Edmonton
Calder Branch Mosaic Workshops
psst – pass it on!
drop in 10am – 6pm
12522 132 Avenue, Edmonton (Calder Branch of Edmonton Public Library)
Calder Branch Mosaic: Free Pattern-Making Workshops
On 01, May 2016 | In Inspiration, Make, Place, Project | By Admin
Inspiration for Calder Community Patterns
On 09, Jul 2015 | In Inspiration, Project, Research | By Admin
We’re excited about the new Calder Library mosaic project. The mosaic will be inspired by some of the patterns from the different groups of people who make up this Edmonton community. Census data shows that the people of Calder originate from countries and cultures from all over the world, and that there is a large Aboriginal population.
Plains First Nations
Ukraine
England
Fillipino
Mexico
China
Middle East
Africa
Tessellation Patterns
On 15, Jun 2015 | In Inspiration, Research | By Admin
Tessellations form a class of patterns found in nature. The arrays of hexagonal cells in a honeycomb or the diamond-shaped scales that pattern snake skin are natural examples of tessellation patterns. Distinct shapes are formed from several geometric units (tiles) that all fit together with no gaps or overlaps to form an interesting and united pattern. Tessellating patterns are abstract and non-representational which makes their interpretation open to the imagination of all people.
Honeycomb
Snake Skin
Flower
Leaf
Cracked Mud
Sunflower
Tidal
Alberta’s Most Valuable Resource
Albertan Sky
The land now known as Alberta, has been occupied by people for around 8,000 years. Until less than 150 years ago only the sky and the North Saskatchewan River dominated the views across the sweeping prairie vistas where the City of Edmonton now stands. The success of its continued occupation of these lands will be closely related to the stability and quality of the water supply.
Canadian Watersheds
The City of Edmonton straddles the North Saskatchewan River which has its headwaters in the Columbia Icefield, high in the Canadian Rockies. The river flows east across Alberta and Saskatchewan to Lake Winnipeg before eventually draining through the Nelson River into Hudson Bay.
Water runs through Canada’s rivers like blood through the country’s veins. Since time immemorial, people who have inhabited the Prairies have relied on the rivers to sustain life. The North Saskatchewan River is part of one of Canada’s most historic waterways and has anchored the urban and economic development of much of Canada’s western prairies.
Alberta Oil Sands
Alberta’s economy is one of the strongest in the world and to a significant extent its industries rely on an abundant supply of water. While the Saskatchewan River Basin was once predominately covered with wetlands and grasslands, population increases and industrial land use have placed heavy pressure on the water supply and rendered Alberta the most vulnerable of the Prairie Provinces to water shortages.
Red Deer River and South Saskatchewan River. Near Empress, AB.
This situation is compounded by indications that the mountain supplies of water are diminishing. Most large glaciers in the headwaters of the Saskatchewan, Bow and Athabasca rivers have shrunk by ~25% in the last century. Environment Canada has stated that the sustainability of freshwater supplies is a growing concern worldwide and it lists the threat to water availability in Alberta as moderate to high.