28 June 2010
Last Wednesday was the longest day of the year, and a traditional day to have a big bonfire party in Norway. I was at my in-laws’ new cabin by the sea (well, in a fjord), and that night they had a big barbecue:
It was a nice summer party, but a couple of funny things: some of the guests arrived by boat (it seems like everyone around here has a boat), and all of the guests brought their own food. And I’m not talking about a potluck-style thing where you bring enough for everyone. No, everyone brought their own food: their own plates, their own pork chops/sausages/salad/potatoes, their own utensils, and of course their own wine. I guess it’s practical, but really strangely individualistic…
waving away guests at midnight
20 June 2010
a hit at the Market in Ottawa, ever since the first Presidential visit: maple-leaf shaped cookies with “Canada” emblazoned on them.
17 June 2010
Mixed it up this time on this trip to NB and drove north of the Saint-Laurent instead of the highway south, crossing over to Rivière-du-Loup using the ferry at St-Siméon.
and what a fancy ferry it was! first there were the binoculars and the elevator…
then there was the diner and bar:
and hmm, what else? how about an enclosed kids room and arcade?
no wonder it cost $72 for a car + 2 passengers. 
24 May 2010
the dalai lama came to two churches in my neighbourhood this weekend! on saturday he appeared at riverside cathedral for an audience with the tibetan community, and on sunday it was with the general public (at least from what I could tell from the people waiting outside) at st. john the divine. it was the first time I had seen so many tibetans en masse and in their formal wear (looks like a chinese qipao, but with a long-sleeved shirt underneath and a colourful apron on top):
the curious and well-wishers outside of st. john the divine, as the dalai lama’s motorcade exits (G claims he got a wave from the dalai lama from the back of a black car):
15 May 2010
Addition:
A NY Times article about sitting with Marina
MoMA is posting portraits of those who sit across the artist on their Flickr feed, here:
MoMA’s current exhibit, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, created quite a stir recently–resulting in the museum having to revoke one man’s 30-year membership. I read the New Yorker’s backgrounder on Abramovic a couple of months ago and looked forward to seeing this exhibit (though it does seem a bit like idol worship/megalomania when the actual artist is present at a retrospective). Above is Marina Abramovic herself, sitting face-to-face with some random person in the audience, which she has agreed to do everyday for the duration of the exhibition at MoMA. The remaining exhibits comprise a performance retrospective covering over 40 years of Abramovic’s work, using live performers to recreate past pieces–pieces that often require performers to be nude. Hence the hubbub: naked people + the immense crowds usually at MoMA = rowdiness.
Despite all the publicity, the exhibit is definitely worth a visit. To enter, you need to walk through a narrow hall flanked by two naked people facing each other. And it was really narrow: it’s not possible to pass through without brushing against *both* performers. The idea is to make the audience tense as they squeeze through the entrance, but also causing a sense of relief upon reaching the open space on the other side.
As opposed to the entrance, I found the rest of the exhibit to be more tense for me: they consisted of videos or live performances of Abramovic’s other pieces that were more about self-flagellation than anything else. But I suppose that’s what makes the retrospective so good: whether you like it or not, it’s impossible to not have an emotional reaction.
Exhibit ends May 31. On second thought, it is kinda cool that the Artist Is Present…
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