Enjoying summer with Toronto Jazz, then road trip to Iowa and Chicago.
Toronto, Ontario; South Bend, Indiana; Salina, Iowa; Coralville, Iowa; Dixon, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Mount Clemens, Michigan
Jennifer Kateryna Koval’s’kyj Park: View south towards Eastern Channel sees cyclists and pedestrians dangling legs dockside, alongside doormen checking entry into Rebel nightclub early on Saturday evening. Beyond, large ship docked for business next quay down at the Port of Toronto, while sailboat and jetski are recreational north of Ward’s Island. Enjoying weather of 28 degrees C, while many other places in the world are sweltering. (Jennifer Kateryna Koval’s’kyj Park, Polson Street, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario) 20220702Victoria University Quad: Quintet @AmandaTosoff piano @torontojazzfest featuring @ecbarlow vocals, with @allisonaumusic sax, @Raj_maha bass, @Morjazzum drums. Working their way across Canadian jazz festivals, Amanda as leader, having spent 7 years backing Emilie-Claire. Album released in January 2021, this has been first opportunity to tour. (Victoria College Quadrangle, University of Toronto) 20220703Village of Yorkville Park: World jazz #Avataar @torontojazzfest @sundarmusic sax, @TedQuinlan guitar, , #EwenFarcombe keys, @justingraybass, #MaxSenitt drums, #FelicityWilliams vocals, #RaviNaimpally tablas. Juno 2022 awardee for jazz, music composed during pandemic. Sundar commented on long difficult piece for band, with Ted having played only a few times, and Ewen on his first time. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20220703Snite Museum of Art: Tensegrity theme with @KennethSnelson (1982) Maquette for Mozart I in foreground, background #JosefAlberts (1960) Study for Homage to the Square (Compliant), (1961) Study for Homage to the Square (Slate and Sky), (1961) Study for Homage to the Square (Gutentag IV, 1961). Smaller contemporary art collection on the second floor of the museum, some galleries already closed for move to a new building. Short detour to U. Notre Dame on the drive westward to Iowa. (Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana) 20220707Salina, Iowa: Inspecting crops in backyard garden, only a few cherries tomatoes ripe enough for a taste, today. Heavy metal fences are overkill in deterring predators, they happened to be on hand for corralling horses. It’s been 5 years since we last visited, a deck was since constructed fully around the house. (Salina, Iowa) 2022070Costco Coralville: This branch of the wholesale chain is unusual in offering covered parking alongside the building. Welcomed in the heat of summer, and in the snows of winter, the 142,000 sq. ft. store was opened in 2012, after conversion from a former distribution center for Amana Refrigeration. Volume purchases of grocery-store-like items at multi-week frequencies reflects the capability for growing your own food in a rural community, plus the inconvenience of driving far from home to shop for other merchandise. (Costco Wholesale, Heartland Drive, Coralville, Iowa) 20220709Salina, Iowa: Relaxed dinner and conversation in the formal diningroom, catching up on 5 years passed. Contrasting life in rural Iowa in the light of recent societal issues in the United States, as compared to orderly urban Toronto. Beef followed the traditional local style, while preparation of fish and green beans raised debates on techniques preferred in the kitchen. (Salina, Iowa) 20220709Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home: Momentary stop to view statue of Ronald Reagan, alongside the home where he lived from 9 years old for 3 years. Many signs in the small town pointed to this attraction, closed for the evening. Routing from Fairfield Iowa to Elmhurst Illinois, brief stop for dinner took us off the highway. (Reagan Boyhood Home, Hennepin Avenue, Dixon, Illinois) 20220711E Randolph Street at N. Columbus Drive: On @chiarchitecture walking tour, looking north to @studiogang skyscapers Aqua (2009) tower with irregularly shaped balconies, and Vista (2020) blue-green three towers with 83rd floor void space so that wind effects more safely blow through. Excellent docent Bill covered Must See Chicago route in 90 minutes, more walking than other focused tours. First in a series of guided excursions of the Windy City. (E. Randolph Street at N. Columbus Drive, Chicago, Illinois) 20220712
Millennium Park: Every 15 minutes, the subject of Jaume Plensa (2004) Crown Fountain purses his or her lips, and water sprouts out from the tower into the reflecting pool. Walked by, on tour by the Chicago Architectural Center. (Millennium Park, East Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois) 20220712
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Kinetic #NickCave (2020) Spinner Garden @mcachicago retrospective exhibition forOTHERmore made from metallic garden ornaments suspended from ceiling, some motorized to slowly rotate. Galleries include Soundsuits, that we had previously viewed at Anderson Collection at Stanford U. in 2017. Tuesday evening music program in courtyard outside the building was so crowded, we opted to focus on visual arts. (Museum of Contemporary Art, E. Chicago Street, Chicago, Illinois) 20220712
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Kinetic #NickCave (2020) Spinner Garden, part of retrospective exhibition forOTHERmore made from metallic garden ornaments suspended from ceiling, some motorized to slowly rotate. (Museum of Contemporary Art, E. Chicago Street, Chicago, Illinois) 20220712
