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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-07-12, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007. PAGE 5. Bonnie Gropp TThhee sshhoorrtt ooff iitt What could have been Ontario’s most controversial marriage in memory is going ahead surprisingly without a hitch. Liberal Deputy Premier and Health Minister George Smitherman announced a year ago he will marry his longtime partner, Christopher Peloso. Some details since have trickled out – not quite on the scale of a royal wedding, but we know more about these nuptials than the vast majority performed in the province. The couple will marry at a wilderness lodge north of Elliot Lake on August 5 in an informal, no-ties-allowed, ceremony performed by a justice of the peace. After a lakeside party, the happy couple will honeymoon briefly on a canoe trip, because Smitherman has to return to campaign in the October 10 election. Peloso has explained he was attracted to Smitherman because he is dedicated and intelligent and has a gentle, loving side, which opposition politicians know little about, because he is the legislature’s most pugnacious politician. A j.p. who gets the vows mixed up may be in for a tongue-lashing. This also is the province’s first same-sex marriage involving a high-profile politician since such marriages became legal and may seem an ideal target for the many who oppose same-sex marriages. But scarcely an eyebrow has been raised publicly in a province where most politicians voted for strict limits on gay rights a decade ago and many objected later when the courts and legislators approved same-sex marriages. Progressive Conservative leader John Tory, whose predecessors opposed gay rights most, sent Smitherman a note of congratulations and bottle of champagne. Tory has long supported gay rights and some of his MPPs who disagree are keeping quiet to preserve unity. A New Democrat elected a few months ago, Paul Ferreira, joked across the legislature `is Bob going to be your best man?’ because Smitherman has supported former NDP premier Bob Rae unsuccessfully for federal Liberal leader and now as candidate in the federal riding with which they share boundaries. Smitherman countered `when are you and your partner prepared to follow my lead?’ because Ferreira is among declared gay MPPs, who include Education Minister Kathleen Wynne. Roy McMurtry, once a pillar of the Conservative establishment and recently showered with praise on retiring as Ontario’s chief justice, said the proudest moment of his long career was helping write a ruling that excluding gays from marrying violated the Charter of Rights in the Constitution and ending many years of cruel discrimination. The 27th annual gay pride parade in Toronto also passed without incident, but gays still face obstacles in many places. The Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran Churches voted the same weekend not to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages in their churches. In Quebec, Andre Boisclair has been forced to step down as leader of the Parti Quebecois after losing an election in which his homosexuality cost votes among rural dwellers. The first openly gay judge in Canada, Harvey Brownstone of the Ontario Court of Justice, said many gay lawyers still keep their sexual orientation secret, because they fear if it becomes known it will hurt their careers. A business leader in Britain, Lord John Browne, was forced to resign and give up $35 million in retirement benefits essentially because he is gay: he told a court he met his lover in a park although he found him through an escort service – it was a white lie trying to make himself seem more acceptable. The city of Moscow banned a parade by gays, some of whom were punched and kicked by counter-demonstrators shouting `death to homosexuals’ and calling them `evil.’ In Jerusalem, 7,000 police officers were deployed to protect 2,000 gay marchers from religious Jewish extremists who objected to their parading in a city they hold sacred and one objector was arrested carrying a bomb. Ontario has not had even a few snide comments on the legislature’s first gay wedding and – whichever side you support in this debate -- this is rare tolerance and something to be proud of. Giving life to life I f the artist has total freedom – if art can be anything the artist says it is – it will also never be anything more than that. – Peter Fuller Take a stroll with me along Crosby Beach, just north of Liverpool, England. Do you see that naked man, up to his ankles in the incoming tide, staring out to sea? Get used to it. There are 99 more just like him along this three-kilometre stretch of shingle and they are all doing the same thing. They are statues, life-size, cast-iron. Together they make up an art installation called Another Place. They are the work of British sculptor Antony Gormley and most people – myself included – think it’s a Beautiful Thing. Initially there was some grousing from environmentalists, sea anglers and windsurfers, but most people have fallen in love with the statues. “They are awe-inspiring,” says one visitor. “I had to go and touch them…I’d really like to spend a long time with them. I can sense their hesitation, that feeling of ‘Shall I, shall I not, go in.’” On the other hand, come with me to the famous Tate Gallery in London. There we will see an exhibit called Bed. It consists of a mound of precisely 8,640 slices of Mother’s Pride white bread which have been arranged to resemble a typical double mattress. From which the artist has fastidiously eaten away an imprint equal to the shape and volume of his own body. Well, not ‘eaten’, exactly. The artist chewed the bread, into desired shapes then dipped the gobs of bread in paraffin to prevent mould and dried the bread on radiators in his house. The demented