Monday, August 31, 2015

Indian Dancer, May 1989

I'd asked her to move her hair braid out of the way, but she told me that she had her medicine attached to it - the medicine bundle is very important to some First Nations - one man told me it was the essence of being an Indian - it usually is a small pouch made for the wearer by a spiritual practitioner with objects inside it, and I was told it helped with their spiritual journey.
Grand River Pow Wow, Six Nations Reserve, Ontario, 1989

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Friday, August 28, 2015

Backstage at the Rivoli: Catherine Kidd

Writer and performer Catherine Kidd keeps her eyes on me backstage at the Rivoli, 1997

Kettle Point Kettle

Large balls of stone found embedded in the rock layer near the shore at Kettle Point, Ontario - they are made of the same material as the rock around them. http://www.whaton.uwaterloo.ca/waton/f901.html

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Lowertown, Quebec City, 1988

Lowertown, Quebec City - I used to live there! It was a place to live very cheaply - diners would sell five course meals for a couple of bucks, although drug deals would be going on next to you.
The first place on the right is a convenience shop - in Quebec City, these were often called "Accomodations" - on the hand lettered sign in the window, it was shorted to 'Acc. Louis' ( I think). The next shop is a casse-croute (snack bar). 
Here's how it looks today - big change!:

This was about the time the Gabrielle Roy library opened - I think it helped to revive the neighbourhood - there used to be few public libraries in the predominantly French speaking areas of Quebec. In 1901, the Catholic Archbishop of Montreal, Paul-Napoléon Bruchési, stopped Montreal from having a library donated by Andrew Carnegie, even after the municipal council accepted it, because books that the church disapproved of would be available.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Slugs doin' it

Slugs are hermaphrodites - both exchange sperm and lay eggs. My friend sounds like Nina Hagen in the morning. She came in and said "There are slugs f**king on your front door step."

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Mixing whitewash, Denmark, 1982

1982, Farum, Denmark - mixing whitewash - whitewash comes in a block like a lump of clay that you dissolve in water before using and then paint on things like the panels of the half timber house behind me.

Moth, 1991

Moth, 1991 - taken with a really sharp Super Takumar 105mm!