Tag: Urban

February News Roundup – UPDATED

This is a short post, with the latest news. I’ve been busy compiling and editing photographs for my new BUMP Photo Run series. If you aren’t familiar with BUMP, it’s the Beltline Urban Mural Project, a vibrant project that has been brightening up our city since 2017. Check out my first piece here. You can read about the background of the project while enjoying photographs of some amazing art. Look for more posts very soon!

Canmore Public Library Event, Feb 12

UPDATED!

It was a wonderful evening in Canmore. The venue in Elevation Place was beautiful, we had a great turnout for our talk and an engaged audience. What more could we ask for?

Thanks to my friend, Don Crowe, for taking on MC duties, to Carey Lees of the Canmore Public Library for her flawless organization, and to all who attended. Thanks too, to Kylie and Tim at Strides Canmore, for their generous support of this event!

Here’s a synopsis of the talk:

  • A brief personal introduction
  • A collage of my running adventures (see below)
  • Discussion of my stroke journey, including the useful phrase to remember stroke symptoms (readers of this blog will already be familiar with BE FAST)
Steve and Deb greet Dianne Deans
Author Event Feb 12
Canmore Vista from Elevation Place

Of course, I shared my three main messages, listed below:

  • The importance of an active lifestyle
  • Awareness of ALL the symptoms of stroke
  • Raising funds to support the great work being done every day on stroke prevention and care at the Foothills Stroke Unit
This is what 50 years of running memories look like on one page!

You can read all the details in Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics. And there’s some news on that front: Cafe Books in Canmore will be carrying the book. So, if you live in Canmore, please drop into this unique bookstore and grab your copy!

For anyone in the Canmore area this Wednesday (February 12), I’ll be speaking at an Author Event at the Canmore Public Library at 6:30 p.m. Join me if you can, for an informal (and informative) presentation of my story, as told in Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics. There will be a short presentation, a Q&A session, and some draw prizes. I’ll have copies of the book available for purchase, at a special event price. Proceeds from book sales support the great work being done every day in the Foothills Stroke Unit.

I’d like to thank the staff at the library for hosting us in your wonderful facility. Also, to my friends at Strides Canmore, thank you for spreading the word about this event, and for your ongoing support of my book project. I feel blessed to be part of the tremendous local running community… it’s second to none!

Finally, thanks to Dianne Deans, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the CanStroke Congress in November. Dianne is an enthusiastic patient support volunteer for stroke victims at the Foothills Medical Centre. She kindly connected me with the Canmore library staff, which led to this event coming together. Thank you, Dianne!

Heart Month Sale Still On!

What better way to mark Heart Month than a healthy discount for online sales of Stroke of Luck?

Order your copy on Amazon, and save 20%. The sale will run through the end of February.

Until next time, be well and BE FAST!

BUMP Photo Runs – Part 1

I was jogging around Calgary’s Beltline, feeling a bit short of ideas for my next urban run/photo adventure. As I rounded the corner from 7th Street onto 15th Avenue, I glanced up at the side of the building. What I saw stopped me in my tracks, and instantly gave me the inspiration I needed.

What’s BUMP?

There’s a program called the Beltline Urban Mural Project… BUMP… that has been making Calgary’s inner city streets more interesting and colourful for years. I had to find out more.

From the BUMP website, I learned that the project started in 2017, and has grown significantly since then. Seeing all the artwork in one run would be challenging, if not impossible. There are dozens of sites, spread throughout the core. I needed a plan. I often start my runs near Lougheed House, so I decided to use that location as my base. I could get a good overview of the murals (and hopefully some worthy photos) by concentrating on different neighbourhoods over several runs. This is the first of what is likely to be an ongoing series.

Run 1 – BUMP in the Beltline

Run 1 focused on the Beltline itself… bounded roughly by 15th and 10th Avenue, and 1st and 10th Street. Here’s my Strava map:

Turning to the art, let me start with the mural that prompted this idea. It’s a large, striking piece in green, called “The Last Maple Leaf”. It was painted in 2023 by the Colombian artist Wosnan. This is from the mural description:

“Rising from nature an ancient guardian of the forest who merges the realms of magic, other worlds and dimensions, spirit and space stands tall, looking over our city…”

Wosnan, “The Last Maple Leaf”, 1411 7th Street SW

This was an apt description of the mysterious tree-like being that loomed over me, guarding his/her corner of the neighbourhood while pondering (no surprise) the last maple leaf. Stirring stuff! I studied the mural carefully, with my stopwatch running. The magnitude of the challenge I had taken on dawned on me. Maybe I should make this a slow photo walk…

No! I resumed my run, with my goal of at least five kilometres in mind. I tried to ignore the glimpses of colour that I started to notice down every alley.