detritus of a committable fruitcake? Don’t be too hasty. The sculptor of Bed is Antony Gormley, the same guy who did Another Place. But it’s easy to understand how one might get confused. The art world is a bewildering place these days. Even the experts have trouble some times. Another British sculptor, David Hensel of Sussex, recently submitted a piece to the Royal Academy of Art. It was a simple display consisting of a bone and a rock. They really liked it. One judge particularly mentioned its ‘minimalist intensity’. But it turned out the curator hadn’t completely unpacked Hensel’s submission. The bronzed head that he’d submitted was still in the crate. The work of art they’d lauded was in fact the support for displaying the bronze. Or take the trial in Dresden, Germany where Petra Kujau, a somewhat dodgy art dealer, was recently charged with selling some 500 fake paintings, supposedly signed by artists from Monet to Van Gogh to Picasso. Well, big deal. Selling fake paintings is a crime, right? She deserves to go to jail. It’s not that simple. The buyers knew the paintings were forgeries. Frau Kujau’s crime was trying to pass them off as fakes painted by her great uncle, one of the master forgers of all time. So she is guilty of misrepresenting run-of- the-mill fakes as… classic fakes. Not confused enough yet? Come with me to the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, Wales. If we hurry we can catch Simon Pope’s show. It’s called Gallery Space Recall. It’s an empty room. Well, not entirely empty. There is a printed list of instructions directing visitors to close their eyes and ‘imagine’ another art show that they’ve seen recently, so that the exhibits “can exist at two locations simultaneously, both here and there.” Pope said he got his inspiration for the exhibit by reading a medical textbook on brain-injury disorders. Apparently there is a condition known as ‘reduplicative paramnesia’ in which the afflicted person has the delusional belief that something exists at two places at once. No wonder some of us have trouble keeping up with the art world. Like the two art lovers swooning over a canvas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “I wonder who the artist was,” mused one. Her friend leaned in to read the bronze plaque next to the painting. “It says it was painted by Circa, in 1878” she reported. “Oh,” said the first art lover, “Of course! Circa the Greek!” “No,” said her companion. “You’re thinking of Zorba. Circa was Italian.” Arthur Black Minister’s gay marriage accepted Most of the stress in our lives today can be blamed on each person. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Take time to relax and enjoy the simple things. Don’t be so busy. The above is a paraphrase of a recent article on health and the ill effects of a crazy lifestyle. People today are too busy, so the story goes. No news there. But if we’re going to stay healthy we need to give such pressures the old heave-ho. We are giving neither mind, nor body, enough down time. Clear the calendar of appointments and commitments, find a hammock, stroll through a field of daisies, read a book, blow some bubbles. All good. All true. What I’d like to know, however, is how to actually do it. As an admitted hedonist I have never had a problem putting my pleasure before my pain. If there’s a minute of the day that I can devote to the pursuit of my happiness I will grab it unabashedly. I take time for myself whenever I can. Making time, however, can be more challenging. The commitments and responsibilities that are filling my calendar are reaching overwhelming proportions. At work I am doing a precarious juggling act that has been consistently testing, not just my flexibility, but my sanity. There’s nothing I’d like more than a moment’s respite but there’s not a ball to be dropped. At home, while control is more in my favour, I still stare in wonder at a calendar filling up as quickly as Scarlett O’Hara’s dance card. Socially, a busy schedule is certainly more welcome than the work-related agenda. But, it all makes for a life that’s going by too quickly. Before I realize it this incredible summer of sunshine is going to be behind me and all I’ll know is that, it was great, but it passed in a dizzying whirl. Obviously, I want to slow it all down. But my carousel of activities is spinning out of control and I can’t get off. The article didn’t offer any useful advice in this area either. There were plenty of overt suggestions, saying no to some things that aren’t necessary, getting yourself organized. Wouldn’t it be nice if it could be that simple, however. What, for example, does one do when saying no is not an option? And even the most organized person can have too much to do. Even a well thought out itinerary can get bogged down when duty calls. And calls, and calls, and calls. So, as days loom ahead of me full of the impossible to complete, a corner of my mind has been dedicated to peace of mind, or rather the lack thereof and how to change that. And what I have decided is two-fold. I will first not feel guilty about setting something aside, in favour of some indulgence. After all, often the time taken to care for one’s self is actually a benefit to others in the long run. But in addition to the pampering and relaxation times, I will seize my seconds, every minutely available one. Whether it’s kicking off my shoes to walk barefoot enroute to the composte, or noticing the dew on a flower petal while rushing to the car in the morning, or putting down the dish towel to savour the warmth of a hug from a loved one, these seconds are mine and I will have and enjoy them. A second here, a moment there will give new life to a too busy one. Other Views He’s naked. But is it art? .Eric Dowd FFrroomm QQuueeeenn’’ss PPaarrkk Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise.