Peace Bridge (Calgary)

Last week a Councillor proposed a motion to suspend the public art program until the economy turns around again. A motion has to be approved before it can be debated at City Council, and since it was not, the motion died within days, but not before it had received wide publicity and criticism from a host of people. In the big scheme of things, the saving would have been minimal. City of Calgary capital projects over $1 million allocate 1% of the first $50 million of eligible project costs and 0.5% of the portion over $50 million to public art, up to a maximum of $4 million per project [The City of Calgary Public Art Mandate and Funding]. I for one would rather look at fish swimming on a concrete wall than a blank sheet of grey, or mountain peaks reminding me how close we are to the real thing... and how I long to be out there again.

The controversy made me act on something I have wanted to do for three years. On March 24, 2012 pedestrians and cyclist crossed the Peace Bridge over the Bow River for the first time. It was a long time coming... construction started in March 2010 and the bridge was slated to be completed by that fall. One construction issue after the other delayed the event by a year and a half. There had been much opposition prior to construction start about the need for a $25 million showpiece bridge designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava as well. But the project went ahead, and now that we have it, most citizens have embraced the bridge. Calgarians and tourists alike have their picture taken on the bridge or with it as the background from the Bow River Pathway.

In the past three years I have only glimpsed the red and white tube occasionally while crossing the Louise Bridge in a car, but on February 23 I finally saw it up close for the first time. Jan and I walked on the pathway from Poppy Plaza towards the bridge, and as it came into view, my first thought was "it looks like a bullet train!" But as we walked closer and finally stood at the end of the bridge, I appreciated the symmetry and the simplicity of the design. I felt like I was enveloped by a piece of art as we walked across... and it felt good to live in a city that is home to this structure. In 2009 when the debate over the cost raged as well as "why do we need a Spanish architect?," Jan and I visited St. Gallen in Switzerland and saw a bus and tram station there designed by Santiago Calatrava. For all its controversy, this bridge of ours is one more way for Calgary to be noted on the world stage.

I took many pictures on this unseasonably warm day in February of the Peace Bridge. It was too difficult to pick just one, so I have chosen to share with you five of them. I also dug into my vacation folder and found the picture of the St. Gallen bus/tram station. Both of these structures are functional art in my opinion. Calgary's public art program is something totally different and something I would like to explore a little more. Not sure where I would park to photograph Travelling Light, aka the giant blue ring...

St. Gallen bus and tram station, Switzerland

Signs of Spring

Last weekend we switched to Daylight Savings Time. As usual, there was some discussion whether it actually saves electricity this day and age, and some people are affected worse than others, suffering from “jetlag” for a week or so before they adjust to the time change. It’s always been easy for me so I don’t mind losing an hour of sleep once a year if it means I can stay outside a little while longer on lazy summer nights.

When DST arrives, it also means winter is almost behind us and spring looms in the near future. We have had an unseasonably mild winter here, and for the first time in recent memory spring seems to have sprung a month earlier than usual. Spring bulbs and early perennials have awoken and are showing their welcome green in the surface of crusty soil or protective dead foliage from last fall; the air is warmed by the sun shining from a blue sky sometimes dotted with white clouds; birds are singing and looking for building material for their nests and places to build them; rabbits are changing colour and tearing around the backyard staking out territory for a safe place to have their young. It’s spring, all right!

We are lucky to have a walking path right behind our house, and we make good use of it—sometimes we just walk to the end of the path and back again for a quick bit of exercise and sometimes we do the loop for a longer walk. Usually I do not take my camera with me on these walks, but the new me did yesterday. It’s not that there is anything spectacular or particularly interesting to take pictures of along the path, but I remembered the words of a pro who said, “there’s always something to photograph… you just have to look for it.” Trees and bushes line the path in pockets, and lo and behold, there was evidence of spring in them, too! Swollen leaf buds and catkins begged to be seen through my viewfinder against the blue sky and I had a lot of fun shooting from different angles.  The one I share with you is my favourite.

It would be naïve to think we have seen the last of snow. We always have one or two spring storms which brings with it wet heavy snow and lots of it. But for now I’ll enjoy each spring day… after all, spring is my favourite season of the year.