Category: Sociology & Psychology
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Rites of Passage
A set of ritual markings tattoo the asphalt of an expansive parking lot that teeters on the top of the north face of Burnaby Mountain, at the easternmost edge of the City of Vancouver. It’s a flat bit of land carved out of steep slopes populated with warning signs about the dangers of stepping out… Read more
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If I Wake – A Photographic Exhibition by Andrea Cordonier
I trust Freud less and nature more You are invited to the launch of my latest photographic exhibition, If I Wake. The exhibition explores the absolute effect on creativity, mental health and well-being of simple and direct exposure to nature. As for Freud? I can have no dream more wondrous than what I see with my… Read more
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A Ride Home from Prison
I don’t have any time to waste on jail anymore ~ Stanley Bailey, newly-released former inmate Carlos Cervantes, a former inmate, says every ride home from prison is different. He picks up men released from life sentences after California reformed its three strikes law in 2012. Most of the men don’t have family or friends anymore;… Read more
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I Am Not Your Negro
The question you have to ask yourself, White America needs to ask itself: Why was it necessary to have a nigger in the first place? ~ James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro In a neighbouring village more English than England and whiter than white, I found Agatha Christie’s book in the stacks of the church’s charity book sale. I was… Read more
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Love Your Children Well
For the past few years, I’ve been struck by intermittent doubts about whether we’re raising our children “right.” Our house is filled with a gaggle of teenagers. As our eldest nears university, his upbringing is a done deal, the question a moot point. As for the others, it is said that parents have a diminishing influence… Read more
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The Sham of Highest and Best Use
This triplet of houses in Québec City defies the modern logic of “highest and best use” and its inherent rule of being “maximally productive.” It flaunts every last morsel of economic thought except one: It is a keeper of history, and provides a vital and extraordinary point of interest in the city’s viewscape, arguably contributing to the profits realized by the city’s… Read more
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Capital Building: A View from Washington – Part 3
Click here for Capital Building: A View from Washington – Part 1 Click here for Capital Building: A View from Washington – Part 2 Not Set in Stone: Memorials for the Future The National Park Service (NPS), the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), and Van Alen Institute collaborated on Memorials for the Future, an international ideas competition that took place… Read more
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Don’t be like this idiot
On the gravel shoulder of the road sits an abandoned clothes dryer wrapped in official-looking crime scene tape bearing the words “Under Investigation.” Beside it, a canary-yellow lawn sign screams DON’T BE LIKE THIS #IDIOT. This curious tableau did what it was meant to do: It caught my eye and stirred my imagination. Read more
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Hello, This is The New York Times Calling
It’s not every day that The New York Times calls one for an interview. But I arrived home recently to find a message from Times reporter Sarah Maslin Nir. The topic? Charity house tours in New York City and the potential breach of privacy that cellphone cameras pose to homeowners. Read more
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360° of Franc van Oort (Pt. 1)
For the two years I attended trade school at Algonquin College, Perth became my second home. Between classes I photographed the countryside, explored abandoned buildings, foraged in antique shops and became a regular visitor to Riverguild’s mezzanine, concocting a mental list of the works I would buy from artist Franc van Oort when I’d finished spending money on my greedy old… Read more