Tag: lifestyle

Ottawa Bench Art

Benches are inviting. They welcome passers-by to relax, if only for a short respite. There are examples of artists sculptural installations around town incorporating benches that play upon their special appeal. This bike tour visits a few of them.

Joshua’s Bench

We begin our tour at Joshua’s Bench by Harley Swedler, located on the east side of Colonel By Drive, facing the Rideau Canal.

Joshua’s Bench

The accompanying interpretive panel reads,

‘This bench was carved from a limestone boulder quarried in this region. The artist was inspired by memory of his sister, Ina, who loved this city and often enjoyed this same view. It bears the name of her cherished so, Joshua’.

Engraved into the back rests are the followng lines,

i know we will continue to be
as close as we are now…. forever

je sais que nous continuerons d’être aussi proches
que nous le sommes aujourd’hui, et cela, pour toujours

Oscar Peterson

Our next stop is the sculpture of Oscar Peterson located at the south-west corner of the National Arts Centre. To get there I biked north along the path on the east side of Colonel By Drive and crossed the Corktown Footbridge. I then rode along the Rideau Canal Western Pathway and then cut through Confederation Park. One might consider walking your bike the few meters along the sidewalk from the corner of Slater and Elgin to the sculpture located at the corner of Elgin and Albert St, as there is no bike lane along Elgin.

Oscar Peterson

The accompanying interpretive plaque reads,

OSCAR PETERSON
1925-2007

Oscar Peterson emerged from the Montréal working class neighbourhood known as Little Burgundy to become one of the world’s greatest piano vituosos. His place in the international jazz pantheon is universally recognized.

With this sculpture by Ruth Abernethy, Canada’s National Arts Centre proudly commemorates the masterful contribution Oscar Peterson made during his 65-year career as a musician, recording artist, composer and mentor.

There is a generous section of bench to sit beside Oscar and listen to some of his music playing from an overhead speaker.

The Secret Bench of Knowledge

Our next sculpture is located in front of the National Library and Archives along Wellington Street. To get there I crossed Confederation Square and followed Sparks Street all the way to Bay St. I turned right on Bay and crossed Wellington which brings you right to our destination, The Secret Bench of Knowledge.

Heritage Canada’s website describes the work as follows,

This sculpture, created in 1993 by Lea Vivot, can be found in front of Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa.

The artist came one night and put this work in front of the building. She later removed it, but not before the public had seen and liked it. A copy of the same work was later donated by businessman and philanthropist Eugene Boccia.

The sculpture is engraved with close to 100 handwritten messages about the joy and value of reading, contributed by both writers and ordinary people from across Canada.

The Secret Bench of Knowledge

Homeless Jesus

Our final stop is across the street and one block south on Sparks Street in front of Christ Church Cathedral.

Here’s how they describe this bronze sculpture on their website:

Recently, the Cathedral welcomed a new addition to the forecourt, a life-size bronze statue titled “Homeless Jesus.” In January, Cathedral Council gratefully accepted Bishop John Chapman’s offer to have the statue installed there. 

The Bishop had arranged to have the statue given to the diocese by generous donors, and felt that the forecourt of the Cathedral was the very best place to install it— on the one hand to reflect the diocese’s extensive involvement in ministry with those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and, on the other hand, because the statue represents the voice and presence of people who are homeless or street-engaged.

The statue, created by Tim Schmalz, shows a person huddled under a blanket on a bench; only the wounds on his feet give an indication of who he is. “I saw this homeless man, and it was just a human form wrapped up in a blanket. And I thought, ‘That is Jesus.’ And I was so moved spiritually by thinking about this sensitive human being that is looking like a lump on the street,” said Schmalz. “Really, it’s a visual translation of Matthew 25, where Jesus says that whenever you see the most marginalized, broken people in our society, we should think of him.”

The installation will make Ottawa one of many cities across the world which feature the statue.  There is room on the bench for passers-by take a seat and reflect quietly for a few moments, rather than quickly passing by, as we do too often with street-engaged women, men and youth. After the installation his spring, the Bishop presided at a special service of dedication, including representatives from our community ministries and  participants who face homelessness. 

So there you have it. Through the shared bench motif, all of these sculptures provide a clear invitation to physically engage in the works by proving room to sit within the piece.

Happy trails.

Ottawa Labour Day Ride: Visiting Sites Dedicated to Workers

Labour Day celebrates workers and the labour union movement across Canada on September 1st of each year. Here is a 5km bike ride that visits four commemorative installations dedicated to workers within the National Capital Region and beyond.

We begin our tour in Chinatown at the corner of Somerset Street and Empress Avenue where you will find the Chinese Canadian Railway Workers Memorial. This memorial pays tribute to the contribution and sacrifice of the 17 000 Chinese Canadian railway workers who helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1880 to 1885.

Chinese Canadian Railway Workers Memorial

leaving the Chinese Canadian Railway Workers Memorial, ride north along quiet Empress Avenue, then east on Primrose Avenue, and then north along Cambridge Street North which turns right and becomes Laurier Avenue. Follow the bike line along Laurier Avenue all the way to City Hall. Just beyond City Hall, before you take the bridge over the Rideau Canal, turn right on the short off-ramp, then turn left along the bike path that heads north under the bridge along the Rideau Canal. Just before reaching Sappers Bridge that passes under Wellington Street, you will encounter a short set of stairs. These have metal troughs along which you can push your bike to avoid having to carry it up the stairs. Ride under the bridge, then down the hill. The canal locks wil be to your right and Parliament Hill high up above to your left. Cross over to the other side of the canal across the second-to-last set of locks closest to the Ottawa River.

Once on the opposite side of the canal you will notice the Rideau Canal Memorial Cross dedicated to hundreds of Rideau Canal workers who died building the Rideau Canal betweem 1826-1832. An accompanying interpretive panel helps to explain the context in which these workers found themselves and the hardships they endured.

Top of lock across the canal
Commemorative Cross dedicated to Rideau Canal workers

Next, head up along the road to the left of the cross. At the top of the hill, turn right into Major’s Hill Park and follow the path indicated on the map to the Canadian Building Trades Monument.

As described in the accompanying stone engraved text, ‘This monument honours and celebrates the tradespeople who build and maintain Canada every day, and commemorates the losses they have endured in the workplace’.

The two principal vertical sculptures depict plumb bobs, tools used in construction since ancient times. The engraving goes on the explain ‘..they symbolize the intersection of earthly gravity and human ingenuity’. A number of other tools are etched into the long horizontal plinths located on either side of the plumb bobs, which double as benches for resting visitors.

Canadian Building Trades Monument

Our final stop on this ride is just across the Ottawa River in Gatineau. Take the boardwalk bike lane over the Alexandra bridge, cross the intersection and continue along the  Sentier de l’Île pathway that runs along Boulevard des Allumettières. Slightly before reaching Boulevard Maisonneuve you will see an interpretive panel dedicated to  Les Allumettières . These were female workers in the local EB Eddy plant who fabricated wooden matches from the 1800’s up until 1928 when the plant closed. The working conditions they endured were extremely dangerous and unhealthy. This interpretive panel goes into more detail on the incredible challenges Les Allumettières encountered.

Have a great Labour Day!