Blue Bibi Got Dirty in a quiet Ottawa park

Blue Bibi Got Dirty 
     told behind the Supreme Court of Canada, in Ottawa - May, 7th, 2011 

A few steps down the capital hill slope, here is a small park nested just behind the Supreme Court of Canada. A few meters below the the building; 10 m above the river ; space covered by tree with leaves appearing in this moment of spring. Some kind of private park, vaguely sheltered, nicely isolated just next to the city; a smoke stack remains visibles in the next block. A step apart from the city, just a close curtain to get some outdoor privacy, some comfort. The wind is not too strong there, the place might remain fresh even in summer, thanks to the trees and the close river.

A dreamed space for picnics, summer reading, outdoor writing.

I don't know how many people come regularly to this park. Last week, I stayed there for a couple of hours on a nice Sunday afternoon and I did not see any soul. Quiet lawns where writing felt nice, preparing a new story for a story swap, a story with little family legends and little failed-love tales, mixed quietly in fresh air.

The story was shared on May, 5th at the Story Swap night organized at the Library of Archives par the Ottawa Story Tellers. The Library of Archives... Two blocks away from the Supreme Court and the little park...

I seemed logical to go there again and shoot the video of the story...

Descendre de quelques marches le long de la colline de la capitale, voici un tout petit parc niché derrière la Cour Suprême du Canada. Quelques mètres en dessous du niveau du bâtiment; surplombant la rivière d'une dizaine de mètres; un petit espace recouvert d'arbres dont les feuilles commencent tout juste à apparaître à cette période du printemps. Une sorte de part privé, vaguement abrité, joliment isolé juste à côté du reste de la ville; une cheminée reste visible de l'autre côté du bouquet d'arbres. Un pas de côté par rapport à l'ambiance de la ville, juste un rideau proche, tout proche, afin d'avoir un peu d'intimité en extérieur, un peu de confort. Le vent ne souffle pas trop fort ici, l'endroit doit rester frais durant l'été, grâce aux arbres et la rivière voisine.

Un espace rêvé pour les pique-niques, les lectures estivales, l'écriture en extérieur.

Je ne sais pas combien de personnes fréquentent ce parc régulièrement. La semaine passée, j'y suis resté quelques heures un joli dimanche après-midi and je n'y ai pas vu âme qui vive. Des pelouses calmes où l'écriture était agréable, à préparer une nouvelle histoire pour le Story Swap, une histoire avec des petites légendes familiales and des petits contes d'échecs amoureux, mélangés tranquillement en plein air.

Cette histoire a été partagée le 5 ami à la soirée de Story Swap organisée à la Bibliothèque des Archives par Ottawa Story Tellers. La Bibliothèque des Archives... A deux pâtés de maison de la Cour Suprême et du petit parc...

I semblait logique d'y retourner pour y filmer l'histoire...

Poutine Passport close the locks of the Canal Rideau in Ottawa

"Poutine Passport"
          shot at Rideau Canal locks in Ottawa on April, 30th, 2011 

A world of exchanges, a world where you can find italian restaurant or greek food or lebanese fastfood in any North-American city. Exchanges but still identity markers and clichés associated to nationalities, sometimes highly superficial, and food is typically a source of jokes. Italian people knowing so much about pasta cooking, perfect rice prepared by Chinese guys - you know the score.

Jokes and teasing allusions on nationality are always navigating close to bad taste, nasty spirit, all the bad political implications. Even with a simple food discussion...

That's what we realized with the precious Karlatone during a discussion about ratatouille. My lazy joke sounded so offensive... Shameful joke but a good starting point for a story after giving it some more thoughts. Just needed some adjustments, shifting ratatouille to poutine for a more canadian taste, adding some other anecdotes: here was an entertaining little story to share in a story telling night in Ottawa.

The "Poutine Passport" was told at Once Upon A Slam on April, 29th. Funny moment on the stage of the slam night...
So I decided to shoot a small video of it on the following day. Involving some poutine: easy and cheap accessory that could be spectacular on the screen. I could not imagine the effect of poutine on the surrounding animals living close to the locks of the Canal Rideau !

"Constantly Naked on Tumblr", version Live à Once Upon A Slam

"Constantly Naked on Tumblr"
raconté à Once Upon A Slam, Ottawa, le 25 mars 2011

Joli hasard : hier, je postais ma vidéo de "Constantly Naked on Tumblr", dans la version racontée au Palais des Congrès de Montréal. 

Et justement hier, les organisateurs de Once Upon A Slam chargeaient la vidéo du même texte, raconté sur la scène du Mercury Lounge d'Ottawa pour leur soirée de Short Story Slam.

Une performance amusant & sympathique, un joli échange avec le public... mais bien trop long pour les 5 minutes réglementaires de Once Upon A Slam. Ce qui m'a valu une pénalité salée après les notes du jury... Mais qu'importe...

Les curieux peuvent aller visiter la chaîne Youtube de Once Upon A Slam, où d'autres histoires de 5 minutes sont présentées.

"Constantly Naked on Tumblr", a story told in the Montreal Conference Center

The world of scientific conferences. Of business meetings in general: huge halls, men in white shirts, corporate booths, sandwiches swallowed with the eyes stuck on program or brochures, ready to stir another coffee in a plastic cup. Nice stage for entertaining plot & jokes.

Any business with similar codes and trends, or close one. Any business, different types of business often mixed in the same conference hall. Any king of business - so why not porn industry? Scientific conference meeting porn conference?

Not a really unique idea, easy confrontation between figures from the two worlds. With potential jokes to share with an audience.
That's how I started preparing the story "Constantly naked on Tumblr" in order to share it at Once Upon A Slam, the story telling slam night in Ottawa. Story that I told at the March edition of Once Upon A Slam, quite a funny moment to share...

A funny story to tell anywhere, for sure, but especially funny in a Conference Centre. I came to the Palais des Congrès de Montréal with my camera that Sunday because the weather was bad. And I soon realized that it would be a nice place to tell that specific story. A few people were hanging around in the ground flour, mostly looking for their Sunday morning Tim Horton's coffee. So I took the first stairs I found to the 1st floor. 

Not sure if I was allowed to be there. A security guard was standing not far away from the stairs, but looking outside; he did not see me. Maybe there was no access to block, the gallery of the 1st level just empty; even if a few people were working in the exposition hall, certainly preparing a new exhibition. Whatever. I could take advantage of the vast empty space, particularly the tall colored window on the Western end of the building...

"Constantly Naked on Tumblr" - Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Québec - April, 25th, 2011