On a schedule

How many days until the Olympics? And did anyone catch the bit on CTV? This morning we opened our email only to find that Peter Grainger’s piece had aired last night around the dinner hour.


A song loop served as background "Have yourself a merry little . . . " for our first crew gathering in the cafe at Westin Bayshore. Missing Erik and Becky, we handed out checks and PBZero jackets and planned our daily travel across the city to the cold studio warehouse. Here they are, Gord, Jaz, Briana and Ari, rough and ready, against the golden lobby, bedecked with sparkling evergreens. Then, a surprise: a voice mail message from the office of the Governor General of Canada, replying to our invitation with a question: what time is the opening of Ice Gate?


Forgot to mention the weather. Brilliant sunshine, arctic blast of air; the mercury hovering between minus 4 and minus 7 celsius.


Yesterday in conversation with the Western Arts Correspondent from The Globe and Mail, (Canada’s national newspaper), Gord observed that around the world, there are places where snow and ice are rarely seen. Countries, where fierce, white winters - once commonplace - are less predictable, occasional, or not at all. That in our warming world, the experience of big ice and snow is becoming precious and memorable.

He was also talking about Paintings Below Zero. Jewel-like, mysterious and beautiful, the work is also fragile, much like the planet on which we live. It’s just a matter of one degree – a slight, seemingly insignificant, silent degree, which is the difference between a thing of beauty and a big, slushy mess. The bird’s eye view from the space shuttle springs to mind, our world, spinning round and round.

"You don't have much time," Marsha Lederman said, referring to the unknowable nature of the work, the breaking, the melting. "You’re on a schedule.” And he said, “I have to be relaxed about it. The medium I’m working with is fragile and ephemeral.” As we are.


This is Erwin Mah, a very capable and intelligent gentleman who hosted us for breakfast at the gracious dining room at The Westin Bayshore upon our arrival. A good meeting, lots of exciting ideas. Now homework.

Erik Olson arrives from Calgary tonight. He and Jaz have been with us since 2006, Turin. see: www.paintingsbelowzero.blogspot.com

The adventure begins

Linsey Hull took these photos, and I just love them. Here they are at Northwest Contracting during the CTV interview, which hasn't aired yet. Allan May has been so resourceful and professional and just downright affable - easy to work with - thorough. And best, excited about the challenge, loving the work. The wall is as sturdy and tight as it can be; now it's just the engineer to sign off on it. It's December already. Tomorrow, we begin in the city.



Early ferry. A breakfast meeting. Afternoon, an interview with The Globe & Mail. Last minute logistics - a cell phone, setting up our transportation across town with the crew. I'm bringing our embroidered black Paintings Below Zero jackets. Checks and contracts. Squash racquets. Just heard today that our lodging in Richmond for February will work out. Eight weeks 'til opening. I'm excited.

Press on

At the last rehearsal for Performance for Ice Gate Sunday, Judith and Julien Mathieu, two of the dancers, presented us with Westworld Magazine, where a full color photo of Paintings Below Zero at Millennium Park in Chicago (above) promoted the upcoming Ice Gate. Ten weeks to go - the excitement is palpable. (Photo by Patrick Pyszka).


Yesterday CTV's Peter Grainger interviewed Gord for two and a half hours in his studio for a special documentary report on Ice Gate. He's going to follow the process - from the making & breaking of the paintings - to the installation of the wall on the site - to the installation of the paintings on the wall - to the opening. Then we got an email today - the piece will probably air on Monday, December 7th on CTV. Tune in!


He brought Adrian Goldberg, who is CTV's Olympic lighting director to light the set and Ron Fisher, cameraman. We met Peter in the nineties, when he worked for CBC and created a short doc on the early ice paintings - he was the first television reporter to do a story. So it was great to see him -- and Adrian, our lighting guy from Chicago's mammoth installation, Ice Wall.


Then they all piled up to Northwest Contracting across the highway where Allan May's crew has constructed the housing which contains the wall.



Linsey Hulls took this photograph for another article. (See selectphotography.ca)

We just found out where we're going to be staying for December and January - what a relief! Now we can figure out the logistics of so many things: crew transport, cell phone requirements, food, crew meetings, even fitness! With only one weekend to go before we're skedded to begin the project in Richmond, it couldn't have been more welcome news.

Everything, poised to begin

THE PRESS HAS ALREADY BEGUN: Science Magazine in Washington, D.C. used an image from the Ice Wall installation to illustrate crystalnucleation. The 2010 official souvenir program was published with a color photo of the artist installing yellow shards at Millennium Park.



Two weeks ago, Gord was interviewed for an article in Coast Life by Jan de Grasse. And this week Sarah Nicholson is gathering info for an feature in Just Business. We got calls from CTV and The Globe & Mail.


We met with San Francisco, that magical city. And after all the conversations with interested parties, it was City Hall that captured our imagination for a future installation. Thankfully, the sun shone the whole week.





Nothing wrong with that. Because back home on the Sunshine Coast, where the crew was putting together the structure, it was raining pole cats and dogs, stair rods and old wives. It was pouring to beat the band. The devil was whipping his wife. It was raining ropes. And when the skies parted, the crew went back to work.



















Now the whole structure is shiny, designed to be air tight once the glass is installed. We're waiting to hear back from the engineer, who'll put his stamp on the plans. Then - believe it or not, the whole kit and kaboodle will be disassembled - and carted to Richmond, where it will be re-installed on the site.



The date for the opening of ICE GATE has been changed to correspond with the Olympic Torch Relay in Richmond, and is now February 9th, in the early evening.

In Vancouver, Ari worked out the important agreements with the cold storage location where we'll make the paintings. We're being inundated with INTERN replies to a Craig's List ad for help with the project. Erik Olson is in town; the painting Core Crew is gathering.

But there are questions: among them: we still don't know where we're going to stay in Richmond, and the time for the opening of ICE GATE has not yet been determined. Meanwhile, local dancers are cutting a rug at The Seaside Center rehearsing for Performance for Ice Gate. See www.icegatedance.blogspot.com

Ode to fall

We ventured into the city for a meeting with Adrian Goldberg, primo lighting guy (he's doing Olympic lighting for C-tv but that's certainly not his only claim to fame). And we encountered this ukulele player and singer Ralph Shaw, who brought me to tears singing "Somewhere over the rainbow . . ."


It was a day that made you ache just to witness it - the bright yellows and oranges, the blue water along Coal Harbor and crisp, cool air.



Below: Adrian and Gord, at the bar, working it out on napkins.

It's up and it's skookum!

The back of the wall.

Check out those details: the topic of discussion in the endless conversations with hands going this way and that, with scribbles and crude drawings on envelopes, napkins, pieces of plywood -- the details -- to ensure that the structure will be air tight, water tight, strong enough to hold the weight of the glass, the metal, the ice -- here they are.

Plates

Here's a blast from the past: Erik Olson and Gord Halloran in the square at Fortezza di Fenestrelle, waiting for the plates to be set up in the church -- for the installation for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Check out the alps in the background, the snow everywhere. www.paintingsbelowzero.blogspot.com


These same plates - they've been to Italy, Toronto, Niagara-on-the-lake and Chicago.


Now, they're on the Sunshine Coast at Northwest Contracting, where it's fall, it's sunny.