General Update/Rumour thread [Urban Ottawa]

[YOWflier]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

The World Beavertail Congress?

This should be a thing. Seriously.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by ac888yow

This should be a thing. Seriously.

Hmmm, I think I still prefer the NIMBY festival.

Think of how good the house of horrors could be - a playground near a world heritage waterway, a 7-storey building on a traditional mainstreet...the terrifying possibilities are endless.

[sestafanos]

Hey the festival could end with a massive firework show (what we love most here in Ottawa) and a big reveal of Canada's newest tallest building proposal, right in your own backyard!

Why just that, why not aim even taller...world's tallest. We got Dubai to beat. Yes! We had it once in Toronto...about time.

[Marshsparrow]

What ever happened to that Stanley Cup or Grey Cup statue they were going to build - did that ever get done - if not, recycle that proposal for 2017

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

A festival of NIMBYism?

A nationally-significant-grass planting ceremony?

The World Beavertail Congress?

A setbacks festival that would honour city changing setbacks and how that setback was utilized?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

A setbacks festival that would honour city changing setbacks and how that setback was utilized?

Stanley Cup is coming. Feds and City kicked in the needed funds.

Design contest for Stanley Cup Monument in Ottawa kicks off Friday

A design competition to create a monument to the Stanley Cup that would be installed on Sparks Street next year is set to kick-off Friday.


A design competition to create a monument to the Stanley Cup that would be installed next year on Sparks Street is set to kick-off Friday.


The Lord Stanley Memorial Monument group announced Wednesday that the group will have a news conference later in the week to invite Canadian artists and designers to submit their designs.


The winning design will be announced in November and installed at the corner of Sparks Street and Elgin Street in 2017.


The unveiling date links up to a laundry list of milestones, including Canada’s 150th anniversary, the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, the 100th anniversary of the National Hockey League and the 25th anniversary of the Ottawa Senators.


“To mark these anniversaries a celebratory work of public art will be unveiled in Ottawa, the birthplace of the Stanley Cup,” explains a dramatic voice-over in an online video posted Wednesday.


“The design will move us and cause us to reflect on the sport of hockey, its ties to our national identity and the pursuit of excellence,” continues the narrator.


The monument had an original fundraising goal of $7 million, which was later reduced to $4.5 million. This time last year the non-profit was struggling to close the fundraising gap, even with the smaller goal.


Spokesperson Sylvie Bigras said the group will be announcing on Friday that they've reached a goal of $4.2 million. The Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ottawa Senators, the NHL the City of Ottawa and a number of private donors are all on board as financial partners.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2016...anley-cup-monument-in-ottawa-friday.html

[kwoldtimer]

Are we safe in assuming that the Stanley Cup statue will look like a goosed-up Stanley Cup? Yawn. Will it replace the bear sculpture at the Elgin St end of Sparks? I recall there being some controversy about that.

[rocketphish]

More photos:

Massive machines coming to Ottawa for 150th national birthday bash
Machines unlike any other part of 2017 festivities

By Michelle Nash Baker
Ottawa East News, Jun 02, 2016



What’s a national 150th birthday celebration without a large-scale dragon and massive spider?

Well, thanks to Canada’s 2017 organization committee, Canadians won’t have to wonder what a 150th birthday celebration without them is like.

The committee announced on June 1 at the Canadian Museum of Nature that a large-scale dragon, known as Long Ma, and a giant spider, Kumo Ni, will take over a downtown Ottawa street next summer with the goal that the extraordinary machines will help both local residents and tourists alike ring in Canada’s 150th birthday bash.

The machines, which are indeed a sight to see as the dragon breathes fire and the spider's eight legs are enormous, are exactly what Canada and Ottawa need for the big birthday celebration, according to Guy Laflamme, executive director of the Ottawa 2017 organizing committee.

"It will change the way people view Ottawa," Laflamme said at the Ottawa 2017 announcement.

"This will not only be a Canadian first, but a first for North America."

The company behind the curtain of these massive machines is La Machine, a French production company based in Nantes, France.

Laflamme met with the company in 2015, knowing that they would be able to offer a captivating component of the 150 celebration's programming.

“Their majestic creatures and style of roving theatre will enchant and create cherished, unforgettable moments," he said.

The exact location is still yet to be decided, but the entirely free show is set to go on for four to five days, 24 hours a day, to the tune of an orchestra. A team of artists, technicians and theatre designers will be operating the machines.

La Machine constructs the unusual theatre objects with a team of artists, technicians and theatre designers.

“Taking a production of this magnitude to the streets, where a collective imagination, an intangible heritage and a shared identity come into being, is not a trivial matter. A nation’s identity and culture stems from these grassroots,” François Delarozière, artistic director of La Machine said in a statement.

“We hope our art form will connect with and inspire Ottawa residents and all Canadians in 2017.”

Also announced June 1 is that Bell will be the premier partner for the 2017 birthday celebrations.

