Friday, October 8, 2010

The completed Ottawa Chinatown Royal Arch

›
 October, 2010 double click on picture to enlarge
Thursday, October 7, 2010

Symbolism; learn more...

›
The centre blue panel on the Arch is Chinese characters saying "Ottawa Chinatown". The Arch is rich in symbolism. For exampl...

Painting the Lion's Eyes

›
To cap off the unveiling ceremonies, Mayor O'Brien and Liang Wei painted the Lion's eyes with water, washing them, and symbolically...

Unveiling the lions

›
At the base of the Arch there are two carved stone lions that guard the Gateway. Both were covered with red cloths, which were removed at ...

Happy faces at the grand opening

›

Assembled together for the opening ...

›
People gather for the opening celebration. There were "invited guests" and VIP's in the seating area and crowds of people sta...

Setting the stage, 2.30pm

›
October 7, 2010: 2.30pm... The stage is set, the chairs are ready to be warmed, but there is nary a dignitary in sight. The lions on the r...
Saturday, October 2, 2010

Scaffolding taking down

›
On October 1st the contractors removed the scaffolding that has surrounded the Arch since construction started. For the first time, viewers ...
1 comment:
Thursday, September 23, 2010

Decorative painting closeups

›
There is a band of lacey filligree panels across the bottom of the arch spanning the street. In this picture the horizontal base is not yet ...
Thursday, September 16, 2010

Lions fighting

›
detail of the panel with two lights fighting (or playing ...) over a golden ball. Double click to enlarge.
2 comments:
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The roof, up close

›
The Ottawa Chinatown Royal Arch is a royal arch because it has nine roofs, symbolizing eternal life and eternal reign of the emperor. The ro...
Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Gold confetti

›
As the gold foil is applied to the arch, the carrier strip of plain paper is discarded. The little strip of paper flutters away in the bre...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Gold Leaf

›
Many of the elements of the Arch are decorated in real gold. The gold is applied in a foil format (not paint). The incredibly thin sheets o...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Close-up pictures, painting the Arch

›
August 24, 2010 Painting is still in progress, and will be finished by the end of September. Here are some pictures of the painted sections...
5 comments:
Monday, August 23, 2010

Royal Treasure wall art

›
Just a few blocks west of the Arch, this wall mural is in progress on the Royal Treasure wall at corner of LeBreton Street.
Thursday, August 12, 2010

Some colour appears on the Arch

›
Artisans have been in Ottawa for weeks now, preparing the Arch for the final decorative finishes. Some bits of finish are now apparent, lik...
Monday, August 9, 2010

Other Arches - Yokohama, Japan

›
Shown above is the arch in Yokohama, Japan. In Ottawa, the artisans who will paint the arch have arrived from Beijing and are applying th...
Monday, August 2, 2010

Other Arches - Philadelphia, USA

›
This picture of the arch in Philadelphia USA gives some idea as to what the painting will look like on the concrete arch in Ottawa.