Hamilton - A Space for Imagination

A friend recently recorded a cover of Willy Wonka's "Pure Imagination" song, and for the first time in years, the lyrics meant something to me.  I was wandering out in the city with the tune playing on my ipod and couldn't help but see Hamilton as my own little paradise.

Look and Listen...

Willy Wonka: 
[Spoken] 
Hold your breath 
Make a wish 
Count to three 

[Sung] 
Come with me 
And you'll be 
In a world of 
Pure imagination 
Take a look 
And you'll see 
Into your imagination 

We'll begin 
With a spin 
Traveling in 
The world of my creation 
What we'll see 
Will defy 
Explanation 

If you want to view paradise 
Simply look around and view it 
Anything you want to, do it 
Wanta change the world? 
There's nothing 
To it 

There is no 
Life I know 
To compare with 
Pure imagination 
Living there 
You'll be free 
If you truly wish to be...


  

The Birds (of Eastport Drive)

"Whatever is, is worth observing." -Karel Capek

                       

Nostalgia

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Here are some note-worthy quotes from this film:

"Perhaps no municipality can lay claim to greater achievements than the health, education and opportunity that it can provide for its future citizens."

"But the people who know and love Hamilton best are those who live there and take an active interest in its civic, its cultural, and its religious life.  Those who call Hamilton home.  For Hamiltonians are proud of their homes and the total absence of slum districts.”

"Here in the fire, smoke and thunder of a thousand moving forces, men toil and sweat for a brighter Canada and a better world.  Yes, Hamilton is a city of industry, for beauty is as beauty does."

Should Art be the New Steel?

Zollverein Coking Plant, modern works swimming-pool in industrial surroundings, Essen.  Photo: Manfred Vollmer

Last month the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Toronto presented “Cities that Work - The Ruhr Meets Hamilton,” an exhibit featuring the work of Manfred Vollmer and Studio 12, a photographic artists’ collective that started about 2 years ago including works by Shirley Dennis, Mary Gilmour, Todd Murray, John Overmeyer, Martin Renters and Ruth Renters.

The images in the city of Essen, taken by Vollmer, depict the architectural landscapes of former industrial sites that have been transformed into cultural landmarks and centers (examples shown above and below).  These were contrasted against 18 images of Hamilton, produced by Studio 12.

These images really brought to life the phrase I've been seeing reprinted on t-shirts around Hamilton lately, "Art is the New Steel."  What exactly does that mean?  I think it means different things to different people.  To some, it is an attempt to re-package the Hamilton we know as Steel Town.  It offers us a different perspective on the "industrial behemoth" stereotype that has been attached to the city.  It reminds us that there is more to Hamilton than what is recognized by the outside world.  A (thriving) city never inhabits just one type of person.  In this way, I appreciate this new idea as it helps us identify with parts of the city, and people that were once below the radar.  It has given people a fresh glimpse of Hamilton and the creativity and talent and ideas that dwell within.

Having said that...

While I appreciate this idea of "Art is the New Steel" I also reject it as an absolute.  I have two concerns with it, the first being that when a city puts all of its eggs in one basket it risks becoming too dependent on that particular area, as we have just learned with Hamilton's fading dependency on the Steel Industry.  I also caution against this new re-branding because it fails to recognize those who have been displaced by the change in our local economy.  What identity are we forcing people into?  Are steelworkers the new artists?  What about everybody else?  Is this re-branding perhaps too specific, and limiting?

I wonder if the day will ever come when I will swim in a pool surrounded by one of our local factories, as compared to the image above of the Coking Plant in Essen.  How would I feel sun-bathing against the backdrop of an empty industrial site?  On one hand I like how it shows a clever ability to adapt to whatever comes our way, but it should also serve as a reminder that there was/is life in such places.  That life does not distinguish or disappear when a company decides to shut things down.

I believe us Hamiltonians have a strong ability to reclaim whatever mess comes our way.  However, I sincerely hope that there will be a place for everybody in the future of Hamilton.   