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Time with futility by Gregory Bae (2017) 24-7, 365 #5, as the function of a treadmill isn’t achieved with a tire not getting exercise. (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20220712
Garfield Park Conservatory: In the Fern Room, babbling stream from the waterfall, flows into the pond with carp accustomed to human visitors (Garfield Park Conservatory, North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20220713
S. R. Crown Hall: Building for the College of Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology, designed by Mies van der Rohe,. A few student projects still on view over summer break, in the large open space, following the modernist style of roof and floors in invisibility supported by steel frames, rather than pillars. (S. R. Crown Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, South State Street, Chicago, Illinois) 20200713
DePaul Art Museum: Along 2 walls, Amber Ginsburg and Aaron Hughes (2022) Tea Project, from the 780 porcelain Styrofoam teacups cast for each individual currently or previously imprisoned in Guantánamo camp. Detainees were allowed only Styrofoam cups, on which they inscribed Arabic poems and flowers. Serious topic comes with debriefing notes from the university, if the exhibition of Remaking the Exceptional, Tea, Torture, and Reparations becomes overwhelming. (DePaul Art Museum, West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20220713Amitabul: Catching up on family news, since the last visit to town 5 years ago. We first met as foster relatives for a foreign student starting graduate school in the USA 42 years ago. Vegan Korean dinner an unusual choice, with healthy dishes not normally found in our homes. (Amitabul, North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20220713Carbide and Carbon Building: Vaulted ceiling and transom window facing east, on the @chiarchitecture Art Deco tour led by docent Jeff. Patterns of abstract and geometric forms characterize the building completed in 1925. Discovered that, in Chicago, the Art Deco movment in architecture only spanned 8 years, before the depression halted new skyscrapers for 21 years. (Carbide and Building, Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20220714
Chicago Motor Club building: Landmark early Art Deco architecture, opened in 1928, from elevated rear window with classic car, to mural map of highways before they were formally named. (Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown North Loop, East Wacker Place, Chicago, Illinois) 20220914
Inland Steel Building: Access to lobby on @chiarchitecture Mid-Century Modern Skyscapers tour, with #RichardLippold (1956) Radiant I sculpture, wires stretched over a pool in foreground, and #AnishKapoor (2000) Blood Mirror concave reflector by the elevators in the background. Architects consider building to be the ultimate in modernist style, completed in 1958 as the first skyscraper after 21 years. Brushed aluminum exterior contrasts to black preferred by Mies van der Rohe. (Inland Steel Building, Munroe Street, Chicago, Illiinois) 20220714
Dimo’s Pizza Wicker Park: Vegan and cheese pizza available by the slice, in a spacious yet minimal diningroom with a Bohemian clientele and funky decor. (Dimo’s Pizza Wicker Park, North Damen Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20220714
Cranbrook Japanese Garden: Traditional vermillion bridge arch over small waterfall, at the east edge of Kingswood Lake. Placid stroll around the shoreline, with only a small family and dog walker, late on a cloudy afternoon. Arrived after the main house closed for the day, at the end of a journey from Chicago retarded nearly 2 hours by driving rain and road construction. (Cranbrook Japanese Garden, Cranbrook Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) 20220715Mount Clemens: Relaxing over appetizers in back yard, before heading back inside for main course. Last time we visited, our eldest sons were still in preschool. A few hours of conversation only begin to catch up on reconnecting over 30 years. (Mount Clemens, Michigan) 20220715Cranbrook Art Museum: A Tiger’s Stripes exhibition @CranbrookArtMus @tyrrellwinston, two paintings and sculpture. On left, (2022) Hard to Kill a Spartan; on right (2022) Fab 5, both aluminum panels with auto paint. On floor, (2022) Chamberlain’s Dance a twisting of bleachers from the athletic field. (Cranbrook Art Museum, Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) 20220716
Cranbrook Art Museum: Scenography recreated in gallery for @TundeOlaniran (2022) Made a Universe, from bedroom to multidimensional car, to bedroom, 30-minute video production shows in theatre at the end of the hall. (Cranbrook Art Museum, Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) 20220716
Grange Park: At the end of curved wall stream, water sculpture #WilliamPye (2017) Aquaverde has seven stainless steel cups catching flow. To the northeast, @agotoronto curved staircase in the four-story south wing of tinted titanium-and-glass redesigned by Frank Gehry, above The Grange that was the original 1871 gallery. More action on the east side of the park with the playground and picnic tables. (Grange Park, Beverley Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20220729
Social calendar for month was full with Toronto Biennal of Art, Luminato, Taste of Little Italy and Toronto Jazz Festival, plus family dim sum and dinners.
