Rossdale Volador,
Winter 2015
Consistent with the other pieces found in the gallery, this piece is guided by a comparative reading of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican and Andean interpretations regarding the intricate relationship between the arc of the horizon and the movement of light as well as complimentary Eurasian insights regarding physical balance and a “cosmic egg” (as clearly found on the base of the piece). When gently nudged in either direction the Volador will neatly spin in a manner that not only recalls the Voladores de Papantla, but also the diving Macaws representing suns as eras as found in the Codex Telleriano-Remensis. The rock for the carving was quarried from the area of Kinbasket Lake, BC, in late August, just when the salmon complete their migration towards the Rockies. Meanwhile, the Rossdale Volador continued its journey and storied history in Norman Wells, NWT.
The First Dinner, by MG
1:30pm March 19, 2015 16, 2015
Weather: Sunny and Windy Temperature: 6°C
When I was playing with the Volador, I understood how it looks like a bird from the side view. I was also reminded of the first time when we arrived in Edmonton. When we arrived to the city, we were so excited and it felt like we were young birds just freed from our parents. It was a July evening and the temperature was nice and cool. We were curious about this new environment and hopeful about our future lives as students at the University of Alberta.
Once we secured our belongings in our rooms, we began walking aimlessly and discussing where we were going to have our first dinner in Canada. We wanted to make it a meaningful experience in order to commemorate our first day of the life studying abroad. As we had learned previously, if we have a dinner in restaurant here in Edmonton, we would be expected to tip the waiter but none of us knew the acceptable amount to give for service. We were also not used to credit card or debit card transactions since in China we like to use cash. Eventually, we found this Subway and we decided to have our dinner here and this was also the first time I used my English skills to order food.
Volador of Deliciousness, by HZ
1:38pm April 2, 2015
Weather: Clear Temperature:2°C
It was 1:38pm, April 2nd, 2015 when this photo was taken. The weather was nice and clear, a comfortable 2° Celsius. Academy Pizza is located within HUB, a common hangout for students and the restaurant has been owned by a Korean couple for quite a long time. The owners are always friendly and welcoming with students, and this gives the place a homey feeling, also helped by the decent food portions. Thus far, it may seem like I am advertising for the restaurant, but I really enjoy eating there. Maybe it’s the food, the atmosphere, or location, but, either way, it is my favourite regular eating place on campus during lunchtime. I remember one time how my phone battery ran out and I had no way to contact my friend (we were supposed to meet up), and she found me sitting at the restaurant. Not a surprise. Throughout my two years of university life, I have spent a good chunk of time at Academy Pizza -- whether it is to eat, hang out with friends, or to do homework. Therefore, I decided to share this restaurant with the class.
P.S you can always find me there!
Find Your Own Food Place, by MZ
March 29, 2015
Weather: A sunny day
Question: What would your food place look like without any people?
I took this picture on Sunday afternoon, and it was a sunny day. This picture shows a solitary corner of campus, and the venue is located near the one of the libraries. Usually, I try to find some good food establishments and locations that not only can provide a place to eat but also are a location where you can enjoy a sunny day. During my various forays and explorations into these “food places”, I actually never noticed or considered this space as somewhere to actually sit and eat food even though I pass by it every day. Now, I find that this is a good, convenient location to eat outside and enjoy nature. Sadly, however, I have learned that the weather is frequently unpleasant in Edmonton and how people frequently have to wait until May to enjoy a meal outside. I took many pictures of the carving around this “food place”, and the process helped me I recognize places and spaces that I previously ignored.
What we may have seen many times, but never really notice, now informs how I try to find some new locales situated in natural scenery. Trying to take photos of the carving without people helped me “rediscover” the campus. The two things I began to appreciate and remember with this picture is how we should try to find different ways to uncover some interesting things or places in our everyday life, including when we recast the environment without people or rethink how to adapt to changes in weather in order to give these routine places new perspectives. In this regard, Carving Vignettes provides us a chance to acquire a new appreciation of nature and public spaces, especially because you begin to also ask: How do these places really look like without people?
Answer: For me, this solitary corner of campus will always seem very quiet and without people here even though it is so near “high traffic”. So find and seek out your own “food place” and you will find everyday spaces much more interesting.
