Noetic intermittences

Despite the amusing absence of thought between Sunday's post and today's (that this blog would suggest, at any rate!) there has indeed been something going on! Two papers written and submitted, a third on its way. A full lunar eclipse that made things whirl. A lot of Clean loveliness that makes the whirling fun and brings it all to a peaceful calm. (Modelling, meeting, post-its round the room, colour grids on paper (makes a change), new ways of using space).

And noetic intermittences... as the posts since arriving in Toronto imply.
Saturday the opening events of Luminato at David Pecault Square. A festival in a city centre that isn't heaving at the rims, filled with litter or drunken bodies to climb over, and a festival with world music, lights, friendly ambience and a backdrop of faceted glass skyscrapers. A festival in partnership with a cosmetic company? A guest marquee of women having facials, free facebook makeover portraits, hair curlers and straighteners... very strange, not what I'm used to as a festival goer in the UK! Maybe I was the alien, so shortly arrived in Toronto off the bus from far beyond.

 

The music was fab, celebrating an anniversary of Italian reunification with Montreal-based, French, Italian and English speak(sing)ing band of Marco Calliari and a couple of other acts.

Earlier in the day I'd been to the MIA and walked around the waterfront. Toronto's a lovely city to walk about, not busy, dirty or rushed. And I'm still amazed when people stand and wait for traffic lights to change even when there's no traffic within sight, before they step out to cross the road! Such a different sense of civility - layers of what might be or is public space.

I always like photographic exhibitions in outdoor public space, and this was no exception, with several themed portfolios of artist's work from the green belt around Toronto. (How can they have a green belt when I just travelled two days and a night through green to get here?)



A strange comparison to have one separate photograph right 'next door':


Then there's the city as an artefact to walk through and explore:

And last night, something I'd been really looking forward to, and still am, as the second three hour instalment is tonight.. 1001 nights, Sheherezade, in Arabic French and English, new production for Luminato at the Canadian Opera House.