Bjoerling's Larynx: World Famous Opera Houses (Reposted from JRN504 WordPress)

David Leventi currently has a photographic exhibition, titled Bjoerling's Larynx: World Famous Opera Houses, showing at Beau XI gallery. The collection is named after a famous Swedish operatic tenor, Jussi Bjoerling, who has been called the best singer of the century.



The pieces featured are large-scale photographs of famous opera houses from different cities across the globe, taken between 2007 and 2010.

Each photo is taken from the spot at centre stage where a performer would stand, leaving symmetrical spaces on both sides. The photographs are huge, almost mural sized, and they hang on the wall at perfect eye-level. When you stand directly in front of the photo, you feels as if you were surrounded by the building. You are swallowed up by it.

As Leventi writes in his artist statement, the photos “freeze for eternity the instant before a performance takes place.” The photos are meticulous. Yes, they are architectural spaces, but they are also portraits that show the history and wealth of a country.



“I experience an almost religious feeling walking into a grand space such as an opera house,” Leventi writes. And looking at these photos does give me a sense of awe. One of the larger photos, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, makes me feel as if I am standing in the opera house. It is, in a way, intimidating.

The spaces vary in colour, most of them with plush red velvet and elaborate gold woodwork, but a couple are decorated in cool white marble or blue painted walls.

Some famous buildings included in the collections are the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Theatre Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy, plus many more elegant opera houses.



The show runs until the end of February at Beau XI gallery, 340 Dundas St. West.

News for Kids

By the way, I've begun writing for TeachKidsNews.com. It's a website that pairs down news stories that kids might be interested in and makes it easier for children to understand.
My first post was about the "uncontacted" tiribes in Brazil.

Canada Reads: Day Three

So, as we all know by now, The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis won Canada Reads: Essential Book of the Last Decade. Very big, exciting accomplishment, especially considering the story behind its publication. (CBC 2 calls it "The little satire that could.")

Yes, I realize there is a day missing in between Day One and Day Three. Unfortunately, I had work on the morning of Day Two, so I was unable to rise extremely early, mission down to the CBC and then stand in line for two hours in order to get into the studio.

Plus, apparently Day Two was a little surprising, because Debbie Travis admitted that she hadn't aaacctually read all of The Best Laid Plans, but somehow thought that she would still be an adequate judge.

On to Day Three!

There was a slight change of plans; midway through the line up, I realized I wasn't able to stay the entire length of the live broadcast (had a test to get to). So instead, I stayed in the atrium and watched the majority of Canada Reads from there. (Frankly, it was a little more comfortable on those couches.)

I am happy to report that Jian was again wearing colourful socks. Monday Jian had on blue socks. A little bit of colour underneath a dull black or grey suit can really liven things up.

Ali Velshi, the winning book's defender, kept making fun of Jian's "cheesecloth tie," though I'm not exactly sure what he meant, since the high-def TVs in the atrium aren't as high def as they need to be apparently.

There were two votes within the hour. Unless by Carol Shields was voted off first, creating a stand-off between The Best Laid Plans and The Birth House by Ami McKay. Unfortunately, I had an inkling that The Birth House would be voted off, and indeed it was, leaving Fallis' political satire as the essential Canadian novel of the past decade.

It was certainly an exciting and tense three days. And now it is all over until next year.

*Photo Credits: The Globe and Mail and CBC News, respectively.

Canada Reads: Day One

Today was the first of three days of debates for Canada Reads! It was hosted by Q's Jian Ghomeshi.

The top five books were picked in November. They are:
The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis (defended by Ali Velshi),
The Birth House by Ami McKay (defended by Debbie Travis),
The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou (defended by Georges Laraque),
Unless by Carol Shields (defended by Lorne Cardinal),
and, my personal favourite, Essex County by Jeff Lemire (defended by Sara Quin).


Essex County was my top choice. The author lives in my neighbourhood and he comes into the coffee shop where I work, so I feel the need to cheer him on. But it is an amazing graphic novel. It doesn't have many words, but the drawings are spectacular. Yes, they are quite simple, but so much is shown through the characters' minute changes in facial expression. It is a sad, powerful, novel. (And yes, "cartoons" count as novels. There is a huge difference between a cartoon and a thoughtful, in-depth graphic novel.)

Not only did I love the book itself, but Sara Quin was defending it, and I love her. She is half of the musical duo Tegan and Sara. I love them! Love, love, love them! I have most of their CDs (I haven't bought the new one. I'm a little behind in my CD purchasing.) I saw them perform live at Danforth Music Hall a couple years ago. They had great stage banter. Highly amusing.

Sara did a great job at defending Lemire's novel. She had very good arguments, resolute but sound opinions, and she spoke eloquently. She had a lot of punch behind what she said, but she didn't have to swing her arms around or point her finger at people (*ahem* Ali Velshi).

I think Essex County was the first to be voted off because the older generation isn't actually as open minded to a new form of novel as they think they are. Sara and the audience were all of a younger generation, while the rest of the panelists were older. They weren't much older, but there was a definite generational gap.

After the broadcast stopped, the audience got their chance to speak. The majority of the audience was in support of Lemire's novel, and they vehemently defended the book. Several audience members also spoke up, and the panelists looked a little taken aback that everyone was ganging up on them.

Yes, they may have been told to pick the "essential Canadian novel," but they barely gave this newer form of book a chance. They may be hoping for a novel that could change the way Canadians think about reading, but they voted off the only book that is different from the others, the only novel that was a change itself.

Fashionable Parents (Reposted from WordPress school blog for JRN504)

So, you know who you barely ever see in any streetstyle blog? Stylish older gentlemen. Hip mamas. Fashionista parents. So, that's who I kept a lookout for.

I don't know this man's name. He regularly comes into the coffee shop where I work. I can tell you, though, that he drinks a medium house-blend coffee every morning. I chased him out the door to snap this photo because I've always admired his fur hat. I really enjoy the whiteness of his beard against the rich, navy wool coat and dark, fur hat. Honestly, I just wish my dad wore a fur hat like that. (My dad wears an Indiana-Jones hat…)

Kathryn is a musician and mother. She lives up the street from me and I regularly see her in snazzy boots, sparkly tops, and cozy leggings. I accosted her at home and snapped a couple photos. (Okay, I don't want to get arrested. Accost is the wrong word. I called first, I didn't just barge in.) For a mother of two kids under the age of five, she always wears stuff that is comfy and functioning, yet also fashionable.

Katie is the second coffee-shop customer who I ended up chasing down. She has a young (extremely trendy!) daughter but she, like Catherine, always looks really pulled together. She often wears high-waisted skirts or jackets with cinched belts. What I always really admire about Katie, though, is her never-ending collection of shoes.
I love the over-the-knee winter boots she's wearing here. Black, classic, and about as trendy as you can be in -20C weather.