It's a Little Strange Japanese World
March 30, 2015
Weather: A sunny day and 14° Celsius
I took this picture of the carving in front of the Japanese restaurant Kyoto at 12:00 on March 30, 2015. It was sunny day and 14° Celsius. When I want to eat Japanese food, sometimes I go there with my friends. On this occasion, I took my Chinese friends to Kyoto for lunch because they are interested in learning about Japanese food.
I have lived in Edmonton for seven months. In Japan we can eat fresh fish whenever we want. However, I cannot do that here. If we want anything similar to home, we need to go to this establishment to eat sashimi. Some dishes found at the restaurant are similar to actual Japanese taste but many others are very different from those found in Japan. When I first came here, I remembered Walter Benjamin’s assertion that all art forms have an “aura” which, for me, is a special or particular spirit. For many people, dishes are not considered “arts” but I disagree because both the taste and appearance of food are expressed in the spirit of each country, or geographical area. In this Japanese restaurant, however, most of the employees are not Japanese.
After my arrival I was also surprised to learn that many people who eat at Kyoto seemed to come from other countries and there were just as many Canadians as Asians. I understand that in order to make “foreign food” familiar and popular here, owners of restaurants need to change the taste or style of appearance of their menu. In this place, I feel that they still try to give important consideration to the Japanese spirit I describe. However, even if the dishes have the same name, we still need to understand how each person’s preparation of the food will give it a distinct “aura” and taste, thus making it unique and very different. For example, if my mother eats a curry and rice made by me, or, by contrast, the same meal prepared by an expert chef, she will feel different about each dish even if she likes both meals. My curry and rice will make her happy because her daughter made it for her while the delicious curry prepared by the chef will also give her a different type, but equally rewarding, happiness. Hence, both dishes will be special for her. So, the chirashizushi I ate on that day was also special for me despite some differences from the Japanese food I know from home. What also matters most is that people here still get some idea of Japan and the Japanese culinary spirit, including my friends from China.
Volador in Hub Mall
10:30am Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Temperature: 8° Celsius
I understood my mission to be to photograph one the Homeglen School of One carvings (a historical piece of stone) and write critically about the stone in its environmental and historical context. My colleagues and I decided to take some photographs of the Rossdale Volador in HUB, where all civilization begins and life resides.
The stone for this piece of artwork found its way to the North Saskatchewan River Valley millions of years ago, long before the start of mankind. One side of the rock is carved with a shape of an eye that seems to signify “looking outwards to the whole world”. Because of its significance, my colleagues and I also decided to record it at another equally significant place— a luncheon area next to HUB.
Again, the HUB is where civilization connects. It is the modern version of a town marketplace where every important activity takes place. It is where new students join the university community. They sleep here, eat here, communicate here, shop here, and grow together here. Only a limited number of people get to stay here—it is a prestigious place to live at! It’s a secret society and a miniature version of the whole world. Within this community, the most important places are the luncheon areas. Just like the rock is the foundation of this earth, food is the foundation of every human body. It is the one thing that we all have to do at some point in every day of our life. In the background of my photograph lies the long bench and table where we gather together and eat between classes every day. Winter snow has graced this sacred place with a veil, but its significance does not diminish. I’ve also included the evergreen tree in the photograph to represent the never-ending significance of this place. Once the snow melts, we will gather again and rejoice over meals and gossip together about our community. In this open, yet contained space, we find our sense of belonging to this community. We all come from difference places, but somehow we all belong together.
Group Journal
MG: At the beginning of our group discussion, we had no idea what topic to use, until S suggested “food place” as our theme. I still think this was a good idea, especially since we are not Canadians. We are living in a different environment and culture -- of course, with different foods, too. I think this topic is meaningful to us. When I was thinking about this topic, the first place popped up in my head was the Subway on 112th St. in Newton Place -- the place I had my first dinner in Canada. This rock has a decent shape and I noticed that it has two embossments on both sides. In addition, the rock has two layers and the lower layer is longer than the upper layer. These features make this rock help make it look like a bird.
I took my first photos on Mar 18th, 10:00am. It was sunny and 3° Celsius. But the sun didn’t shine on the building. Besides, I was not satisfied with the way I had situated the rock for pictures. So I decided to try again the next day.