Entrance to Ruhr Museum at former coal-mine Zeche Zollverein, reconstructed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, Essen / Photo: Manfred Vollmer

Recognition for Protesters

Photo Courtesy of Paul Quest

 If you tried driving through the downtown core last Saturday then you'll know what I mean when I say Hamilton showed up.  Over 10,000 people gathered to demonstrate their intolerance toward the practices of US Steal (not Steel).  Among the protesters were the United Steelworkers Local 1005,  Energy and Paperworkers Union members, Canadian Union of Public Employees, McMaster University students and many others.

This was a historical gathering not only for Hamilton but for all those being squeezed by the hands of economic globalization, of which US Steal is inclusive to.  As Mr. Leo Gerard, USW international president said, “These fights are happening across the country now and everywhere on earth... This is a struggle for a sovereign Canada and a diverse economy."  I struggle to accept corporate globalization because it creates universalities.  It forces the local to comply with the global, causing cities and nations to give up their own identity and way of functioning.  Many people cuddle up to the idea of the world becoming one place.  Leave such thoughts for Facebook photo albums and alert yourself to the real damage and real distortion caused by such ideals.

On my way to the protest I was asked by someone if I thought we were really making a difference.  I didn't know how to answer that.  I think it won't make a difference in the minds of certain individuals.  It seems corporate conscience has been seared beyond repair.  Protesting reflects what is happening on the ground.   I do not agree with US Steal robbing 9,000 retirees of their pensions.  Whether or not this situation is made right, there must be resistance.  Being a mere spectator of such events is inadequate.

In recognizing the struggle of others, we recognize ourselves.  As Charles Taylor writes in The Politics of Recognition, "Due recognition is not just a courtesy we owe people.  It is a vital human need."  We are shaped by the recognition, or its absence, that we receive from others.  US Steal has been shameless in failing to recognize the local practices of Canadian workers.  Instead, workers are being conditioned to accept the poor standards of an ever-emerging global economy.

I think of US Steal like I think of Pacman.  It's comparative to a round, yellow blob that floats through a maze gobbling up the local blinky's.  What will Pacman do when he is all alone but remains hungry?  Will he eat himself?  That could be a challenge as he has no hands of his own, or feet, or body for that matter.

My point is, where do we draw the line with over-empowerment that depends on under-empowerment? Peggy McIntosh writes in her essay White Prvilege and Male Privilege that privilege may confer power, but it doesn't confer moral strength.  Those who are underprivileged have traits and qualities that never develop in those who's jobs require otherwise.  In this way, the US Steal company is robbing itself of richness it cannot afford. Poor US Steal - they are at best, thoughtless.

Here's to local life in the midst of global strife. 

Place-Based Policy - Prescription for Healthy Neighbourhoods?

Dr. Jim Dunn spoke last night at the Hamilton Spec to further discussions stemming from the Code Red report of April 2010.  Since then, many groups and individuals have taken notice of poverty within the city, looking for ways to act upon and make Hamilton, “the best place to raise a child.”  We were reminded that poverty in Hamilton has a ripple effect on all of us, no matter where we live.  It inhibits economic growth (if nothing else is of concern), and its self-perpetuating effects are devastating. It is one thing to be poor, it is quite another thing to be poor in a poor neighbourhood with no resources or exposure to networks or careers etc.  This is why we, as Hamiltonians, must care.

It was unfamiliar to hear someone say that poverty in Hamilton is not only unnecessary, unfair and unjust, but also avoidable.  That was a new idea for me.  I’ve always relied on phrases that suggest, “the poor will always be with us.”  Such ideals have taught me to accept my partly impoverished city as such.  This must change. 

So how do we address concentrated neighbourhood poverty?  One suggestion made last night by Dr Dunn (of whose ideas I am paraphrasing entirely) was to introduce Place-Based Policy.  This means approaching the city from the bottom up, beginning with area-based initiatives.  It means delegating responsibility to the neighbourhood level, and focusing on community empowerment.  Thus, one could look within their neighbourhood to address the following:
Physical Capital - When you look around do you see any land, buildings, architecture, streets, heritage, or natural features that are worthy of our attention and seen as valuable? 
Economic Capital - How does business look? Employment opportunities? Disposable income?  Amenities?  Transportation? 
Human Capital - What skills, knowledge, credentials and capacity do you see within yourself and others? 
Social Capital - What are relationships like with each other in our neighbourhood or chosen community?  Can these groups organize themselves?
Cultural Capital - What symbolic goods and knowledge are people associating themselves with?  What place identity and image are people internalizing within their sphere?

