and bass, but the stripped down version let emotions and humour flow. (McGill Parkette, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240709
West Meadowvale: Afternoon visit as newborn is now 3 months old, joining his older brother. He’s surprisingly heavy, and/or I’m no longer practiced in holding babies. Rare Satruday where we behave like normal couples, not working. (Meadownvale West, Mississauga, Ontario) 20240713
Village of Yorkville Park: Sunday afternoon @BloorYorkville with electric violinist @realdrdraw and the Strange Parade #ColinJamesGibson guitar, #MichaelMcDonnell bass, #JeffAntoineCote drums. Catchy rhythms with concrete building to the south probably broadcast the music into Rosedale, onstage dancing had passersby stopping on sidewalk. First set ended with a few raindrops starting, I biked home through the downpour. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240714
Trinity Square Park: Noontime @EuniceKeitan #PlayIntheParks extended version of “Donde Estas” with @HowleySounds on lead guitar and pedal beatbox for @DowntownYonge . Song in English is inspired by Latin neighbour couple fighting. Enjoying duet performance with minimal production, she programmed loops of voice and guitar into an effects box at her feet, for other tunes. (Trinity Square Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20240718
Trinity Square Park:: Second take of “Donde Estas” @EuniceKeitan with @HowleySounds on lead guitar and pedal beatbox for @DowntownYonge . In second set, repeated for live recording of #PlayIntheParks 2024 summer compilation. Only the song title in Spanish, lyrics in English inspired by Latin neighbour couple fighting. (Trinity Square Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20240718
East Lynn Park:: Dusk show @TheDannyBIA #TheDannyLovesMusic with @JerryLeger and #TheSituation on stage. Children playing in dry splash zone to the southeast, some adults inside the licensed beverage area to the southwest, all watching the band raised to the north. Neighbourhood is rather far east in the old City of Toronto, not so much a destination for audiences from the downtown core. (East Lynn Park, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20240719
Gerrard Street East:: Saturday night #FestivalOfSouthAsia @gerrardindiabaz after 9pm, rock bank performing song where audience is singing along. Not understanding the words myself, I’m not the target audience. Large crowd including children and grandparents (Gerrard Street East at Hiawatha Road, Little India, Toronto, Ontario) 20240720
Woodbine Park:: Disco party #BoomShakaLakas around 10pm @beachesjazz program. Theme of music from the 1990s has audience standing and swaying. Losing count of number of public music performances in this city. (Woodbine Park, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20240720
Bloordale Village: Dusk solo piano and electric keys by @johnkameelfarah on main stage @bigonbloorfest . Concert pianist was born in Brampton, song as mix of Bach and own composition dedicated to Sudan, linking music to issues away from the first world. Modern music with classical roots is out of the usual for a city street festival. (Emerson Avenue at Bloor Street West, Bloordale Village, Toronto, Ontario) 20240721
The Beacher Cafe: Rhythm section view of hard working Strange Parade #JeffAntoineCote drums, #MichaelMcDonnell bass, #ColinJamesGibson guitar, backing electric violinist @realdrdraw at @beachesjazz Streetfest. Large crowd in the darkness, little girls dancing up front. Walked from Woodbine Avenue eastbound past Glen Manor Drive declining the many juke box cover bands with middle-aged mothers were singing along. (The Beacher Cafe, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20240727
College Park Courtyard: College Park Courtyard: First live performance by @GhaliaElKurdi of “Love Ain’t Over” @downtownyonge . Her genre is house, electronic music produced in a studio, so for this show she brought a backup band. Opening act dj had set suspended with drops of rain, main act got three songs in before serious rain shut down the program. (College Park Courtyard, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240731
Summer jazz at the Distillery District, in Washington DC while at the annual systems conference, and then Toronto Jazz Festival
Toronto, Ontario; Washintton, DC
Distillery District:Arrived in time for second set with @marigoldjazz jazz-funk collective, based in Toronto. Song titled Folk Song, style in the broad range of the Bourbon Street North Festival. Took the short bike ride over the Don River for exercise, a musical break for lunchtime. (Distillery District, Mill Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240603
Distillery District:: After rainy morning, warm and bright lunchtime concert by @MarigoldBandOfficial. Rows of bench seats down front, shaded tables to the west. Part of the Bourbon Street North festival running daytimes for the first half of June. (Distillery District, Mill Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240603
