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My city is still breathing (but
barely, it's true) through buildings gone missing like teeth.
The
sidewalks are watching me think about you, all sparkled with
broken glass. I'm back with scars to show. Back with the streets
I know. They never take me anywhere but here.
The Weakerthans,
from "Left and Leaving," 2000. |
Winnipeg is a
peculiar city, both deserving of its deeply unpleasant reputation and, at the
same time,
terribly underrated. It is undoubtedly one of Canada’s most beaten-upon
cities ―
for its poverty, for its economic
stagnation, for its apparent ‘blandness,’ for its geographic and
psychological isolation. It is, however, of great interest to any
urbanist, being home to some of Canada’s most beautiful, appalling and
storied neighbourhoods. It is also notable for its cultural
contributions, eclectic and unique as they are. From art
(First
Nations in particular)
to music
(indie
rock especially) to architecture (that bulky Chicago style) and, of
course, dance (ballet most significantly).
Most Canadians
dismiss the city, but few have an accurate perception of what it's
really like. Some of the stereotypes hold true: the North End is not the
overblown slum it is said to be, but it’s still one of the poorest
neighbourhoods in Canada. The mosquitoes really are horrible in the
summer and the winters really are disturbingly cold, but these
generalizations only tell a small part of the story.
This is a
collection of photos taken over several days around the Christmas of
2002. It's pretty foolish to visit Winnipeg in the winter and even more
foolish spend the visit outside taking photos. Nevertheless, the city’s
legendary winters are a crucial part of its psyche and culture. Somehow
it seems appropriate to show the city at its very coldest and at its
most honest.
―
Colin Kent, 2003
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