As a city, we need to align ourselves with a clear focus.  We need to be more concerned with participation.  We need to challenge our government to be less functional and more holistic.  We need to be willing to evaluate and correct ourselves.  Let’s take stock of the possibilities for Hamilton because,  “Together, we can create a made-in-Hamilton action plan.”

Food Service Workers Serve Up Some Justice

This past Friday members of the SEIU Local 2 ratified a new contract along side McMaster's administration with over 90% approval.  The service employees will be going back to work, knowing that job security threats and the potential to 'casualize' their jobs have been distinguished.  The union's chief negotiator, Ted Mansell, said "It’s inspiring to see the community coming together to protect good jobs for Hamilton’s working families."  Truly, it was encouraging to know many students, faculty and members of the community recognized the importance of making this situation right.

I'm thankful that McMaster, one of the community's largest employers, is following through with their mission to "... serve the social, cultural, and economic needs of our community and society."  I will be going back to class on Monday with a little more trust in the administration's decision making skills.  I will also have much earned respect for the people who keep us nourished everyday on campus.  They are teachers in their own right, as this has been a lesson learned.  Let's hope future 'food fights' stay inside the cafeteria.

Beyond the Picket Lines

"To whom much is given, much is required."

How disappointing it is, as a student, to find that the leaders within the education system that have been thought of respectfully, can be found setting an embarrassing example to their students and the entire city of Hamilton.  I'm referring to the present conflict between the food service workers on campus (members of the SEIU Local 2) and the university administration.
When I first heard that these workers were picketing, I thought I would hear both sides of the story before having any personal convictions about it.  Unfortunately, after contacting both the food service employees and the administration personnel, I have only received responses from the picketers.   Borrowing lyrics from Alison Krauss, "You say it best, when you say nothing at all."  Thus, I am regretfully only capable of telling one side of the story at this present time.
As I understand it, the university administration is responsible for attempting to change the job security language within the worker's contract which will ultimately allow for their position to be replaced by 'casual employees.'  This means that the many single mothers who depend on these jobs to support their families, could look much like the rest of Hamilton - living below the poverty line, scraping by on social assistance with no way out.  I cannot comprehend how in such financially insecure and jobless times, the administration could conceive of adding to the enormous demand already faced by Hamilton, which includes creating jobs that pay a proper living wage.  This is detrimental to our local economic climate as it creates a larger gap between the have's and the have-not's.  I am ashamed that the university I belong to would succumb to old-school greed, instead of setting a new standard that the city desperately needs.

Photo by Diego Mendez, taken from Rabble.ca

I hope my next blog post will be celebrating the wise and appropriate decisions made by my university administration to reconsider the rotten bologna they are trying to feed all of us, (which our beloved food service workers would never do.)

The Culture of Education (Part 1)

- The Girls of Wellesley College, 1953

"Q:Who knocks at the door of learning?
A: I am every woman.
Q: What do you seek?
A: To awaken my spirit through hard work and dedicate my life to knowledge.
- Then you may enter here, all who seek to follow you."

