You know how much I love art. And photography. And I like thought-provoking photography twice as much.
I had an opportunity to check out Edward Burtynsky: Oil, a new exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature (a Fishbowl patron) recently and I’m now here to recommend it to you. You must go see this. And you MUST bring your family. It is hauntingly, arrestingly, beautiful. Here’s a teeny peek:
The exhibition features are 50 gigantic photos that document the life cycle of oil: the impact of extraction, usage, and the end-of-life realities. It is shocking, gorgeous, repulsive, and mind-boggling all at once. I had the good fortune to chat with the artist himself. We talked about how 12 years documenting this stuff has changed his own consumption habits and he shared a few stories behind the photos too. Here he is, talking to the other media:
My only suggestion to you – because there’s no audio tour component or extra information posted near any of the photos – is to take a few minutes to have a seat and watch the video that accompanies the exhibit in the lounge area of the room. It will be worth it. You cannot look at these photos and remain unchanged by them.
If you’re planning a visit (and you SHOULD)… here’s some more info for you.
It sure doesn’t FEEL like summer out there right now, does it? Sigh. Regardless of the weather we’re still making plans here at Casa Fishbowl. And here is where I have to ask: do you have summer rituals that you and your family look forward to every summer? Are there some things that you MUST do every year, otherwise it wouldn’t seem like summer without them all? How do you plan and track these things?
WELL. I have an idea for you. Why not create a summer bucket list?
This is something we started doing a few years ago and just can’t let go because we like it so much. I’ve written about this family tradition here before. This crafty activity does a whole bunch of things:
1) It helps you get organized in a fun way.
2) It gives everyone something to look forward to.
3) It’s a great way to nip repeat requests in the bud, and it’s IDEAL if your kid is the kind who’ll pull on your pantleg and ask you 100 times whether or not you’re going to the fair. (Answer: point to the poster, and say YES SWEETIE, it’s on the list!)
First: make your list. For the past few years we have been getting out the markers and some bristol board and drawing out all of our ideas, in one giant brainstorming session like this:
Easy peasy. And drawing the list out is something that kids of many different ages and stages can handle. The little ones can draw the pictures, the older ones can fill in the words.
We hang it in a prominent place and check off the activities as we go. The nice thing about the bucket list poster is that if the kids are bored you can point at it and ask them to pick something. (Which is why I recommend populating it with activities that are big AND small and easy to do.)
If you are crafty type you can also kick it up a notch. There are a lot of other creative ways of displaying your bucket list. Check out this article on iVillage.ca for some neat ideas!
I’d really like to hear what’s on YOUR list this summer! Rain or shine, what kind of things will you be doing with your family between now and September?
Will you be making your own bucket list? I’d love to see it! Please leave a link to your photo or blog post in the comments.