Toronto, Ontario
Water’s Edge Promenade: Walked south on Sugar Beach arriving just in time to see #JudyChicago start A Tribute To Toronto @TorontoBiennial performance. Barge with flashing light released purple smoke first, drifting east. After 5 minutes, the wind shifted north, forboding us to retreat back to a grassy knoll minutes before the crowd majority turned to follow. (Water’s Edge Promenade, East Bayfront, Toronto, Ontario) 20220604Yonge-Dundas Square: Facing southwest @YDSquare, four of 12+ screens @EdwardBurtynsky (2022) In the Wake of Progress @Luminato Festival with 360-degree immersion and booming sound. Plaza occupied by small groups of viewers looking upwards at images captured over 40 years. Second evening of two, arrived at dusk. (Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, Ontario) 20220612Congee Queen Agincourt: Weekday lunch becoming more normal, yet restaurant running below capacity. Comfort food with Cantonese fried noodles, grouper with tofu hotpot, bok choy. Day of meetings for community programs, lab tests. (Congee Queen Agincourt, Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario) 20220615Very Fair Seafood Cuisine: Reservation made for table of seven, for first family dim sum after years of takeout. No cart service, so ordered way too much food off the menu. Leftovers packed up for three destinations. (Very Fair Seafood Cuisine, Milliken Boulevard, Scarborough, Ontario) 20220618Pre-Fathers Day: Two sons still in town, so Saturday lunch uptown to meet with grandfather. Summer schedules are getting complicated, hard to find a day not already booked. Life is good, lots of changes on the domestic fronts. (Very Fair Seafood Cuisine, Millken Boulevard, Scarborough, Ontario) 20220618Little Italy: Street corner @TOLittleItaly trio @micheldequevedo hand drum, @ericstlaurent guitar @composer_jordan bass. Lyrics in Spanish appreciated by Mexicans and Venezuelans audience members, rhythms encouraged couples to dance. On break, Eric said this was only the second performance under Michel’s leadership, the non-Latin licks in guitar and bass give a freshe feeling. (College Street at Euclid Avenue, Little italy, Toronto, Ontario) 2020619Village of Yorkville Park: Tetrahedron @TorontoJazzFest @ernestocervini drums, @nirfelder guitar, @Richthealgoritm bass, @luisdenizsax alto. Performance delayed from CD release in March 2020, unfortunate timing at pandemic. Attentive audience under shade of trees in late afternoon, stage facing west. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario) 20200624House of Gourmet: Neighbourhood seafood dinner, casual occasion for introductions as our family network expands. Talked about summer travel plans, eastbound, westbound, overseas. Walked back to apartment for first look after many months of renovations, street life is now more active with the warm weather. (House of Gourmet, Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20220625Victoria University Quad: Trio @robocchipinti bass, @adreanf piano, #MarkKelso drums @torontojazzfest . Live music changeup in program, in respect of recent societal changes, to play Somewhere (West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein) followed by Is This America (Pat Metheny). Emotion in music sometimes doesn’t need words. (Victoria College Quadrangle, University of Toronto) 20220626Victoria University Quad: ES:MO duo @eshepherdmusic piano @Occhipintimusic guitar expanded for @torontojazzfest with @robocchipinti bass #NickFraser drums. Stories of the two travelling across Canada together borne out by long introduction to Riverman programmed live into loops with guitar, voice and keyboard bass. Performers are well-known in town, a large crowd was gathered on the lawn before they took the stage. (Victora College Quadrangle, University of Toronto) 20220626Village of Yorkville Park: From Montreal, #CODEQuartet @TorontoJazzFest @cjensenmusic sax, @lexfrenchmusic trumpet, #AdrianVedady bass, @jimdoxas drums. Behavior consistent with self-description as a collective, as each player called out the rhythm at the start of their composition. More openness and lightness in the chordless ensemble, without a guitar or keyboard to fill in space. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20220627Victoria University Quad: Singer-songwriter @sammyjacksonxo @torontojazzfest backed by @IanWrightMusic drums, @markgodfreybass . Wide stage with #TomFleming guitar, #ChrisPruden keys. Languid melodies and family back stories on a warm summer late afternoon. (Victoria College Quadrangle, Uniersity of Toronto) 20220628Village of Yorkville Park: Quintet @markgodfreybass @toronojazzfest with @IanWrightMusic drums, @mattworoshyl sax, #ChrisPruden keys, #KaeMurphy trumpet. Recognized by @TOArtsFdn as Emerging Jazz Artist of 2019, released album in Feburary 2020 just in time for pandemic shutdown. First live performance of the original group reformed for this day. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20220629Village of Yorkville Park: Bridges @jesseryansax @torontojazzfest with #DanielAnthony drums, #JulianAndersonBowes bass, #EwenFarncombe piano, @andrewmarzotto guitar, offstage @alexjazztrumpet. Emerging Jazz Artist @TOArtsFdn was Jesse in 2020, now Andrew in 2022 announced minutes before taking stage. Trinidadian heritage in compositions, updating into contemporary jazz with Caribbean and South American influences. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20220629