Although far from being a 'Wellesley girl', I am a student, and a fortunate one at that.  I think of those in my own community who will not receive a traditional ‘education‘ due to financial reasons, family dynamics, or feeling ill-suited for the task.  As I examine my daily practices of school, I certainly don’t take it for granted.  Having said that, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t rituals within campus life that make me want to fall on a sharpened pencil and never recover. 
This blog is one that seeks to explore the everyday practices that make up a particular space.  Therefore we must look at some within the school system.  I'm starting with the most basic practices of everyday school that I struggle to understand, such as:
The school schedule.  I have certain classes at 8:30am, followed by a few hours of nothingness, followed by classes that finish at 9pm.  Other days, I have two classes back-to-back with 10 minutes in between them.  This makes for excellent sprinting exercises as these classes are conveniently located at opposite ends of the campus. Thus, I can be found stomping over fellow students two-and-fro with my heavy books in hand.  This scenario does great things to help me mentally prepare for my next lecture as I enter it huffing and puffing, while trying not to disrupt the brown-noser’s that always manage to get there before me.  I could also do without the 3 hour line-ups to finalize my OSAP payments at the beginning of each term. 
So why do I bother?
As Katherine Watson would say in Mona Lisa Smile, I bother because, “Not all who wander are aimless, especially those who seek truth beyond tradition, beyond definition, beyond the image.”   Thus, I wander there within.  I put up with the culture of education because I hope I might find something of great use within it.  When I’m making my way to school I see the city that surrounds me and I want to know where I fit into it.  Who are my people?  What can I do?  How do I help?  How am I harming?  I’m here because I’m looking for answers.
Of course there are aspects of school culture that sincerely delight me.  These would include the ‘A-Ha!’ moments of learning new ideas, or speaking personally with a professor that I admire, or bearing witness to the funny comment made by the kid in lecture who enjoys raising his opinions over his 400 fellow classmates.
When I think of what is to follow earning my ‘piece of paper’ I have no resting place.  I don’t believe university promises me anything by way of receiving a job.  This concerns me because I have more debt than I do assets.  I live with my mother.  I currently have no job, no boyfriend, no plans for marriage and children.  Quite the resume I’d say! 
In all of my classes I'm told to think critically.  I do not exclude thinking in such terms about the very space in which that is taught.  If I gain nothing else from my education in university, I hope to contribute to my sphere of influence the practices that invent educational space.  Isn't it time we came up with new learning practices?

Santa's Little Helpers, The Others

It's Christmas Eve and I'm thinking about Hermey the Elf.  Remember him?  He was one of Santa's Helpers who didn't want to make toys; he didn't have a knack for it like all the other elves.  Instead, he had dreams of becoming a dentist.  Creepy.  When I think about it, the whole concept of Santa's Helpers is a bit 'off.'  As a child, it seemed natural to me to think there were little people on some far side of the world who liked making me toys.  My parents remember me asking if elves ever get tired of working for Santa.  As I understood, this is what they were created to do.  Elves wouldn't be happy otherwise.  Santa's Helpers lived for this stuff.  All was perfectly acceptable in my 5 year old mind.  In fact, it gave me more incentive to be a good little girl, and not a naughty one, so I could help the elves fulfill their purpose in making me more toys.
I'm a bit older now, and I wonder if I could feed this fairytale to other children.  I would want my kids to experience the wonder and imagination that can come with Christmas, but not at the cost of skewing reality to this extent.
Let's examine the elf figure.  Elves are "other."  Elves look different from us regular folk.  They have smaller bodies, bigger ears and perma-smiles.  They live far away from us.  They work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they like it.  They work at Santa's Headquarters which often resembles a factory assembly line; dream-like working conditions for the little workers.  They thrive off the efficiency.    We can accept this because they aren't really people, in the sense that we are people.  The minor separation between us and them makes it ok, right?  We're of a different kind. 
So, where do our toys come from?  Who makes them?  Are these toy makers happy?  Are they smiling?  Do they live to please a Santa figure?  Do they have a choice?
I think if the day comes when I'm responsible for telling my kids a Christmas story, it won't revolve around an ideology that benefits our comfortable lifestyle.  Our Christmas story has greed plastered all over it to the point that we can't even admire a tree in its natural habitat.  We have to chop it down and prop it up in our living rooms and accessorize the sap out of it.  Why not go for a walk and admire the natural beauty of a pine tree? 
It's time to re-invent Christmas.  I'm bored with it, and these toys suck.