Bottom line? I finished with lots of pictures and a feeling that I had made a small dent in the many Beltline murals. For full disclosure, while I saw all these murals on BUMP Run 1, some of the photos are from previous runs because I liked the shot more. Light is everything, you know!

Here’s a short summary of the pieces in the photographs. I recommend following the links to the map on the BUMP website to find out more.

Mural Making – A Layman’s Perspective

Imagine painting a mural on a wall 60 feet wide by 30 feet high. How does one even begin? Laying out a piece at that size and scale must be extremely difficult. And the execution would bring very different challenges. I marvel at the way the artists manage the intricate details, while still capturing their vision for the whole piece.

I had a front-row seat for the creation of sôhkâtisiwin (that’s Canadian artist Kevin Ledo’s striking mural at 340 10 Avenue SW). The title means “strength/power” in the Cree language. The image is taken from a picture of B-Girl and traditional hoop dancer, Angela Gladue. I watched the beautiful portrait of this young Indigenous woman come to life in 2018, from the comfort of my office across the street. Kevin and his helpers toiled away in the hot summer sun on a stage lift, going up and down endlessly over several weeks to complete the image, which now livens up the west side of a parking garage. I made sure to give them a thumbs-up every time I walked by.

Here’s a rough timelapse of the process (I had many more pictures on my phone, but I recently deleted most of them). You get the idea though.

Impressions

This is an amazing initiative. To state the obvious, BUMP is a diverse selection of art. I’m impressed by the sheer number and quality of the murals. It’s great to have artists from around the world come to Calgary and share their talent. I hope the project continues and expands its reach across the city.

This is the kind of project that invites us to slow down and take a closer look at the art. Sure, we can (and most often, do) pass by these murals in our daily routine. Maybe we glance at them, maybe we don’t. But this first photo run has already prompted many questions… Who is this artist? What is their message? Do I think they succeeded? What does this piece make me feel?

The BUMP website helpfully lets the user select pieces they would like to see on a walking tour, and this is probably the correct way to see them. I will persevere with my photo run idea, knowing I will still see and learn a lot along the way.

My early impressions are very positive. I already have some favourites. I will defer any thoughts about that question until I’ve done more exploration. There will eventually be a personal top 10 list, but even that will be subject to change as I see more of the contenders. Look for more posts on my BUMP photo runs soon.

Thanks for reading. Please drop me a comment. Let me know if you have a favourite BUMP mural that you think I should see.

Until next time, be well and BE FAST!

Head Hunting

The Art of Jaume Plensa

I was looking for an excuse to go into downtown Calgary for some photography, and I thought about the “big head” sculpture that sits in front of The Bow building. Like the building, the sculpture is iconic; it’s a monumental and very popular piece of public art. I’ve photographed the sculpture many times, but it seems to always have more to offer, depending on the season, the time of day and of course, the light.

First, some background. The sculpture’s official name is Wonderland and it’s by the Spanish artist, Jaume Plensa. Plensa was born in 1955 in Barcelona. He studied art in his home city. Over several decades he has lived, worked and exhibited his art in cities across Europe and the United States. Plensa has received international recognition for his exhibitions and installation pieces. His diverse works include sculpture, fountains and graphic arts.

Wonderland (2012), Calgary

Wonderland is one of many sculptures that Plensa has created for public spaces around the world. When I looked into the origin of Wonderland, I learned that he has installed similar large-scale pieces across Europe, Asia and North America.

Wonderland is ideally situated in the curved façade of The Bow, where it’s been since 2013. The sculpture depicts the head of a young girl. It’s about 12 metres high, and it’s made of bent steel wire. I think the piece is so popular because it has openings at ground level, which let visitors enter the sculpture’s inner space. Plensa invites us to contemplate Calgary’s downtown from the perspective of the subject. It’s a thought-provoking piece, for sure.

Here are several of the many shots of Wonderland I’ve taken over the years.

Julia (2018), Madrid

I realized that Debbie and I had seen other Plensa pieces in our travels. Most recently, we stayed a couple of blocks from a monumental sculpture in the Plaza de Colón in Madrid, called Julia. About the same size as the Calgary piece, Julia is also a sculpture of a young woman’s head. The subject’s eyes are closed as if she is meditating.

Julia is typical of Plensa’s large, elongated and flattened busts. When you look at them straight on, they give the impression of being on an angle. It’s an impressive optical illusion. The Madrid piece is made of polyester resin and white marble dust. It’s stunning.