Market Street: Shaded patio table on pedestrian mall was the venue for the Systems Changes Learning Circle core members. First occasion for a face-to-face meeting, after over 2 years online due to pandemic. With rhythmic shifts having become central to our approach, we reminded ourselves that some emerging subgroups may similarly experience years of disordered thinking before reaching a convergence. (Market Street, St. Lawrence Market, Old Town, Toronto, Ontario) 20220630
Enjoying summer in Toronto, getting to know the city better.
Toronto, Ontario; Waterloo, Ontario
Heliconian Hall: Quintet @Soren_Nissen @TorontoJazzFest performs music inspired by months living in India, composed after return to Toronto. Closing evening of the festival, some exterior signs have already been removed. (Heliconian Hall, Hazelton Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20180701 Willowdale: Browsing new family generations photo book, routed from Houston to Los Angeles to Toronto. Quiet summer day with Canada Day observance, since July 1 fell on a Sunday. (Willowdale, North York, Ontario) 20180702UWaterloo Env3: Two days @CANSEE Graduate Student Research Symposium, serving as discussant on early stage projects. Invited as a systems sciences lurker in the ecological economics community. (University of Waterloo, Environment 3, Waterloo, Ontario) 20180705 Vari Centre: Internet bots talk @gtalug by Don Tai at a leisurely pace. Venue moved to huge lecture theatre, audience actually sitting close to the front. Informed participants contributing comments interactively. (GTA Linux User Group, George Vari Engineering and Computer Centre, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario) 20180710 Balmoral Park: Leisurely dinner at home of friends since UToronto B.Comm. days. Agreed that we’ve lived through some good decades, as the world has gotten tougher for later generations. Options of 2000 Bordeaux and Iranian cuisine worth falling off strict diets as small indulgences. Early summer evening, with insects cooperating in the back yard. (Balmoral Park neighbourhood, North York, Ontario) 20180714 Hart House: Map Room is a shady lounge, a rest stop on the way back from bicycling across the city, on a hot summer Sunday. An convenient destination for an alumnus, I didn’t hang out here when I was a student, because I lived so close to campus. Teens playing sports on the fields outside. (Hart House, University of Toronto) 20180715Visual Analytics Lab: Synthesis maps @OCADU_SFI graduate students for Systems Thinking Ontario monthly meeting. Big screen of the Visual Analytics Lab a special affordance not usually available to us, with a long conference table instead of sitting in a circle. (OCADU, 205 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180716 CSI Regent Park: Henna art @csiTO by Bibi Noor, during Party on the Patio, top floor of the Daniels Spectrum building. An opportunity to bridge the three buildings across the city, and meet members with their families in a relaxed time. (Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park, Dundas Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180719Woodbine Park: Cloudy @BeachesJazz @LailaBiali @Larnell_Lewis @RossMacIntyre William Sperandei show mixing jazz and reinterpreted pop music, with Canadian references. Break from morning rain left muddy field, sun is losing against grey. (Beaches Jazz Festival, Woodbine Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20180722 CSI 215: Playshop @csiTO @kcscooper @CycleToronto @anika__ Al Chick on #designthinking prototyping for youth and adults on cycling safety. Not related to, but coincident with City of Toronto deadline for #VisionZero applications, towards reducing collisions of pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and motorists. (Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20180726
Harbourfront: Glass studio @HarbourfrontTO quiet inside, new glass to melt at 2050°F or 1220°C. Contrast to the web side of the building, full of visitors and music playing on a summer Sunday. Quick tour of the galleries, I haven’t seen the exhibitions in a few months. (Harbourfront Centre, Queen Quay West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180729
Summer in Toronto, close to home. Transport almost exclusively by bicycle.