Bingo, Our Chance At Happiness

I played Bingo this weekend.  It was my first time.  I did it because there was a big flashy sign that told me “Happiness is Shouting Bingo” as I walked down King St.  Who doesn’t want happiness?!  Not me, so I gave it a try.  I wanted to see first hand what this happiness looked like. It turned out to be unhappy, at least for me.  If I could rephrase the Bingo slogan it would say something like, “While happiness may be experienced for the one person shouting bingo, there is no happiness to be found for anyone else playing.” Put that in your dabber and stamp it. 
I know quite a few people who would find my critique offensive because Bingo is near and dear to their hearts and if that is you, please know I mean no harm to the hopeful bingo player.  My words go out to those who wish to examine both sides of the bingo card.  While there might be some convincing arguments for the temporary pleasure found in Bingo Culture, is there not also some measure of pain?  Bingo is a $6 billion Industry in North America.  I'm curious as to why that is.  What's the hook?  

Upon arrival to the Bingo Hall, I asked how much it would be for a bingo book that I overheard the people in front of me order and the reply was $35.  $35?!  I didn’t have that much money to spend on luck so I bought one card for a twoonie, and I was generously lent a bingo ink dabber as I hadn’t come equipped with my own.  I immediately felt at a disadvantage.  To make matters worse, I forgot to bring my lucky charms!  Doh!  There goes my chance at happiness.  This $35 charge was due to the “Big Win” that happens on the first Saturday of each month of $100,000.  I had an interesting conversation with one gentlemen who was playing next to me.  He looks forward to the big win the first Saturday of every month and will sacrifice a portion of his social assistance check to do so. That's $35 of his monthly $585. 
I was immediately not buying into this ideology of happiness.  Ideology is very sly you know. It contains a measure of truth masked in untruth.  It takes us to a place we ache to go.  It paints a picture of security, of pleasure, of the things that are currently lacking from our everyday lives.  What it fails to offer is the reason why these things are lacking in our lives and conceals the reality that most of us will never attain what it promises. In the example of Bingo, that one ‘lucky’ person might be happy yelling bingo, but the majority will remain completely isolated from it.  I think the downtown core of Hamilton doesn’t need an illusion of luck, lurking over us on King St.  We don’t need fairy tales and dreams of the good life, we need something entirely tangible, that will carry us out of such toxic ideologies.
My mom told me the Bingo Hall I went to used to be called Kresges, which was a big department store of some kind with a bakery and other such things.  Maybe that’s a step in the right direction.  Maybe that’s only a more appealing ideology.  I’m more interested in what is being done to counter-act the products of mass culture.  If people enjoy a friendly game of Bingo once in a while then they are welcome to it, but what alternatives are being offered to the people who aren't happy playing bingo but have come to view it as a last hope, or as a cycle of addiction?  How is greater awareness being brought into the public sphere that gives us a true sense of moving forward?  What are we consenting to with the choices we are given?  Let’s create new choices for ourselves, new places of vitality instead of operating in these old culture hubs based on mass standardization.  The answers are here, hibernating within each one of us.
Curious about Bingo Culture? Click on this link: http://www.bingothedocumentary.com/clips/whatsabout.MOV

Christ's Cathedral, Maker's Market

http://www.makersmarket.ca/

As I opened the big wooden doors to the church that’s celebrating its 175th anniversary, I was surprised to find the flood of movements and activities bustling on the inside.  At first, my senses were in over drive with the beautiful architecture of the old church and the stained glass windows, not to mention the Carols that echoed off the high ceilings from the grand piano amidst the conversations had between vendors and shoppers.  If any skeptics are questioning this temple becoming a ‘den of thieves’ you can be certain this market is worthy of our praise, and our money. 
At Christ’s Church Cathedral, what’s being offered by the Maker’s Market comes with the community supporter’s best interests in mind.  I loved that I was offered a handful of fresh Kale Chips upon entry, which was next to the booth selling bean sprouting supplies and books on “How to Save Your Seeds.”  (A personal interest that I’m discovering more about.) 
The health conscious and the environmentally conscious have their place here, and so do the refurbishers. There seemed to be a trend of local artists and designers who have a knack for finding old treasures and making them new again.  There were two such items I couldn’t leave the market without;  one was a broken rosary made into a necklace with a vintage cameo, and the other was a tie pin made from an old computer “Delete” button.  If this refurbishing trend found at the Maker’s Market is an example of the trends happening within the city of Hamilton, I think we are being crafted in good hands.  I get excited when I think of Hamilton being reinvented as more of its people are developing an eye for the (old) treasures hidden within.  As the Maker’s Market reflects the re-creations happening in the downtown core, it also gives us a chance to support the local economy as we invest in our very own artists, artisans and farmers.   

