'Breathe'

On this holiday we enjoyed seeing Venice from the top deck of a cruise ship three times.

We arrived here at the end of our first cruise from Barcelona.  Then a week later we left here on a cruise thru the Greek islands... and then came back to Venice where we've spent another three days.

The first time, our cruise ship director announced we were approaching Venice so those without balconies could get positions on the top decks to enjoy the spectacular views.... hence not everyone could get front rail locations.

When we saw this church with a huge sculpture in front of it, there was lots of speculation as to what it was.  Later we learned that this little island is called San Giorgio Maggiore and there were some significant art and sculptures on display here.  It was just across from the Piazza San Marco at the entrance to the Giudecca Canal.

Was it a man or a woman?  Why no arms?  We all had a lot more questions than answers until we did some research.

So on Sunday morning Shirley and I took a vaporetto to this island to get a closer look... and find answers to our questions.

A vaporetto is the most used form of transportation here in Venice.  It is like a water bus that can carry from 100 to 150 or more people... and stops along it's route to drop off and pick up people.

This is an 11 metre (35 foot) high inflatable version of the monumental marble work by Mark Quinn called 'Alison Lapper Pregnant' a portrait of a disabled pregnant woman, Alison Lapper.  The base is about 8 feet high and contains the motors and equipment to keep this art inflated.

Can you imagine the challenge of creating this piece of art out of vinyl... kind of like making a hot air balloon. Once one gets close you can see the seams.

The original marble version of this work was installed in London's Trafalgar Square (2005-07).  'Breathe' was the centrepiece of the London's Paralympic Games' opening ceremony 2012... and is now on display here in Venice.

To see photos of the artist with Alison Lapper and the 2005 newspaper story click on this link.

The work seems to describe the journey of an image when it becomes part of cultural discourse: something without boundaries of scale, held up by the breath of those talking about it, a visitor from the virtual world in our minds.

Held in place by blown air, 'Breathe' is one amazing piece of work which showcases the story of Alison Lapper, who, after discovering she was pregnant decided to have her child, despite the difficulties of her physical condition and the prejudices of society.

She eventually gave birth to a healthy boy.  After featuring in the 2012 Paralympics opening ceremony in London, 'Breathe' was universally acknowledged as a monument of female heroism.

Alison Lapper, a friend of Marc Quinn, was born with no arms and shortened legs due to chromosomal condition called Phocomelia. Her mother rejected her and she was brought up in a care home.  Now a recognized artist, she was awarded an MBE in 2003 and featured with her son in the BBC series 'Child of Our Time'.  (MBE is an award for the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.)

To see Mark Quinn with the original 11-foot marble sculpture that went to Trafalgar Square click here.

In a future blog post we will show more of Mark Quinn's sculptures which were on display on this small island.  Without a doubt this was one of the most inspirational sites we visited in Venice.

"A piece of art is never a finished work.  It answers a question which has been asked, and asks a new question." -Robert Engman

Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

We always enjoy the time we get to spend at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Every trip here I learn something new.  This time I learned how this site got its name.

Legend has it that in the 1800's a young brave wanted to witness the plunge of buffalo as his people drove them to their deaths over the cliffs.  Standing under the shelter of a ledge, he watched the great beasts fall past him.

The hunt was unusually good that day.  As the bodies mounted, he became trapped between the animals and cliff.  When his people came to do the butchering, they found him with his skull crushed by the weight of the buffalo carcasses.

Thus they named the site "Head Smashed-In."  You can hardly detect the building, designed right over the cliffs into the hillside, designed by architect Robert La blonde.  We met Mr. La blonde in the late 1990's... he flew out to Kelowna to try to sell us his services for the Cove Resort project.

In his portfolio Robert showed us his award winning design of Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.  That was the first we had heard of this place.  This six level facility follows up the hillside and is built right over the archaeological dig site, the cliffs... everything.  Absolutely incredible piece of work.

We could get right up close to this excavation and see the bones buried over hundreds of years ago.

Our tour inside the facility began in a theatre with a 15-minute movie of a buffalo hunt where the beasts were herded towards the cliffs where they stampeded to their death.

We then ascended to the sixth level where we could walk out onto the top of the cliffs...

Piles of rock held branches behind which the natives hid to scare the buffalo and make them stampede.

As I was walking back into the Interpretative Centre we could see the hillside where the buffalo were funnelled towards the cliffs.  For a moment I thought I could see a buffalo in the distance... but it was just  the neighbour's cattle.

It was quite amazing how this facility was designed into the hill and they captured the feeling in actual scale with real stuffed buffalos.

Numerous exhibits tell the story of the Blackfoot, how they utilized the buffalo, wasting very little.

Architectural details included custom made carpet with buffalos.  Pretty cool!

“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.” -Phillip Johnson

As a bonus there was a temporary exhibit of 16 Legend Paintings done by students at Outreach Central in Fort McLeod.  Guidance was provided by a First Nations youth worker and an artist in residence.

Vibrant colours and strong images portray legends that are centuries old.  Space does not permit showing them all... but these kids did some awesome pieces of art.  Both Shirley and I really liked their show.

We arrived here at Head Smashed-In after 3 PM and basically had the place to our selves... until a couple of school groups from Calgary arrived and breezed thru the place.

From the Buffalo Jump site we could see these wind generators in the distance. What  a glorious afternoon.

Heading back to Calgary it was fascinating to watch the clouds... it had been snowing and raining all around us to the north.  We left Calgary in a snow shower... and now it was breaking up.

I was amazed to see two of these huge Case crawlers rolling down the highway at 50 mph pulling a cultivator with liquid fertilizer tank... looks like it can cover 36-40 feet in a single pass.  Things have changed a lot since my days on the farm.