George K. Ilsley's Blog, page 10

western front front

The Western Front is an artist-run centre here in Broma.  During the 2010 Olympics the western front of the building was greatly enhanced, as shown here, as the Western Front Front.  One gathers that the Olympic funders did not see the mocking implied by the big fake facade, by a building (or event) pretending to be grander than it actually is.  Is perception reality?  Meant to be a temporary installation, it is, as of today, still in place, still poking fun at a wide range of facades.

flight plan

Originally posted November 22, 2007

In the cemetery in Dawson, an airplane propellor is used as a grave marker.  Plastic flowers on graves are popular here, as are tupperware containers whose contents must remain mysterious.

theme parks for the dead

Originally posted November 21, 2007

For many reasons I tend to view cemeteries as destinations.  They are parks for strolling, or when travelling, are tourist attractions.  This is a view of the Yukon River from the cemetery overlooking Dawson, taken when I first arrived in October.  This cemetery has a number of features, including crib-like picket fences and old illegible wooden grave markers.  This is actually the third gravesite; the first, by the Yukon, was prone to flooding and erosion, ...

broma recycling

As seen in Broma:  an old TV is used to keep the rain off a fire hydrant.

tin tombstone

Originally posted November 17, 2007

This shot is from a month ago of a tin tombstone in the cemetery overlooking Dawson.  Looks normal from a distance, but up close reveals itself as a facade, evocative of the western fronts adorning the heritage buildings in town.  The worst part of this tin tombstone is that it is riddled with bullet holes, with the bullets exiting towards the town.  Ouch.

rush hour in dawson

Originally posted November 12, 2007

There is a subway station in Dawson City, part of what was to be a global network designed by the conceptual artist Martin Kippenberger (see Subway to Nowhere Part of Kippenberger's Legacy).  This picture is a recent installation by Claudia Borgna called Rush Hour in Dawson. Claudia has been an artist in residence in Dawson City for the past few weeks, through the residency program at KIAC.  For a small town, Dawson has an amazingly vibrant arts community...

the universe

the universe:

One of the coolest things ever seen on the web.  From the smallest to the largest, in one continuous graphic.

broma debate

The inhabitants of Broma are engaged in a fierce debate.  Do they refer to themselves as "Bromites" or "Bromistas"?

We are all entitled to our opinions.  I personally prefer Bromite, although perhaps if  I lived in Broma and I worked in a coffee shop, I might prefer Bromista.

midnight dome

Originally posted November 11, 2007

Finally made it all the way up to the Midnight Dome.  On the summer solstice, people in Dawson hike up here to celebrate the longest day of the year, when the sun sets at 11:30 p.m.  The view is spectacular in all directions.  This is the view looking down the Yukon River, towards Alaska.  The last photo posted, the sunset, was taken from part-way up the Dome and looking up river.

sunset and beauty

Originally posted November 7, 2007

Taking shots of the sunset today at first I was trying to avoid the communication towers so they wouldn't "ruin" the view.  Then I decided to embrace the towers.  Without these towers and satellite dishes I wouldn't have an internet connection and wouldn't be able to access the outside world.  These towers make it possible to take a picture and post it on my blog.

A local magazine (Yukon, North of Ordinary) has a cover story describing how the internet and...