contact Sherri to recreate your old jewelery pieces: tremblaysl@hotmail.com

One thing I was reminded of when visiting this cathedral, were the words Jesus used to described his followers - Living Temples.  Whether you consider yourself a believer or not, I think we could all believe in the hidden life within ourselves.  Each one of us carries a piece of life that no one else can house.  We each function as a temple would - with a set of practices and perceptions for living out our beliefs.  All that to say, be sure you check out what the Maker’s Market has to offer and while you’re at it, explore this concept; What’s in your temple?

A Neighbourhood Living Room

http://heartofthehammer.wordpress.com/

"We must not build housing, we must also build communities." - M Burton

Were it not for a friend that introduced me to the ever-so quaint Heart of the Hammer Cafe, I tragically would’ve overlooked it.  Driving on King St East, one is not exactly encouraged to slow down along the 4 lanes of one-way traffic to check out what’s being offered by the South Stipeley neighbourhood.  Since visiting this cafe, it quietly calls out to me every time I drive by, which is why I made my second visit to the cafe last night.
Just shy of its one year anniversary, Heart of the Hammer Cafe was birthed when Rebecca Doll saw a for rent sign in the window of the old Apollo sport’s bar.  What began as a hobby and personal interest in cafe culture, has become a 112 hour work week for the most-dedicated Rebecca.  She started out with something money can’t buy and that’s community.  From the street sign to the table lamps to the fridge in the back kitchen, everything has been made possible by the donations and efforts of the community.  Last time I checked, I couldn’t order that at Starbuck’s.  Rebecca has a very sincere and inclusive approach to running the cafe which allows for the input of anyone who visits.  Rebecca lets the community decide what they want the cafe to be, which explains the very busy schedule that includes book club, crafts, music and entertainment, art displays, and vinyl night among many other events.  She also brings to the cafe her own flare for French culture with her keen knowledge of fine cheeses, meats and wines, which was generously shared with my mom and I as the midnight shipment arrived.  Perfect timing!  My mom described her visit to the cafe as she would visiting a family member in their home, receiving the best the host had to offer us.  We couldn’t pull ourselves away from the conversation we had with Rebecca and other new friends and actually stayed 2 hours past closing.  The Heart of the Hammer certainly rings true, as this tiny space functions as any heart would, supporting life in Hamilton with every beat. 

Seeing the City

Before the fall of the World Trade Centre in ’01, there was a poster on the 110th floor of one of the towers that read It’s hard to be down, when you’re up.  The irony of such a statement has painfully proven itself wrong in the physical sense, but there are other implications that come with towering above a city, and what that implies for those under foot. In relation to Hamilton, I was up in the sense that I used to live on the Hamilton Mountain, but on the inside, I was down as I was detached from the heart of the city.  

I write this post to those who don’t frequent the downtown Hamilton area, not to condemn, but to highlight what was missing from my own everydayness lived out on the mountain.
About a year ago, my family sold our house on the Hamilton hill and bought a house downtown, to be closer to the center of the city.  I can’t tell you what great things it has done for us, despite the array of confusion received from family members.  My life experience on the mountain was secluded.  I had to get in my car if I wanted to go anywhere and that was usually to Limeridge Mall.  It was this dissatisfaction of my everyday routines that lead me to move downtown.  I often thought that Hamilton, like many other cities in the GTA, didn’t have a core to the city.  For me, downtown Hamilton was nothing more than a drive-thru to get some place else.  How very wrong I was and how very much is changing in my understanding Hamilton. 