Maple Leaf Lounge, U.S. transborder, Pearson International Airport: Found a bright window with a view of the CN Tower, way in the distance. Low stress transfer to airport today, took Lyft to UP Express on a Saturday. Extra early I’m the lounge, enjoying the food, seemingly low on wheat products, there must be a lot of gluten sensitive travelers. (Maple Leaf Lounge, U.S. transborder, Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario) 20240608
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport:: Walkway between DCA Terminal 1 and 2 has photographs of USO activities on the south wall, and artwork to the north. Bill Renc (2019) Moonlight White House is one of the pieces in the Springtime in Washington exhibition. Saturday night at the airport is rather quiet, as was the Metro ride until we crossed the Potomac River, and saw rainbow wrist bands and painted skin for Pride weekend. (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, District of Columbia) 20240608
Third Street Art Garden:: Sunday morning walk through the NoMa district, encountered large mural behind chain link fence. Redevelopment of former industrial lands means many condominium towers where occupants need more open spaces. Unfortunate choice of artificial grass to cover grounds, shade trees would be nice in the muggy summer. (Third Street Art Garden, NoMa district, Washington, DC) 20240609
Eastern Market:: Sunday morning lineup for lunch counter in historical public market first opened in 1873, then renovated after a fire in 2007. In the Capitol Hill district, the single corridor offerings of meat and cheese seems to attract local residents. Outside the building, temporary stalls under a permanent awning has merchants hawking local fruit and vegetables. (Eastern Market, 7th Street SE, Capitol Hill district, Washington, DC) 20240609
Hirshhorn Museum: In the modern art collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Giacomo Ball (1918-1925 / reconstructed 1968) Futurist Flowers, made of wood and paint. Collected in the Josephn H. Hirschhorn Bequest in 1981. Gallery focuses mostly on the acquisitions of a single benefactor, spanning modern years, and not into the contemporary 21st century. (Hirschhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institute, Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC) 20240609Open Gov Hub: Late Sunday afternoon welcome by president #MicheleFriend to 68th Annual Meeting of the @ISSSMeeting International Society for the System Sciences. First fully hybrid convening, about the same number of attendees in person and online. Conference officially starts on Monday morning, preconference session was already running all day. (Open Gov Hub, 13th Avenue NW, Washington, DC) 20240609Family Ethiopian Restaurant: With foodies online recommending local Ethiopian cuisine as outstanding, we chose to not join the conference crowd for pub fare. We asked for least spicy dishes, and were advised towards alicha wot lamb, asa tibs tilipia, and platter with 4 veggie choices. Flavourful seasoning easy on the stomach, friendly and attentive service in modest decor. (Family Ethiopian Restaurant, 9th Street NW, Washington, DC) 20240609Open Gov Hub: Presented Resequencing Systems Thinking: Systems Changes Learning at Year 6 of 10 at @ISSSMeeting the 68th Annual Meeting of the #InternationalSocietyForTheSystemsSciences. Reduced slides from 4-hour lecture at UHull last month to about 1/3 for the 30 minute slot in session on Research into General Systems Theory. Friendly in-person audience asked questions, online observers can find the slides and papers at https://coevolving.com/commons/publications . (Open Gov Hub, 13th Street NW, Washington, DC) 20240610
Tonic at Quigleys:: Patio outside east side of restaurant #JazzOnTheRocksDC Tuesday night jam, started with drums, bass, and vocals, then sax and guitar showed up. Welcoming musicians rotating on and off. Casual change of pace by GWU campus, away from downtown full conference day, when we can put our brains to rest (Tonic at Quigley’s, G Street West, Washington, DC) 20240611
Open Gov Hub: Relational Science session @ISSSMeeting led by @JudithLRosen in-person + online, had 3 ex-presidents, 2 ex-VPs, and 3 SIG chairs active in conversation. Prerequisite deep knowledge of systems theory had a series of casual visitors drop in, listen for a few minutes, and then wander off to other rooms. When mathematical biology intercepts questions of information, consciousness. and non-Western philosophy, there’s few alternative venues for inquiry. (Open Gov Hub, 13th Street NW, Washington, DC) 20240612Open Gov Hub: Systemic inquiry convened by #InternationalFederationForSystemsResearch and #ForumForDemocracy, kicked off by #RayIson. Plenary and table group discussions on organizations (out of many) changing the institutional landscape. Enlarged group in between #InternationalSocietyForTheSystemsSciences meeting finished yesterday, and #AmericanSocietyForCybernetics running into next week. (Open Gov Hub, 13th Street NW, Washington DC) 20240614