Toronto, Ontario
Riverside district: Backyard visitors coming through garage for Betty’s Paper Arts Estate sale. For 2 weeks, DY has been sorting through contents originally packed away and stored after Betty’s basement flooding. Then Betty unexpectedly passed away from surgical complications. This Sunday, the scrapbooking community has come together to redistribute the supplies. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20180603Koffler Gallery: Show+tell @KofflerArts Kimberly Rose, Mona Filip, Sameer Farooq, Jared Stanley, Lisa Ellis on Objects of Affection panel. Response to Esther Shalev-Gerz (2016) The Gold Room exhibition, Mona brought an artifact for interpretation. Museum conservator Lisa spoke of metal composition, poet Jared admired curved edge, visual artist Sameer wondered about users sociopolitically, shaman Kimberly saw it as one in a set of 80-year old culinary utensils. It’s a sieve that Mona’s great-grandfather tinsmith made that now is a kitchen ornament. (Koffler Gallery, Artscape Youngplace, Toronto, Ontario) 20180603 Centre for Social Innovation: Tried “Innovator for a Day” at @csiTO 215 Spadina. Got building orientation by a Community Animator. Picked a good day to visit, with Salad Day community building, then Town Hall as the move to 192 Spadina in September advances. Lots of energy in the place. (Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20180605 Mattamy Centre: Official B.Comm. with distinction for @Ryan_Ing, in Business Technology Management co-op program at Ryerson University. Two older brothers and parents observing the proceedings, while the eldest brother is on a plane crossing the Pacific from China to California. This convocation was the first that Ryerson has held in the former Maple Leaf Gardens. (Mattamy Centre, Ryerson University, Carleton Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180612Airship 37: Patio beside The Silver Bus in summer late afternoon, relaxing is between afternoon sessions leaning towards managerial, and the evening sessions leaning towards technical. Hangar-like space has garage doors opening up with south exposure. Event venue just south of the Distillery District and north of Lake Shore Boulevard East will probably eventually be transformed, with rezoning applications for sliver towers with the City of Toronto, and Ontario Municipal Board. (Airship 37, 37 Parliament Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180614Fortune Seafood: Father’s Day early dinner, as bookings at Chinese restaurants are heavy. Double lobster, clams, pork chop, chicken, plus stir-fried mushrooms and a tofu casserole for me to maintain a plant-based diet. (Fortune Seafood Restaurant, Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario) 20180617 Systems Thinking Ontario: Demonstration Syntegration led by @allennaleonard with trigger question “”What will it take for us to trust our most personal information and important life decisions to artificial intelligence?”. Briefing then two short rounds at two tables in about 2 hours, in contrast with the real event that could take 3.5 days. Concluding review on process, comparing with other systems methods that are knowledge-creating and dialectic. (Systems Thinking Ontario, OCADU, 205 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180620Korea House: Intercept @antlerboy@pnahar1970@redesign@allennaleonard SCiO UK meets Systems Thinking Ontario meets National Institute of Design India, post #systemschange Wasan Island meeting. Triangulating on experiences having individually met prominent figures in the systems thinking community, comparing observations to confirm findings. Server first said they don’t see tea in the summer, and then brought the Englishman his own pot. (Korea House, Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180621 Movenpick: New framework with NB and @oscillize, talking systems thinking approach in progress for upcoming workshops with social enterprise entrepreneurs. Unsure where our output artifacts might lead, a slower-pace longer translation towards understandability may work better. (Movenpick, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180622The Rex: Duo @beccastevensbsb@boutwillismusic@rexhoteltoronto not with bass, drums, and extra keys playing in BC last night. Rush off airplane for show, sips of beer on stage for calories. On to New York tomorrow. So much music from two pairs of hands, two voices. (The Rex, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180624The Redeemer: Live @JosephShabason@TorontoJazzFest@TheRedeemerTO of ambient jazz mostly originally recorded in the studio. Playing with Nicole Rampersaud, Phil Melanson, Kieran Adams, Bram Gielen and Dafydd Hughes, a complex of samples, programming and loops recorded with pedals on the floor. Technology makes music together as a band harder, not easier. (Church of the Redeemer, Bloor Street West, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20180625 SystemsThinkingTO: Games night @DerailleurAgile#SystemsThinkingTO group learning with exercises from the Systems Thinking Playbook. I led a modified Group Juggle for experiential Bateson proto-learning, deutero-learning and trito-learning. Open space technology posted parallel groups who chose to huddle together around tables, rather than roaming. (SystemsThinkingTO, LoyaltyOne, King Street East, Toronto) 20180628The Redeemer: Solo @Giom_Perret@TorontoJazzFest first tour across Canada with digital effects pedals for loops. Saxophone and blowing mouthpiece into microphone is a big change from scoring music for other players as backing, this show is more immediate. He has found Canadians to be friendly, unlike his hometown Parisians. (Church of the Redeemer, Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180629
Heliconian Hall: Calm Otterville project @TorontoJazzFest, led by Andrew Downing. Slow melodies evocative of a summer day in a quiet village in a Southwestern Ontario. Relaxed pace, drew more laughter as the band was to “slow things down” on the next tune. (Heliconian Hall, Hazelton Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20180630
Quiet month at my computer in Toronto, punctuated by afternoon bicycling, a son’s university convocation and Toronto Jazz Festival concerts.