We passed Julia several times a day while we were in the city, and each time I took a few photos. While Julia has been in her current location since 2018, it turns out that she may not be installed permanently… it’s a good thing I took so many photos while we were nearby. Here are a couple of my favourites:

Sanna (2013), Bordeaux

As I did more research into the artist, I realized we had seen another sculpture similar to Julia in Bordeaux, France some years earlier. Sure enough, it was another Plensa piece called Sanna. That one sits in the Theatre Square (the Place de la Comédie) in the heart of the city. Its perspective has been manipulated in the same way as the Madrid piece, and the subject is also shown in a quiet, contemplative pose. Unlike Julia, Sanna is made of cast iron. She is 7 metres high.

The story of Sanna coming to be in Bordeaux is that in 2013 the city hosted an exposition of Plensa’s pieces. The event was popular, so much so that residents initiated a movement to acquire Sanna permanently. As far as I know, it will remain in place until at least 2027.

We have very fond memories of our visit to Bordeaux. The square where Sanna sits is busy with cafes and shops. If we ever make it back there, I hope Sanna will still be there.

Source (2017), Montreal

The final Plensa sculpture I want to highlight is installed on a terrace in Rue Wellington, just at the entrance to downtown Montreal. Somewhat in the same style as Wonderland, Source is a three-dimensional piece within an open outer frame. It’s a stainless-steel sculpture formed from a random pattern of letters taken from different alphabets, which depict a sitting figure.

The Montreal piece symbolizes the many cultures that have come together over the city’s long history. Fittingly, it was installed for the 375th anniversary of Montreal’s founding in 2017. Like the Calgary piece, Source is open, so it invites visitors to enter the inner space of the piece.

Our stop at the Source was short, and I only have one photo of the piece. Rest assured, I will take more time to check it out next time we are in Montreal.

Concluding thoughts

So what is my take on Plensa, and his large public art pieces?

In a 2019 interview with Forbes, Plensa discusses his use of altered perspective and open gridwork sculptural elements. He described using these techniques as a way of exploring his interest in the way humans communicate, and how different cultures use language.

For me, Plensa’s sculptures seem designed to invite close inspection and discussion. We want to get close to these sculptures. We want to walk around them and even into them. The large scale of his head sculptures could be intimidating, but Plensa defuses this by the way he plays with perspective, and by his use of serene and peaceful subjects.

Having seen four of his works in person, and looked at many others on his website, I find them to be beautiful and innovative. It’s clear from Plensa’s vast catalogue that his formula is a success: there are literally dozens of his pieces installed around the world. I don’t take this as evidence of an overworked theme. Rather, I would say that Plensa has achieved his goal: his works encourage us to get together in pleasant locations and talk. For this reason alone, his art is well suited to the public spaces in which we find it.

Catching Up

It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted anything, so this will be a quick effort to catch up. I’ve been wrestling with some more pithy pieces. Those aren’t really coming together, and I needed an excuse to park them for a while.

The first thing I wanted to mention is that my Dedication Sale is still on.

For the rest of September, you can pick up a copy of Stroke of Luck on Amazon, at a 20% discount, in either print or e-book format.

Don’t miss out!

A Major Milestone

Deb and I marked a special occasion in early September: our 40th wedding anniversary. Although the day seemed to come up quickly… it’s been that kind of year… we did enjoy a quiet dinner together.

Apparently, the 40th anniversary gift is ruby. I can assure you that no rubies were exchanged. Maybe we will plan a vacation for early 2025 to mark the occasion.

It was fun to pull out our wedding album and confirm how little (?) we’ve changed over the years. No comments, please!

Street Scenes

Last week, I was reminded why it’s a good idea to always carry a camera. (I still don’t count the one in my phone.) I happened to be in the East Village during what would usually be the commuting hour. Good thing that I don’t have to bother with that anymore. It was a beautiful morning. The light was so amazing that I had to stop the car. I was at the corner of Centre Street at 11th Avenue SW.

I hadn’t seen a specific image, but I felt there might be some good shots for the taking. I didn’t have far to go. Overnight rain had conveniently left some puddles on the sidewalk. Looking east down 11th Avenue, the buildings were perfectly framed, with the sunrise reflected in the building across the street. I crouched down and snapped a couple of shots. Here’s the result.

East Village, morning commute (13 September, Ricoh GR III)

Two days later, I was driving north on Crowchild Trail with no real plans. Every time I pass the Eamon’s Bungalow Camp sign at the Tuscany LRT station, I think about stopping to have a look. As that isn’t my part of town, it took me a few minutes to actually find the station. The reason I’ve wanted to stop is that I remember the sign from our earliest years in Calgary. We used to take the kids to Butterfield Acres, and we would see the sign on our way up there.

