Visit to the National Gallery of Canada...

[fajrdrako]

Because Pam was sick and off work, I was the responsible adult asked to go with the teachers and kids in our Summer Drama Camp to the National Gallergy. Again. It's a duty I like - any excuse to go to the Art Gallery will do, and in working hours yet.

Enjoyed a conversation as we walked through the Byward Market, on the way there:

Kid #1: What's that? Is that the Art Gallery?
Kid #2: No, I think it's the Mint.
Kid #3: It's the American Embassy. [A few minutes later, they could all see the words "Embassy of the United States of America" over the door.]
Kid #1: It's so ugly.
Kid #2: It really is. Is it the ugliest building in Ottawa?
Kid #s: [A few minutes later.] Is that a sniper on the roof?

I think the kids watch too much television, but I really don't know what the architect was thinking.

We spent out time in the Contemporary Art section, looking at interesting things; my favourite piece in the area was "Image of Antiquity" by Art McKay. I also enjoyed the pieces by William Kurelek.

Most interesting perhaps was a large, dark room in which images were screened, images from the NASA time-capsule, one picture fading into the next every 30 seconds or so, with a strange soundtrack of different people speaking. I was confused at first because it didn't really sound like any language, yet it sounded like the intonation and syllables of speech. Turns out they were speaking in tongues. What interesting, eery speech. What an interesting room. I wonder how long you have to wait to get a repetition of the pictures. It's called "Once Upon a Time..." by Steve McQueen.