Toronto, Ontario
Muzda Bakery: “What kind of bread is that?” “Just bread”. Shop touting Gujarati specialities and Indian biscuits offers fresh western style wheat loaves in a flat boule shape. Toronto east side scene of Chinese bicyclist in shorts asking for 3 loaves, a South Asian visitor dressed in white robes suggesting to buy 4, so I acquiesced to take home 4 loaves. (Muzda Bakery, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20170607Vicky Keith Point: Long route to Toronto Harbour Lighthouse, southmost tip of Tommy Thompson Park via the endikement road on the lakeward side of headland by bicycle, since the bridge on the more direct path is out. Loop road is ringed by rubble. some stacked in artistic ways by other visitors. CN Tower and bank towers of downtown Toronto across the water. (Toronto Harbour Lighthouse, Vicky Keith Point, Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20170608Fabian’s Cafe: Tidy German pastry shop serving wiener schnitzel and crepes for lunch, an out-of-the-way meeting place with friends further out on the east end. European style in a strip plaza with many South Asian varieties nearby, on the major suburban street. (Fabian’s Cafe, Markham Road, Scarborough, Ontario) 20170613Leaside Park: A few children climbing on brightly coloured playground equipment at the end of a long, empty sports field. City park just northeast after crossing the Constitution Bridge over the Don River ravine, (Leaside Park, Millwood Road at Overlea Boulevard, East York, Ontario) 20170614Taylor Creek Park: Paved bike path, view from above on Woodbine Bridge west, shows density of trees within the urban forest. Span over Taylor Massey Creek, a tributary of the Don River system flowing westward. Apartment towers in the distance are in the Flemingdon Park neighbourhood. (Taylor Creek Park from the Woodbine Bridge, O’Connor Drive, East York, Ontario) 20170615St. Joseph Street: Five lines of text in stainless steel, Eldon Garnet (2015) “Artifacts of Memory” 10 metres high. Installation comes into view just west of Yonge Street, unveiled in March 2016. Street art that is durable even in snows of Canadian winters. (St. Joseph Street, downtown Toronto, Ontario) 20170617Congee Queen: Father’s Day isn’t so important to me, so sons made it Grandfather’s Day by organizing lunch. Bustling Sunday crowds in popular Chinese family eatery. Succeeded in eating less meat and more vegetables this time, but the taste of salt still fills the mouth a few hours later. (Congee Queen, Agincourt Mall, Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario) 20170618Laneway demolition: Just up our street, one of the houses is having its garage demolished. The backhoe excavator was small, and the dump truck to remove the detritus was practically the full width of our laneway. We have construction at the top of our street, the middle of our street, and major plans coming for the bottom of our street. (Booth Avenue, Riverside district, Toronto, Ontario) 20170620York University Convocation Big Screen: Noah Ing, Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Information Technology, minor in Environmental Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University Convocation, June 20, 2017. Album of the day’s proceedings at flickr.com/photos/daviding/albums/72157682445003523 . Full name of Noah Peter Jin Ying Yee Ing has never been correct in the university registration. (York University Aviva Centre, Toronto, Ontario) 20170620York University Convocation: Cap and gown on our third son’s graduation day. Limit of three tickets meant only parents and grandfather were invited. (York University Aviva Centre, Toronto, Ontario) 20170620
Rees Street Waterfront: Massive stone inukshuk, Muskoka Chairs and picnic table facing Inner Harbour, with sailboats in the distance. Grassy knoll just beyond the Harbourfront canoe rentals, if you don’t own your own watercraft. Toronto Police Marine docks just to the east, HTO Park just to the west. (Rees Street Waterfront, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario) 20170622Yorkville Park: Words Quartet @AmandaTosoff @TorontoJazzFest staged between 700 ton Muskoka granite outcrop and rain curtain. This project led by pianist who usually performs instrumentals, female voice enriches show with harmonic counterpoint. Compact venue is a welcome change from sprawling public plaza downtown. (Village of Yorkville Park, Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20170624Rorschach Brewing: Stainless steel tanks at back of craft brewery cofounded by chemical engineers extending the knowledge gained in university. Friendly east end venue for meetup on Cognitive, AI and Data Science. Group included many young people relatively new to the field. (Rorschach Brewing Co., Eastern Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20170626156 Booth Ave.: Across our