The news this week included the following headline:
Rotting Fish Art Explodes, causes Fire in London Gallery
"The installation — a piece called "Majestic Splendor" by Lee Bul — was part of an exhibition of the Korean artist's work, scheduled to open at the Hayward Gallery on May 30. Then, hours before the show's first preview, the gassy art blew up, causing a fire that damaged part of the gallery, artnet News reported.
Even though the exhibit was not yet open to the public, gallery officials had already decided to remove "Majestic Splendor" from the show for safety reasons. They had learned earlier that a chemical added to the fishes' bags to dampen their smell could become flammable after combining with gases released by the decomposing flesh, and art handlers were taking down the art as a precaution when it suddenly combusted and sparked a fire, a gallery spokesperson told frieze magazine.
This experience had occurred at MOMA in 1997 with the same installation. Dozens of small, transparent bags were fixed to a wall; each contained a rotting fish decorated with stitched-on sequins and beads, representing Bul's scathing commentary on the fleeting nature of beauty for highly ornamented women. At that installation, the special refrigeration failed, and the smell was so bad that it caused the display to be removed...
Then subsequent showings included an odour-reducing chemical. When combined with combustible material, the chemical is known to trigger violent explosions."
All of this comes from the Livescience story HERE. This is a site that covers science news so the rotting fish story appears under strange news of the week.
Another story was about the eruption of Hawaii's Mount Kilauea causing the largest freshwater lake to evaporate because so much boiling lava poured into it.
Garden tour season has begun, and we're looking at this perfect garden in St. Catharines on Henry Street in 2017.
Right now the water temperature of Lake Ontario is 10 degrees and the air temperature is 12 degrees. So I guess we have to wait a while before considering swimming. The perfect water temperature for swimming is between 18 and 24 degrees. It doesn't get to peak range in Lake Ontario until the middle of August. I wondered what made that so. There are a number of factors and one is how deep the water is - Lake Ontario has deep water.
So considering that there is very deep water, why doesn't it freeze at the bottom in the winter? The answer is this:
It is because as the water gets close enough to freezing, the colder water is less dense and floats to the top. So at the bottom of deep lakes the water can be cold without freezing into ice.
Right now - should I wear a wet suit to swim in the lake? I found out this result as an answer. According to Surf Forecast, it says that "surfers should use a 2mm long sleeve shorty or a 3/2mm spring wetsuit if the wind is up. The coldest sea water temperatures at Toronto Breaks mean that you will need a flexible 6/5/4mm wetsuit or a well fitting 5/4mm wetsuit with gloves and 5mm neoprene booties and a hood to surf here in the third week of February". I can't imagine who would assess surfing conditions in Lake Ontario in February. I would think that would bring out the life guard patrol.
There are five beaches listed in Grimsby - Casablanca, Murray Park, Nelles Park, Grimsby Beach and Bal Harbour. The water quality is monitored weekly and reported in theswimguide.orgbut not the temperatures. Nelles Beach, in particular reminds me of ocean beaches the west coast, with those long expanses that disappear on the horizon. Last year the water was so high that they were inaccessible all summer. Charles Daley Park was fenced off. Grimsby Beach pier was fenced off.
This photo was taken in October last year - it is Sunrise Beach (formerly Municipal Beach) in St. Catharines. This is one of those great long expanses that makes you realize that Lake Ontario has a 'coast'.
