Prior to recent times of present, I haven’t given rainbow anything much attention, if any. There’s plenty my time and attention are removed from. It’s certainly not limited to synthetic rainbows.
I’m not sure what prompted me to explore rainbow themes. I think I may have been influenced by people on #palnet, with their lively discussions. So I went on a walk. A rainbow wonderland walk in the city. I never realized that they are everywhere, in addition to crosswalks.
RAINBOW PARK BENCHES
RAINBOW RHINO
Sometimes, the rainbows really stand out, such as when they covered the entire front and steps of a library here. Another, very similar type of building that housed a bank received the same rainbow brush treatment. Both buildings are large, so they literally glowed in rainbow colours.
RAINBOW BANKS
Over the years, I’ve noticed there are more and more rainbow flags. They keep increasing in number. They are usually flown with the Canadian flag, just below it. This is not an event related flag flying, it’s yearlong; they never come down. I noticed and then stopped noticing after a while. Life goes on. I focus on what I need to. It’s really not my concern what others do, unless it crosses into a situation of harm directed towards me.
RAINBOW CANADA
The rainbow photo walk made me realize that I’ve become conditioned to seeing them everywhere. I had ceased paying attention. It has become the never-ending new normal. Even pets have gone rainbow.
RAINBOW PAW
Before I went out to photograph them, I searched rainbow crosswalks in Canada. Where are they and how many are there? I spent several hours doing research on this. In the process, I found articles about rainbow crosswalks being vandalized, controversy as to the installation of them, and a separate issue regarding safety, in terms of being a driving hazard. That last one seemed rather bizarre. Maybe some people get so excited at seeing a rainbow crosswalk while driving that accidents occur.
RAINBOW CROSSWALKS
None of these things had even occurred to me, so I was surprised. Is everything a controversy these days? My intention was simple. I wanted to find out how many rainbow crosswalks in Canada and where, or at least a picture of the Canadian rainbow collective. It’s bizarre to discover all this fighting for, or against rainbow crosswalks, including the cost of the paint. People are skilled at dividing against each other and fighting over anything and everything, especially these days.
RAINBOW CANOPY
Across Canada, in every province and territory there are rainbow crosswalks. I’ve included links for all the rainbow crosswalks I found and where I found them, with a splash of the rainbow controversy added in.
Do I have an issue with rainbows? No. I’m standing in the middle of rainbow ground. I’m playing observer only. No rainbow sidewalk has ever forcibly painted itself on me, so I’m good in that regard.
The other rainbow displays? The whole unmentionable that I refuse to name? In my mind, no harm equals no issues. Quite frankly, when it comes to harm, it arrives in all rainbow flavours. That has nothing to do with rainbow culture, flags, sidewalks, ways of seeing and/or being in the world. It has always had everything to do with the individual. This has been my consistent experience.
Are there rainbow crosswalks and rainbow decorated everything where you live?
RAINBOW FLAGS
All photos taken by Nine with a Pentax digital 35mm camera.
