Vancouver is hosting the Olympics in a few days. The city is being re-constituted to contain the visitors and all the hoopla and imposition this brings. Roads are closing, access is barricaded, extra people are being accomodated.
Many of the routes I normally take are not available to me. Planning will have to happen. Today Celine will pick up a bag of newly burnt globes for her gallery. It will be really complicated to pick them up after tomorrow and we have decided to delay the dismantling of the Double Vision-Morphus Inquiry show at Numen. The work will be left there until after the Olympics.
I get my eye surgery in a couple weeks and am a little worried that the surgery will be cancelled. Today they are doing an ECG and blood tests to make sure I can have the surgery. I can't imagine there is any problem. The Premier has stated that he wants to keep hospital beds open for the athletes and visitors so a number of surgeries have been cancelled.
The last time I was in the studio there were about ten busloads of Olympic type people going by on Clarke Drive. Tons of police cars with full sirens accompanied them. A total assault on the ear drums. The "Drive" is full of people with maps and different languages. The restaurants are polished up. Banners and events are scheduled everywhere.
The homeless people and supporters had a little event in Grandview Park. They quietly formed a great big O by standing in formation. Lots of people I know are leaving the city.
It will be very interesting to see how things go. Most of us can't afford the very expensive tickets but there are free cultural events all over the city. I withdrew from all events I was going to show but the show at Numen.
Arts, Education and other funding has all been cut to provision these games. We could have provided for all of these for years with the cost of these events.
2 comments:
I'm a veteran of the Centennial Games in Atlanta. The costs were staggering and still the City did not offer enough/or the right sort of goodies to temp visitors to spend enough to blacken the books. And that was back in '96. All I hope for is a peaceful, fun event for all. We had a bombing that left us a regrettable stain and changed my life completely.
I am so sorry about the bombing.
We have some goodies but they have been flying snow in with helicopters and I don't think that will lower the costs.
It was a circus out there today. I had to wait while soldiers left the restaurant today and there is security everywhere.
Two of my friends have relatives who are young Olympians. I hope they have fun.
One of my kids is on para-medic duty with the games. The rest are leaving town.
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