Photos

This carnival image is a little different from the first two in my series. Whereas the first one had a menacing feel to it(Great times, bad food, and scary rides), and the second seemed haunted (*smokes*), this one is more dream-like. Like each of the others, though, it seems to me to catch some of the otherworldly ambiance of the carny.

What you see is the one edge of top of a ride which consists of circular part mounted on a pole, looking kind of like a brightly coloured mushroom. Seats hang from the top part by chains. Once the riders are seated, the pole extends upwards, taking the riders high into the air, and the top starts spinning. The centrifugal force pulls the riders outwards, so that now they're way high up and spinning way out over the crowd below (Tongapup has a good picture here, taken from the point of view of a rider who is still fairly close to the ground).

In this instance, though, I avoided the ride itself almost completely. I like to do that sometimes: ignore what would naturally be the center of one's attention, and focus on some minor detail, something that would normally be overlooked.

In this case what caught my attention were the strange and rather beautiful paintings on the top portion of the ride, not to mention the baroque framework in which they were set. I also liked the fact that all the paintings I could see had a background of sky, just like the photo I was taking.

The title of this image, by the way, comes from my all-time favourite art exhibit (thus far in life). I went to see Yoko Ono's Yes at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and I loved it, but it was overshadowed by the exhibit that was supposedly second-billed, Ultra-Baroque: Aspects of Post-Latin American Art. Though the exhibit is no longer touring, you can still buy the catalogue, which is way worth the money. (NOTE: use the Amazon link to buy the catalogue, but ignore the illustration they post, which is terrible -- look at the ones on the link above it instead to get an idea of what the show was like). Some of the best and most innovative art being produced by Latinos and Latinas is featured.