street, two alarm fire at 3:30 a.m. called out 12 trucks and 45 firefighters. This morning, the exit out the front of our house was blocked as a crime scene. One neighbour has an exterior video camera capturing intruders on the scene in the night. Fire trucks are now gone, yellow police tape is around that property. Houses to the north and south both damaged. (156 Booth Avenue, Riverside district, Toronto, Ontario) 20170627Yorkville: Hazelton stage @TorontoJazzFest @crymmusic Chelsea and the Cityscape, the more pop-oriented group of bandleader McBride. She says that she would rather play radio songs than singing about her old boyfriends. (Toronto Jazz Festival, Hazelton Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20170627Heliconian Club: Intimate stage @TorontoJazzFest @phronesismusic trio playing for first time in town. Attentive, appreciative audience, venue full for early evening gig. Band reported short sleep and stressful journey on travel today, but performance was energetic and precise. (Heliconian Hall, Hazelton Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20170627
156-158 Booth Avenue demolition: The day after a two-alarm fire, an excavator is clearing the house on the property. Both 156 and 158 semi-detached structures are unsafe, so there will be reconstruction ahead. This view is from our front yard, technically inside the yellow taped zone with workers and investigators. (156-158 Booth Avenue, Riverside district, Toronto, Ontario) 20170628
Hazelton Stage: Moody @TorontoJazzFest @mtwstevens trio musicianship extended sometimes by programmed loops and electronic effects. Live performance with band members attentive to each other on original compositions. Noted that the guitarist bandleader chooses to play from stage right, not the center. (Toronto Jazz Festival, Hazelton Avenue Stage, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20170629
Moments in June 2015: Toronto; Riverside Beats & Eats StreetFest; Waterloo, Ontario; Toronto Jazz Festival; Luminato Festival
Toronto; Riverside Beats & Eats StreetFest; Waterloo, Ontario; Toronto Jazz Festival; Luminato Festival
Orient Express kiddie ride. Dragon head could be the most menacing part on carnival ride that is being set up for weekend in west end park. Garish display from street for roller coaster that may only get to 10 feet off the ground means teenagers unlikely to get thrills from steep rises and drops. (Christie Pits Park, Blood Street West, Toronto) 20150604Bicycle-powered music. Music by @Mirian_Kay and @petitsnouveaux amplified by cyclist on @TuneYourRide for @RiversideBIA Beats & Eats StreetFest. Sunny Saturday afternoon, relaxed pedestrians discovering short intersections off Queen Street East. (Munro Street, Toronto) 20150606Pedal your own smoothie. Almond milk + fruit @OmaChiropractic, blender 20 seconds on bike @RiversideBIA Fest. @CycleToronto kiosk next over if wheels go astray. Seat was a little high for short riders, so parents had to ride for kids. (Munro Street, Toronto) 20150606Glen Road bridge. Tranquil view south over Rosedale Valley to tunnel by Sherbourne TTC station east exit, tunnel under Bloor Street above, then Howard Street and the towers of St. Jamestown. Despite having been around Toronto for 40 years, still discovering nooks off the beaten path while bicycling around town. (Glen Road bridge, Toronto, Ontario) 20150608U Waterloo convocation. Picked up gown, found name in program, waiting in the bleachers for ceremonies in about an hour. Brothers and grandfather came to see Adam receive diploma for Masters degree in Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering. (University of Waterloo) 20150613@TorontoJazzFestival opener. Tara Davidson sax, @DanielRFortin bass, @ErnestoCervini drums @TorontoLibrary North York concourse for early evening set. Band has known each other more than a decade. Played a lot of new original songs, yet to be recorded, including “31 Days”, which is how long it took Tara to write it last year. (North York Central Library) 20150615Grooveyard @torontojazzfest. Toddlers @shopsdonmills dance with happy feet as jazz musicians play pop and R&B repertoire. Slight personnel substitution due to double booking with other events around town? Maybe the kids will appreciate more sessions jazz when they get a little older. Grooveyard gets the audience to sing along, while their other personas would not have words. (Shoppes at Don Mills) 20150618Choral jazz @BurdockTo: Isis Giraldo Voces project @torontojazzfest, unexpected a capella harmonies in a warm set with an excellent sound system. Performers from Montreal have a different sense of musicality, great that they can share this on tour. Opening for Emma Frank. (Burdock Music Hall, Toronto) 20150618Dreampop jazz @BurdockTO: Emma Frank @torontojazzfest stretches the genre with contemporary vocal phrasing and