Saturday 1 October 2016

Great Waters Challenge #1

Hi! I'm Penny and I'm from Toronto. I was actually born in Hong Kong, and immigrated to Toronto when I was three years old. I reside on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Metis, and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.


I'm taking part in this Great Waters challenge because, for some reason, I'm very interested in water. I can't pinpoint the time in my life that I became so interested, or even why. But I can tell you that water both fascinates me and scares me. Water is so essential to life; yet, it can be so mysterious and so powerful to the point that it instills fear (just thinking about how much of the ocean is unexplored and unknown, and the immense power of waterfalls).


Water is everywhere - whether it be in the form of H20 or as a concept, idea or topic of conversation. I recently visited the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum - lo and behold, the first piece on display in the exhibit was related to water.



"Glass itself is so much like water. If you let it go on its own when you work with it, it ends up looking like something that came from the sea" - Dale Chihuly


My community belongs to the Harbourfront watershed in Toronto. Local issues surrounding water in my area includes the health of Lake Ontario and excessive water usage in the City. The local water challenge that most concerns me is the disconnect between urban residents and water. Living in such a big city, I find that it is easy for people to lose touch with where their food and water comes from. Water comes so readily through our taps and showers, while food from all over the world can be found in nearby grocery stores. In any conservation effort, the first step is knowledge and awareness. I think that the biggest challenge we face as Torontonians is the need to reconnect with water - mentally, spiritually, and culturally. Only then can we see change.


That's all I have for now. See you again at Challenge #2!






1 comment:

  1. Beautiful connection with the artpiece at ROM Penny. I enjoyed reading your blogpost!

    ReplyDelete