going, going… art

Sometimes a wave of nostalgia moves over you when you least expect it. In this case, sparked by an ugly building about to be demolished in Calgary’s Sunalta inner city neighbourhood – the Condon Building. My uncle and aunt lived nearby. As kids, my brother and I often wandered the area full of many small businesses along 14 Street including the appropriately named Crook’s Drugs pharmacy. Frankly, while the Condon was the biggest building on the block it was unspectacular. At some point in the 70s (or was it the 80s? the 60s?) they added blue cladding or awnings or whatever. The lipstick on a pig upgrade transformed it from anonymous to ugly. But that was then. It’s now mid-century chic. Calgary artist Lauren Shipton found the beauty in it as revealed in a print she has posted for sale on Instagram. Art finds beauty in unusual places, like this old office building about to be levelled to make way for a sparkling new development. Needless to say, I bought the print. RIP Condon Building.

My drive by photo of the Condon Building (above) A photo of the print I purchased by the artist Lauren Shipton luckyshape.com (below).