A Canadian company founded in 1880 — only 13 years after confederation, the largest private sector company in Ottawa, Bell said it is proud to be a part of the upcoming event. Along with Bell, the Ottawa 2017 organizing committee announced CIBC as its lead sponsor in May.

According to the committee, Ottawa 2017 will boost tourism and generate a large economic impact for the city, projecting it will have more than a $230 million impact on GDP and generate more than 3,000 jobs for the province.



http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-...ottawa-for-150th-national-birthday-bash/

[rocketphish]

...and the City's promotional website and video for La Machine:

http://www.ottawa2017.ca/events/signature-events/la-machine/

Look how many people are operating each one of those contraptions!

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

more photos:

won"t somebody pleaaase think of the children!?!?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

What do you mean by "local vernacular" and what kinds of events would you recommend?

Looking at some of the interviews with people from the Ottawa2017 Bureau it seems they're using Ottawa2017 as an opportunity to rebrand Ottawa and change the way people, including Canadians, view the city. Ottawa needs more excitement so I support anything that adds some flare and excitement to the city.

It's also important to note that the Ignite150 program/fund and the other culture fund will produce many local events. The application process just closed in April so we'll see what local events come out of that.

That a civic booster such as yourself would ask that question is actually quite telling.

More broadly, I do think that in spite of some of the thin-skinned reactions on here, there is some merit to asking the question of whether or not a city is one that "leads", or is it one that "follows"? Does at least some cool and innovative stuff originate in the city? And when cool and innovative stuff originates elsewhere, is the city an "early adopter" or does it wait until everyone is on board before jumping on?

IMPORTANT: this was not an "Ottawa —" post!

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by Acajack

That a civic booster such as yourself would ask that question is actually quite telling.

More broadly, I do think that in spite of some of the thin-skinned reactions on here, there is some merit to asking the question of whether or not a city is one that "leads", or is it one that "follows"? Does at least some cool and innovative stuff originate in the city? And when cool and innovative stuff originates elsewhere, is the city an "early adopter" or does it wait until everyone is on board before jumping on?

IMPORTANT: this was not an "Ottawa —" post!

I say what does it matter? Did you travel to see these events in other cities that we're 'copying'? As long as we're doing stuff and having fun while we do it, isn't that what counts? Why does everything have to be on the cusp of innovation?

[YOWflier]

Originally Posted by Acajack

That a civic booster such as yourself would ask that question is actually quite telling.

What's quite telling is that you didn't answer his question, like, at all.

IMPORTANT: this was not an "Ottawa —" post!

Phew! I was worried there for a second. It would be totally unlike you to passive aggressively bash your "home" region while singing the praises of ... never mind.

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

I say what does it matter?

I say I agree. What makes these things uniquely Ottawa is that they are happening in Ottawa. Not elsewhere, but here. We live here and get to partake and have fun because of them. Visitors will travel here to partake and have fun because of them too. These things are in addition to the many things that are already uniquely Ottawa and/or go on in Ottawa on an annual basis.

Yay.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by ac888yow

What's quite telling is that you didn't answer his question, like, at all.

Phew! I was worried there for a second. It would be totally unlike you to passive aggressively bash your "home" region while singing the praises of ... never mind.

I say I agree. What makes these things uniquely Ottawa is that they are happening in Ottawa. Not elsewhere, but here. We live here and get to partake and have fun because of them. Visitors will travel here to partake and have fun because of them too. These things are in addition to the many things that are already uniquely Ottawa and/or go on in Ottawa on an annual basis.

Yay.

That's true, if thin. It seems like it will be a good show. What, however, has it to do with the celebration in the nation's capital of the 150th anniversary of Confederation?

[Acajack]

Suit yourselves guys.

For the record, I actually find Ottawa more unique, less generic and with more character and personality than that "other" big city in the province.

[YOWflier]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

What, however, has it to do with the celebration in the nation's capital of the 150th anniversary of Confederation?

Almost nothing. Best I can come up with is that the 150th celebration is intended to be a year-long party, and these turnkey events contribute to filling the calendar. Personally, I'm OK with that.

[ServiceGuy]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

What, however, has it to do with the celebration in the nation's capital of the 150th anniversary of Confederation?

A "celebration" can take a lot of different formats including but not limited to history related. Nothing wrong with having a little fun with something our city (or North America for that matter) has never seen before. These giant robots are not the center piece of our 150th celebration but simply added fun and spectacle. The more things to see and do that you don't normally see and do the better IMO.

[ars]

I have traveled to a — load of countries and cities and have yet to see a La Machine show, so I for one am really excited

I'm in Melbourne right now and most of the innovative attractions here are produced by local citizens and artists, not forced by the city.

[silvergate]

I don't think it's related to the problems in Rideau, but Tunney's Pasture experienced a 2 hour power failure and it looks like everybody was sent home.

[Harley613]

Too bad the NIMBY festival wasn't held this morning on Rideau Street just east of Sussex.