Being downtown has freed me from seclusion.  It means I can walk to the center of the city, if only to stare at the fountain in Gore Park.  It means I can walk to the bank, the market, and the library, or check out a couple shops I’m getting to know on King St.  It means I’m getting outside and interacting with many individuals in ways that weren’t possible before.   
In the past 7 months, I’ve met quite a few welcoming neighbours on our street.  The entire area seems to be undergoing a transformation that’s had a unifying effect on all of us.  Everyone here has a story - a conscious reason why they live here. We’ve met a handful of people who came from Toronto and commute to work every morning.  We’ve met others who moved downtown because of the architectural beauty and construction of the homes.  The house to our immediate left is rented by one of the hardest working single moms of two I have ever met.  She also takes pride in the house she rents, and cares for it as her own.  There’s a current of change that my family has been caught up in and I wonder if we would’ve missed it, had we stayed on the mountain. 

Despite my new found love for downtown Hamilton living, I often hike up the Wentworth Stairs to catch a glimpse of the city from above.  There’s a certain illusion of empowerment that comes with seeing the city from its plateau; like a Celestial Eye with all-seeing powers, I can sum up the city in one quick glance.  It temporarily makes the complex readable. It’s a very different view though, one I would argue is incomplete and inaccurate.  As Warren Breckman said, when a city is seen from on high, “Its unruliness is tidied by distance, its mobility is captured in a frieze, its impact on all five senses is reduced to disembodied vision, and will always be different from the city viewed in the street, amid people, and buildings.”  To further explain this concept, think of a film that opens with a cityscape.  The camera will show the city from a distance, but has to zoom in to street level to tell the story.
So it is with Hamilton, if we want to understand our story, we have to get out and start creating it, defining it, and living it out under the figure of the city.  When we explore the secluded places of a city, we begin seeing it as it truly is.  From that place, there is nowhere else to go but up.

My Mom and Memory Lane - Practices of Hamilton Past

Look Mom! No Cavities! 

"A memory is a Prince Charming who stays just long enough to awaken the Sleeping Beauties of our wordless stories." (de Certeau 124)

To the left is a picture of me holding a picture of my mom.  When I told her about this blog, and about my search to explore the everyday in Hamilton, she had no problems sharing with me her memories of life growing up here.  I asked her to indulge us because, "Memories tie us to a place... It's personal, perhaps not interesting to anyone else, but after all that's what gives a neighbourhood its character." (de Certeau 124) If you're the reminiscent type, this one's for you.

Hamilton: My Space, My Home
By Linda Quest

A proud Hamiltonian of 61 years, my earliest fond memories, sights and sounds growing up in Hamilton are:

• The warning bells of the Yummy Man coming.
• The Rag Man yelling out, “Raaags” as he slowly worked his way up and down the alley ways, collecting any give-aways to be recycled.
• Running through the various assortment of sprinklers across the front lawns of West Ave South.
• The Ice Man's pick breaking off chunks of ice for us kids to suck on.
• The clomping of the horses taking baked goods to the local Stinson St Corner Store and the clink of the round iron rings fastened to the curb where the horses would be tied up.
• The sound of ice skates carving up the newly frozen rink the Fire Dept would flood for us on cold winter nights.
• The church bells of St Patrick’s ringing out on my wedding day.
• The many thank you’s received from fellow citizens, young and old, after cleaning their teeth and helping them to overcome fears of visiting the dental office.

After 45 years I’m still privileged to practice Dental Hygiene in dental offices and Long Term Care facilities within Hamilton.  The greatest blessing though, is to be mother and friend to my daughter and son as we all enjoy family and friends in this beautiful city we call Home.

Would you like some Hamilton with your Tim Hortons?