On Mar 19th, I began to take pictures of the rock at 1:30PM. It was sunny, windy and 6° Celsius. I tried a few new ways for staging the rock. This time the sun shined on the rock and this made the carving look beautiful. I decided to use one of the photos from this day for my contribution to the group project.
MF: In Canada, there are different kinds of restaurants, including Chinese, Spanish and Brazilian ones. As I said in my own paragraph, “food places” frequently are influenced by the type of cuisine originating in each of the countries they represent. I think that these restaurants serve as a good introduction to each country’s culture because these places start to become familiar after a few visits. During the preparation of the assignment, I recalled that the Chinese foods I tried in restaurants in Japan were a little different taste from the “original” dishes prepared for me by one my Chinese friends. Yet, I also believe that once we understand the essence of culture in meals we can better understand that there are really no borders in foods even when they seem to mix tastes and styles. This feature of cuisine seemed to me to recall Benedict Anderson’s notion of an “imagined world” because there are not clear borders or clear “nationalities” in food or restaurants when they are understood according to their essence or “spirit”.
MZ: Why did I choose this picture? Because I think this picture provides many good examples and insights into the theme “food places”. First, the place is a good place to eat food outside and it is characterized by a nice view. If there is sunny weather, I think it is also a perfect place to eat on campus. It is near the library and its convenient locations helps save time and energy when looking for a place to eat. Second, the venue is subject to differences in time and environment. Depending on the time of day or season we can get different perspective from this place and I tried to emphasize some of these differences in my picture. For, example, in many of my photos, I tried different times and different angles and my final choice for a picture was one taken at a time in which there were very few people around. This, indeed, helped emphasize difference, because, without the usual crowds of people around the place it looks more natural and quiet. Too many people made photos appear “messy” while the light and color from this time helps make everything look beautiful and offers a new perspective of this “food place”.
HZ: The theme for this group project is food, essential to everyday life and pleasure. It is also because the Rossdale Volador (our rock) has a unique characteristic: the “cosmic egg” that is clearly visible on the base of the piece. The reason why I chose the specific picture for my contribution is because it fit the criteria we established for our theme, but, also, since it was my best result after multiple tries. This project is fun and intriguing because I got asked a lot by people what I was I doing when I was taking photographs and it increased my interaction and chances to meet and communicate with other students. In terms of some of the cultural studies theories that have been discussed in class, I think this place demonstrated the poetic geography that Michel de Certeau discusses in his article “Walking in the City”. The restaurant is no longer the original restaurant that I first visited and it is now a regular “hang out” or, as I now call it, the “home base” for me and my friends. The sense of connection and association with the place can only be filled with memories, which the city planners cannot do or supply. It is true that there is a fixed, ideological structure to every space, but it is important to realize that we (the masses) always have the ability to alter the structure and to interrupt the process of normalization.
KX: To start this project, I tried to think about the comparative cultures in World Societies, past and present, which influenced the production of the carving I had in hand. The theme for our group is about a “food place” (like a restaurant) that we could have meals together. So I came up with my idea to take photo in HUB Mall. I have lived HUB Mall since I came to U of A nearly two years ago. I have lots of memories from there.
Before the completion of my final product, I took several photos to have many to choose from and I read the instructions for the class assignment carefully time after time. I chose different angles to take photos of this sculpture and I wanted to make the background blurry. The first feature of the assignment I learned from the background information I read that I feel is important to keep in mind is how the approach of the Homeglen School of One originated in the promotion of critical thinking. I also found it important that the Homeglen School of One had gathered information from various cultures regarding the movement, composition and the architecture of light. I also recognized that the Rossdale Volador displayed a ”cosmic egg” on its base. The features of this piece could be interpreted from the context of different subject matter studied at the University of Alberta. For example, I think that my carving could be used within a creative dialogue with Physics, especially since it embodies movement and physical balance.
During the process of my creation, I went to lots of places in and around HUB Mall. Finally, I decided to choose the bench and chairs downstairs from my unit. Once upon a time I had a meal with my friends there and I really enjoyed the warm sunshine. Maybe I will move out of HUB Mall this summer term. So, this carving was like a monument marking the time I have experienced in the residence.