I did some digging on the internet. The Eamon’s Tourist Centre was in operation from 1949 to 1961. It was basically a gas station and restaurant, with some motel-style bungalows. The place had some good years before the TransCanada Highway changed traffic patterns. The business declined and the restaurant was destroyed by fire. Of course, as Calgary expanded north, the whole area was eventually absorbed by urban sprawl. Fortunately, the city preserved the sign and incorporated it (rather nicely I think) into the architecture of the C-Train station.

My shot was taken on a sunny afternoon. The vibe was decidedly mid-century, so my photo had to be monochrome. The clouds added some interest. I even lucked out when a transit patron came into the shot, holding an umbrella.

Tuscany LRT Station, homage to Eamon’s (15 September, Ricoh GR III)

Always Grateful

I’ve missed several of our regular Thursday evening interval sessions at Carburn Park, and for a variety of reasons. I think I’m over the worst of my tight calf/Achilles tendon issue, thanks to Jenna Nichol at Alpine Sports Therapy. Then it was recovery from my tooth implant, and one missed session due to torrential rain.

Finally, this past Thursday, I was ready to give it a try. We had a good turnout, on a perfect late summer evening. I can almost hear the AC/DC soundtrack playing when I look at this photo.

Ready for business, Carburn Park (19 September, Ricoh GR III) Photo by Jason Gurevitch

Our workout called for mile repeats, with an option of some shorter stuff for those targeting shorter races or just returning to form. That last part suited me. I set my sights on 2 sets of 1 mile-800m-400m. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to achieve that.

I’ve gotten used to bringing up the rear among my talented teammates. Still, given that several of them are in the final stages of marathon training, and I am at a very different point, it promised to be a humbling experience.

In fact, it was a great workout. I surprised myself by managing to hang on the back of the bunch, but only just. My mind did its usual thing of wandering while I ran. I wondered, is there a running equivalent for the “lanterne rouge” of the Tour de France?

Given that I was doing a shorter version of the workout, I was back to our starting point with a bit of time before the thoroughbreds made it there. I had a few minutes to check out the lagoon and snap a couple of pictures of the peaceful scene in the fading light. Beautiful!

Carburn Park Lagoon, sunset (19 September, Ricoh GR III)

It was the kind of evening that makes me very grateful, for all the blessings I’ve had. I hope you may also be so fortunate.

Until next time, all the best.

Elbow River Photo Walk

Ever had a day when you lacked the drive for running? When a little voice was telling you you’d be better off just doing a walk?

Today was one of those days for me.

It was a week I’d been dreading. I’ve been stressing for weeks about a problem tooth… a molar that had become something of a mystery. I’d been bounced back and forth between two specialists, but eventually, it became clear that the end was looming for tooth number 3-6.

I went through the week with a feeling of dread. But now it’s over and the tooth is gone. We can turn our attention to the next stage of the process, inserting an implant and crown. While I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to that part, I am curious about how it all works and how the tooth will look in the end. Maybe I’m naive.

So, this morning, even though I was feeling much better, I decided that the tooth episode was a convenient excuse to pass on our usual Sunday long run. It was a pleasant morning, a little cool and breezy, but better than the weather being forecast for the week ahead. The prospect of some good shots along the Elbow River was enough motivation for me to grab the Leica M10 and head out for a photo run… sorry, walk.

I walked along the bluff in Ramsay. The views of downtown are spectacular from Scotsman’s Hill. The light looked promising when I left the house… cloudy but clearing. By the time I got going, the sun had just about burned off the cloud cover. Maybe I was too late. Regardless, it was a brilliant morning and I was feeling fine.

I made my way down towards Fort Calgary, knowing that the old train bridge in Inglewood is often worth a look. This morning, a train was conveniently passing through, heading east, just as I arrived. I snapped a few pictures, drawn by the curving line of identical cars in the sunlight.

Later, in Lightroom Classic, I tried one of the many presets that come with the software. Usually, I avoid these, preferring instead to make all my own editing decisions. But why not try something new? Given the oranges and browns in the scene, an “Autumn” preset seemed appropriate. What do you think?

Inglewood Rail Bridge, Lightroom preset TM07 (February 25, 2024)

I wandered on through Stampede Park. The new BMO Centre has been under construction for a couple of years. The building is an amazing piece of architecture… especially the graceful curved lines on the eastern facade. I’ve gone by there many times, but it’s not been an easy building to photograph, what with all the construction equipment in front.

Today, I saw a nice scene as I walked along the pathway by the Saddledome. Later, in Lightroom, I stuck close to the subject matter and tried an “Architectural” preset. I have to say, I liked the result.