Chinese-American Museum DC:: Chinese Buddhist Art: statue Ruping Liu “Guanyin Bodhisattva of Compassion”; banner paintings depicting deities and sages in Buddhist, Daoist and Confucianist pantheons and the suffering; and statue Ruping Liu, “Maitrea, Buddha of the Future-. On third of fourth floor, more religious and cultural of the old country, than the story on the first floor of the 1882 Chinese railway workers finally receiving recognition. Building only opens a few days per week, hope that exhibitions will be enriched on subsequent visits. (Chinese-American Museum DC, 16th Street NW, Washington, DC) 20240613
College Street at Euclid Avenue:: Spontaneous couples @TOLitleItaly dancing to @micheldequevedo Michel Dequevedo Quartet featuring @ericstlaurent Eric St. Laurent on guitar. . Unsure whether the drummer was making a joke when he said one dancer was his sister. In the next tune, his father visiting from Mexico joined the band to sing. (Taste of Little Italy, College Street at Euclid Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20240615
Distillery District:: Last day of Bourbon Street North at Distillery District, with @AlisonYoungSax Band, with @alexisbaro7494 trumpet solo on I Don’t Know. Large weekend crowd appreciating the traditional jazz feel, with bead necklaces thrown from stage emulating Mardi Gras throws. Chosen instrumentation gives a different feel, with string bass, wind instruments and drums as acoustic, and only the piano synthesized for performance practicalities. (Distillery District, Mill Street, Toronto, Ontairo) 20240616
Very Fair Seafood Cuisine: Early dinner for Father’s Day, including 2 lb lobster. Disappointed at limited menu choices, and lack of English-speaking staff. Sons played mahjong with grandfather earlier in the afternoon, he still enjoys the game. (Very Fair Seafood Cuisine, Milliken Boulevard, Scaroborough, Ontario) 20240616Galata Turkish Restaurant: Double date, they’re no longer considered newlyweds after a year of marriage. We attended their wedding, this was a better time to have a real conversation. Dinner split between those who enjoy spicy food, and those who don’t. (Galata Turkish Restaurant, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20240619
Village of Yorkville Park: Late Sunday afternoon @TorontoJazzFest concert with @moodsetmusic, @alexa.belgrave keyboards, @jacqteh vocals, @calebklager bass, @daereiznekcam drums, and #ParkerWeiss sitting in on trumpet. Song “Who do you love” is their first single. Fenced-in area was quite full, a cheer from the students at the rear portrays some previous exposure to the band. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240623
Village of Yorkville Park: Monday afternoon @TorontoJazzFest concert @homzya on violin, leading Aline’s Étoile Magique with @michael_vibes vibes, @MaritoMarques drums, @danielrfortin bass, and @isthisthomas guitar. The style of the song Caraway is influenced by Jean-Luc Ponty, although violin and vibraphone is a unique combination. Weekday audience is smaller than on weekends, more casual street bands playing on the sidewalks. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240624
Victoria University Quadrangle: Tuesday afternoon @torontojazzfest trio with @laolanopiano23 piano, solo by #RobertoRiveron bass and drummer #AmhedMitchel. Part of the Cuban night program on the TD Main Stage. Relaxed audience lounging on a cloudy day. (Victoria University Quadrangle, Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario) 20240625
Village of Yorkville Park: Tuesday evening @torontojazzfest concert led by @SanahKadoura on drums, @luisdenizsax sax, @ewenfarncombe keyboards, #AndrewStewart bass, @MonekaTara vocals. Song “The Geminis” from the album Duality. Music gets cultural crossover with Arabic language, but only one audience member recognized the call for a dance. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240625
Village of Yorkville Park: Outro by #Bellbird of Bluff, #AllisonBurik alto sax, #ClaireDevlin tenor sax, #EliDavidovici bass, #MiliHong drums, arriving at @torontojazzfest earlier in the day from Calgary. Switching from alto sax to bass clarinet produced tones that otherwise might have thought as synthesizer. Unusual to hear a band without guitar or keyboards. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240629
Village of Yorkville Park: Closing show of tour by @AnthonyFDrums Quartet, playing The Valley, with sax solo by @Daynasound, #MichaelRagonese on piano, @luca_alemanno on bass. Sunday night ends @torontojazzfest for 2024. Hometown musician from Richmond Hill, now based in Los Angeles. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240630
The 125th meeting of Systems Thinking Ontario coincided with the closing day for the RSD13-RSDX online program. As a regular systems convening group, we’ve had monthly meetings since January 2013. Zaid Khan moderated a discussion including me (David Ing), Tim Lloyd, Allenna Leonard, and Kelly Okamura. We recollected starting as a spinoff from Design with […]
The International Society for General Systems Research formed circa 1956 became the International Society for the Systems Sciences in 1988. In 1985, Bela H. Banathy organized the annual meeting on the theme of “Systems Inquiring”. Proceedings normally are published in the year following. In 1987, John A. Dillon summarized Banathy’s perspective in the yearbook, General […]