pacing. Isis Geraldo on keyboard, Simon Millerd on trumpet. Drums and string bass follow the Montreal style of musicality, pushing the rhythm forward. (Burdock Music Hall, Toronto) 20150618Fleet of PanAm @TO2015 cars: Two weeks before the games start, a lot in Toronto Portlands is where the new cars with PanAm stickers are parked. Staging area is near the West Donlands Athletes Village, remarkably close to downtown Toronto. The contribution of General Motors as a transportation sponsor is significant. (Cherry Street at Commissioners Road, Toronto) 20150620Looped cello @Luminato: @cris_derksen with electronics and live drummer on the Festival Garden Stage, as part of National Aboriginal Day. Pattern played into machine, layers built up, and then soloing on top. Audience sprawled out on astroturf enjoying the weather. (Pecaut Square, Luminato Festival, Toronto) 20150621Hoop dancing @Luminato: Nimkii Osawamick performing with @cris_derksen on the Festival Garden Stage. Wrapped up in multiple hoops with looped cello and drummer on National Aboriginal Day. (David Pecaut Square, Luminato Festival, Toronto) 20150621
Within the Systems Thinking Ontario community, we were fortunate to have Nenad Rava step up to explain how the Sustainable Development Goals came to be, and relate them to systems change. This May session of Systems Thinking Ontario was a quick follow-on for the March edition on Ecological Limits to Development: Living with the SDGs. […]
The book Ecological Limits to Development: Living with the Sustainable Development Goals, published in 2002 by Routledge, was released as open access in 2023 by Taylor-Francis for readers who don’t have access to a university library. For the March edition of Systems Thinking Ontario, we were honoured to celebrate the release with editor-coauthors Kaitlin Kish […]
A special issue on “Sustainable, Smart and Systemic Design Post-Anthropocene: Through a Transdisciplinary Lens” in the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics edited by Marie Davidová, Susu Nousala, and Thomas J. Marlowe has been released. In that issue, the journey of the Systems Changes Learning Circle from 2019 through 2022 is reviewed. The editorial team, […]
In the ISSS 2022 Plenary talk, the first 25 minutes were a blast through (a) the rising interest in system(s) change(s); (b) appreciative systems (Vickers); (c1) the philosophy of architectural design; (c2) the philosophy of ecological anthropology; (c3) the philosophy of Classical Chinese Medicine; (c4) the philosophy of rhythms; and (d) methods of multiparadigm inquiry, […]
The theme for the February online meeting of Systems Thinking Ontario was sparked from the discussion from the January session on Root Metaphor and World Hypotheses. What does it mean to have a theory? How does sensemaking contribute to this? Gary Metcalf volunteered to guide a conversation on these topics. Two prereadings were to serve […]
Philosophy underlies the distinction in the three volumes of the Tavistock Anthology: founded on the World Hypotheses of Stephen C. Pepper, the Socio-Psychological Systems Perspective and the Socio-Technical Systems Perspectives are based on Organicism, while the Socio-Ecological Systems Perspective is based on Contextualism. This thread on contextualism can be traced from the association between E.C. […]
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 ›
For the @ArchFoundation, #TimIngold distinguishes outcome-oriented making from process-oriented growing, revisiting #MartinHeidegger “Building Dwelling Thinking”. Organisms are made; artefacts grow. The distinction seems obvious, until you stop to ask what assumptions it contains, about the inside and outside of things…Read more ›
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 […]
In a recording of the debate between Michael Quinn Patton and Michael C. Jackson on “Systems Concepts in Evaluation”, Patton referenced four concepts published in the “Principles for effective use of systems thinking in evaluation” (2018) by the Systems in Evaluation Topical Interest Group (SETIG) of the American Evaluation Society. The four concepts are: (i) […]
How might the quality of an action research initiative be evaluated? — begin paste — We have linked our five validity criteria (outcome, process, democratic, catalytic, and dialogic) to the goals of action research. Most traditions of action research agree on the following goals: (a) the generation of new knowledge, (b) the achievement of action-oriented […]
After 90 minutes on phone and online chat with WesternUnion, the existence of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland is denied, so I can’t send money from Canada. TicinoTurismo should be unhappy. The IT developers at Western Union should be dissatisfied that customer support agents aren’t sending them legitimate bug reports I initially tried the […]
