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The Anglican St. James Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Toronto still in operation. The cemetery was opened in July 1844 for the burial of people professing the Anglican faith. 

At that time most of the city’s population of 18,000 lived south of Queen Street West and the cemetery’s present location during that era must have been regarded as being outside city limits. The cemetery was necessary as the burial ground around the cathedral itself, in use since 1797, was out of room.

Recognizing the growing trend towards cremation throughout the world, a crematorium was added in 1948. To date over 89,000 interments and 75,000 cremations have taken place at the cemetery.

The entrance to the cemetery is located at the intersection of Bloor and Parliament Streets, overlooking the Don River ravine. Just to the west is the St. James Town neighbourhood, which is named after the cemetery.

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I am pleased to announce that I will be participating in this year’s Toronto Urban Photography Festival. The 2 pieces of work shown below will be part of ‘Home - Group Exhibition’ at IX Gallery. The exhibition will run from March 9th - 23rd, 2013. Opening is March 14th, 6:30 - 9 PM.

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Looking up and sideways.

Lazy afternoon at The Good Neighbour Cafe.

The Wallace Avenue pedestrian bridge was built around 1907 and it connects the neighbourhood to Dundas Street West. You can check out this photo taken in 1916 from the City of Toronto Archives.

A Slice of America.

Santa María Magdalena Cuitzeo is one of the most magnificent 16th century monastery built by the Augustinian missionaries in the western province of Michoacán. 

This ex-convent are filled with imagery of Christian faith. In the room above, you are able to see a fresco depicting Mary Magdalene holding a jar filled with oil and washing the feet of Jesus. In the cloisters, the Capitulary Hall also houses the convent’s nearly 1,100-volume bibliographic and documentary archives, most dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Tibetan Mani wheel (prayer wheel) is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle. It is made from metal, leather and wood. It plays a very important role in Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The mantra ओं मणिपद्मे हूं Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ that is on the outside of the prayer wheel is associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The mantra is especially revered by devotees of the Dalai Lama, as he is said to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara.

The concept of the prayer wheel is a physical manifestation of the phrase “turning the wheel of Dharma,” which describes the way in which the Buddha taught. Prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit (good karma) and to purify negativities (bad karma).

The practice of spinning the prayer wheel helps with the mind-stabilization technique that trains the mind while the body is in motion. Buddhist teachers extol its ability to quickly harmonize the environment, promote healing, increase compassion, and assist practitioners on their journeys to enlightenment.

A netsuke (根付) is a form of miniature sculpture which developed in Japan during the 17th century. Netsuke served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress, had no pockets. Women would tuck small personal items into their sleeves, but men suspended their tobacco pouches, pipes, purses, or writing implements on a silk cord from their obi (kimono sash). These hanging objects are called sagemono. To stop the cord from slipping through the obi, a small toggle was attached. The toggle is called a netsuke. (The most popular pronunciation is “net-ski”, while the actual Japanese is closer to “netskeh”). A sliding bead (ojime) was strung on the cord between the netsuke and the sagemono to tighten or loosen the opening of the sagemono.

The entire ensemble was then worn, at the waist, and functioned as a sort of removable hip pocket. All three objects (the netsuke, the ojime and the different types of sagemono) were often beautifully decorated with elaborate carving, lacquer work, or inlays of rare and exotic materials, including: wood, ivory, precious metals, shell, coral, and semi-precious stones. All three items developed into highly coveted and collectible art forms.

~International Netsuke Society~

Perambulator or Pram in short, was invented by an English garden architect named William Kent in 1733. Kent was commissioned by the Duke of Devonshire to create a transportation device for his children. The first incarnation was a shell shaped basket on wheels meant to be pulled by a small pony or goat. Real prams appeared in the 1800′s and around 1870 bassinets were added.

Even though the Victorian prams were elegant and beautiful but in reality they were unstable and not very safe. They were often made of wood and held together by expensive brass joints. Not until 1965, the first stroller with aluminum frames was designed by an aeronautical engineer named Owen Maclaren which spurred an industry and evolved into today’s modern strollers.

At 32,000 square feet, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir complex in northwest of Toronto is the largest Mandir in Canada and second largest Hindu temple outside of India.

The Mandir was constructed by 2000 builders in a record 18 months with a price tag of $40 millions. This hand crafted Mandir displays the fine tradition of ancient Indian arts & philosophy and was built using Turkish limestone and Italian marble.. Visitors are awestruck by the unique architecture and detailed intricacy of the carvings.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was dedicated to the people of Canada on July 22nd, 2007 by the spiritual leader of  BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and the inspirer, His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the then Toronto Mayor David Miller were present at the ceremony.

The Chinese character dé (德) is a key concept in Chinese philosophy, usually translated “inherent character; inner power; integrity” in Taoism, “moral character; virtue; morality” in Confucianism and other contexts, and “quality; virtue” or “merit; virtuous deeds” in Chinese Buddhism.

The earliest written forms of dé (德) are oracle script from the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1600-1046 BCE) and bronzeware script and seal script from the Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BCE).

~Wikipedia~

Aldeias Guarani M’byá na Cidade de São Paulo

The Guarani were one of the first indigenous peoples that the Europeans came into contact after arriving in South America over 500 years ago. In present day Brasil, there are roughly 46,000 Guarani spread out in seven states. The M’byá is one of the three main group of native Guarani Indians numbering around 6,000. This series of photographs documents the small population of M’byá indians living in the outer limits of São Paulo.

The reflection shows the 14-foot, 2000 pounds steel Koilos (sculpture) appears to be trapped inside this tiny space. The chaotic elements within the frame adds to the eerie feeling that the monster creature is about to leap out of the ground.