For five immersive days, a team of six researchers had the opporunity to collaborate on ideas on rhythmic shifts (mostly based on Systems Changes Learning) and anticipatory systems (in the legacy of Robert Rosen). The 2024 Banathy Conversation was organized by the Creative Systemic Research Platform Institute, facilitated by Susu Nousala, Gary S. Metcalf, and […]
Systems Processes Theory has been under development for many decades, led by Len Troncale, a past president of the International Society for the Ssytems Sciences. Many have found getting a grip on the science to be a demanding task, both in scope and in depth. Over many decades, Lynn Rasmussen was a collaborator, refining and […]
The Socio-Technical Systems (STS) perspective, dating back to the studies of Eric L. Trist and Fred E. Emery, was on the reading list of organizational behaviour classes in my undergraduate and master’s degree programs. It wasn’t until 15 years later, when I got involved with the systems sciences and David L. Hawk, that the Socio-Ecological […]
Civic Tech can be described as projects using technology “for the public good“. Civic Tech may be related to, but different from Gov Tech. For the May 2024 Systems Thinking Onrtario, we had two knowledgeable guests in conversation. Dorothy Eng, executive director of Code for Canada since 2021, related her professional journey from engineering to […]
David L. Hawk (American management theorist, architect, and systems scientist) has been hosting a weekly television show broadcast on Bold Brave Tv from the New York area on Wednesdays 6pm ET, remotely from his home in Iowa. Live, callers can join…Read more ›
Following the first day lecture on Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 1 for the Global University for Sustainability, Keekok Lee continued on a second day on some topics: * Anatomy as structure; physiology as function (and process); * Process ontology, and thing ontology; * Qi ju as qi-in-concentrating mode, and qi san as qi-in-dissipsating mode; and […]
The philosophy of science underlying Classical Chinese Medicine, in this lecture by Keekok Lee, provides insights into ways in which systems change may be approached, in a process ontology in contrast to the thing ontology underlying Western BioMedicine. Read more ›
In conversation, @zeynep with @ezraklein reveal authentic #SystemsThinking in (i) appreciating that “science” is constructed by human collectives, (ii) the west orients towards individual outcomes rather than population levels; and (iii) there’s an over-emphasis on problems of the moment, and…Read more ›
In the question-answer period after the lecture, #TimIngold proposes art as a discipline of inquiry, rather than ethnography. This refers to his thinking On Human Correspondence. — begin paste — [75m26s question] I am curious to know what art, or…Read more ›
How might our society show value for the long term, over the short term? Could we think about taxation over time, asks @carlotaprzperez in an interview: 92% for 1 day; 80% within 1 month; 50%-60% tax for 1 year; zero tax for 10 years.Read more ›
The appreciation of change is different in Western philosophy than in classical Chinese philosophy. JeeLoo Lin published a concise contrast on differences. Let me parse the Introduction to the journal article, that is so clearly written. The Chinese theory of time is built into a language that is tenseless. The Yijing (Book of Changes) there […]
In trying to place the World Hypotheses work of Stephen C. Pepper (with multiple root metaphors), Nicholas Rescher provides a helpful positioning. — begin paste — Philosophical perspectivism maintains that substantive philosophical positions can be maintained only from a “perspective” of some sort. But what sort? Clearly different sorts of perspectives can be conceived of, […]
Finding proper words to express system(s) change(s) can be a challenge. One alternative could be diachrony. The Oxford English dictionary provides two definitions for diachronic, the first one most generally related to time. (The second is linguistic method) diachronic ADJECTIVE Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “diachronic (adj.), sense 1,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3691792233. For completeness, prochronic relates “to […]
The selection of readings in the “Introduction” to Systems Thinking: Selected Readings, volume 2, Penguin (1981), edited by Fred E. Emery, reflects a turn from 1969 when a general systems theory was more fully entertained, towards an urgency towards changes in the world that were present in 1981. Systems thinking was again emphasized in contrast […]
In reviewing the original introduction for Systems Thinking: Selected Readings in the 1969 Penguin paperback, there’s a few threads that I only recognize, many years later. The tables of contents (disambiguating various editions) were previously listed as 1969, 1981 Emery, System Thinking: Selected Readings. — begin paste — Introduction In the selection of papers for this […]
