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