"Good morning, my name is Amanda, thank you for choosing our Tim Hortons location, how may I help you?"  This is my second alarm clock that faithfully goes off at 8 am every Monday morning as I place my order.   I am a weekly Tim Hortons drive-thru aficionado.  (It is easy to do when you have 4 Timmy's locations within 4 blocks from your front door.) I have practiced the art of devouring sour cream glazed donuts since the tender age of 15, when I became an employee of the franchise (which lasted about 3 months.)  That was in 1998, and Tim Hortons has become even more of a Canadian cultural fix in the past 12 years extending beyond the borders of Hamilton to such places as Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Hamilton, giving birth to the first Tim Hortons location, has been defined by this cultural icon.  Within Canada, there are some who describe it as part of the essential Canadian Story.  Pierre Burton suggests, "It is a story of success and tragedy, of big dreams and small towns, of old-fashioned values and tough-fisted business, of hard work and of hockey."  Others, such as Rudyard Griffiths believe, "Surely Canada can come up with a better moniker than the Timbit Nation."
How has Tim Hortons defined you?  How have you defined Tim Hortons?  For some it is the only way to start a day, for others it is a meeting place, where everything from sports to family to business can be discussed.  For others, it is a point of tension based on the methods of coffee bean production, which is part of the Sustainable Coffee Program. Reguardless of what Tim Hortons represents to the individual, I have a hard time imagining Hamilton without Tim Hortons, and an even harder time imagining Tim Hortons without Hamilton.  Here's to being 'Always Fresh', Always Tim Hortons and Always Hamilton.

Art Crawling and the Artist’s Role in Urban Renewal

Experience Hamilton through the eye of Reg Beaudry  www.regbeaudry.com

Like I said, I woke up and I was in Hamilton and as a newby to the downtown central area, I was promptly informed that I must experience the James Street North Art Crawl if I’m to call myself a Hamiltonian.  No sooner did I hear these words, was I on my way.  When I left Hamilton 7 years ago, I had never experienced James Street North.  When I found myself in the midst of the collective that was gathered last night, I understood for the first time what the buzz was all about.  Hamilton is experiencing a renaissance, and I dare say that the local Arts Community are the trailblazers of this path. The very phrase “Art Crawl” suggests an atmosphere that invites people to create and define a given space through their own movements.  This was happening, layer upon artful layer.  I saw people of all walks, gathering from many regions of the city to this one designated neighbourhood.  I saw buildings take on new life forms, serving new purposes.  I heard new conversations between people who would not normally converse.  I was exposed to art I had never before seen, revealing to me new concepts I would not have considered.    I had conversations with people who shared their memories of what James Street used to be; the good, the bad and the ugly.  De Certeau describes this spatial experience as, “An exploration of the deserted places of my memory.” (123) Urban Renewal revives people’s dreams, myths and legends of a place, while bringing to life new ways of operating within it. 
The next morning I went back to view the street in the aftermath.  I found myself overwhelmingly thankful for those who define the space known as James Street.  This is what artists do.  They are in one sense revitalizers of the world’s debris,  moving into neighbourhoods that most would overlook.  What will happen when people start recognizing the value of these practices?  Will artists move on to other neighbourhoods due to gentrification?  Rest assured, if the initiators of James Street North move on to invent other spaces, they can be certain the rest of us will follow - crawling right behind them.

Life in Motion - An Introduction to the 'Art of our Existence'

King & James  (Photo: Paul Quest)

"The everyday has a certain strangeness that does not surface..." (de Certeau 116)

I woke up and I was in Hamilton.  My sense perceptions, of which I am a slave to, were already quick at work on my behalf interacting with the space around me.  The sights, the sounds, and the smells of the city- they came to me without any effort on my part.  I absorbed and consumed the fiber of my surroundings without any conscious involvement in the process.  
This doing is a type of passive thinking that can be described as unconscious reproduction which suggests we are constantly producing and interacting with our surroundings  in ways we do not realize. (Sheringham 127) It also suggests that we do not give ourselves enough recognition for our constant response to the world around us.  As Spinoza once said, "The ability to exist is power."  Certainly, every Hamiltonian can find their place in such a statement, as we influence our surroundings by our most microbe-like responses to them.
What is the connection then, between these seemingly insignificant functions of our everyday practices and the macro-cosmic space surrounding us?  This blog is based on Sheringham's theory that suggests our everyday practices define the spaces we live in.  If that is so, what are we doing to define Hamilton?  I'd like to propose that, "What needs factoring in if one is to apprehend the everyday is not something extra - aesthetic, subjective, or intellectual - added from the outside, but our lived experience of it, our participation and immersion in it." (Sheringham 127)  Defining a space requires our attentive engagement within it.  Walking the city, seeing sights, having conversations - these are all part of the process.  Here's to the first step...