Stampede Events Centre, Lightroom present UA10 (February 25, 2024)

I continued along the river pathway, past the unimaginatively-named Stampede Ground Bridge at the south end of Stampede Park. It’s an attractive bridge, and I’ve shot it many times. While I was tempted to linger there this morning, the sky wasn’t doing me any favours. I moved on.

I finished my walk by climbing the stairs back up to Salisbury Avenue. As I approached the car, I realized that much of my walk had been solitary. I’d hardly seen anyone on the path. At the top of the stairs, I was rewarded with one “street shot”… a lady out on her bottle-picking rounds. Let’s say she was a little suspicious of me. But never mind, it was a nice finish for my outing. For this shot, it had to be a “Portrait” preset.

Scotsman’s Hill, Lightroom preset “Gritty Portrait” (February 25, 2024)

Overall, it was a productive morning. I didn’t miss running, not even a little. But I’ll be back at it next Sunday, I promise!

Photo Run – Big Game Edition

Our long runs along the Bow River often take us past the Centre Street Bridge. It’s an imposing and historic structure, and in good morning light photo ops are plentiful. As we ran under the bridge last Sunday, I made a note to take a closer look at the lions that guard the four corners of the upper deck.

Fortunately, we ended up back at the bridge towards the end of our run. I welcomed an excuse to stop at that point. Deb was keen to do another kilometre. “Good for you”, I told her, “but I’ll be here checking out the big cats.”

The morning light was strong and contrasty. From the pedestrian ramp, I got a couple of nice shots of the southwest lion. The statue looked great (regal, actually) with a monochrome edit in Lightroom.

Centre Street Bridge, Southwest corner (January 28, 2024)

I decided I would return in a couple of days for a photo run and a closer tour of the lions. In the meantime, I did some research into the history of the statues.

The original lions were commissioned in 1916, along with the bridge. They were modelled after bronze lions that guard Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square in London. The Calgary copies were cast in concrete by one James Thomson, a city employee. They each weigh 12,600 kilograms.

By the 1990s, the statues were in a state of significant deterioration, due to decades of Calgary weather cycles and vibration from bridge traffic. In 2000, city council directed the repair and conservation of the southwest lion. It also directed that the same lion be used as a template for the construction of four new statues. The restored lion now sits on display at Calgary’s municipal government building. The original northeast cat was repaired and conserved. It was relocated to its current location in Rotary Park in 2018.

With that background, here’s more on my photo run.

I went late in the afternoon, hoping for an interesting chinook sunset. We’ve had a lot of those lately. Would I get lucky? Yes and no.

I started my run in Rotary Park, so I could see the repaired northeast lion up close. It’s the only statue to have been returned to the bridge, and it commands a perfect spot at the south end of the park, overlooking downtown.

I navigated the ice and mud around the statue. I snapped a few shots, but none of the compositions I tried were very satisfying. I might have had better results with a wider focal length lens instead of the 28mm Ricoh GR III. No problem… this was supposed to be a run, so I moved on.

I jogged along the crest of the bluff for a few minutes and enjoyed the vista, then headed down towards the bridge. When I looked back up the hill, the lion was bathed in the low, setting sun. I knew I had only a few minutes before the light changed, so I scrambled back up the muddy pathway to a spot just below the lion. I snapped one shot. The light was amazing, and I think the result was good. It was by far my best shot of the day.

Rotary Park lion, enjoying the chinook sunset (January 30, 2024)

I continued down to the bridge and did a short loop around Chinatown. I was rewarded with a few worthy shots before I made my way back up the bridge on the west side. It had been a while since I ran up this hill… yes, it’s still tough!

Prosperity Bar (January 30, 2024)

As for any more shots of the lions on the bridge, the fading light was quite flat and uninteresting by that time. There was a bit of chinook magic going on though… so I worked with what I had!

Centre Street Bridge, looking northwest (January 30, 2024)

There was also the challenge of getting a good perspective on the statues and the other details on the bridge (like the medallions that recognize the distinct influences in Calgary’s past… see the example below) while being confined to the sidewalks that pass underneath the statues. I suppose a drone would have been a nice accessory for this shoot, but that’s not my thing.

Here’s one of the small details on the bridge: medallions on the side of the “kiosks” that serve as the base for the Centre Street Bridge lions.

There are roses for England, shamrocks for Ireland, thistles for Scotland, and maple leaves for Canada. And bison heads to represent the west.

In the end, I managed to get a few shots of the “big game”. But maybe the best result was the realization that I left many good ones on the bridge for another day.