Discover the quirks of some of McMaster’s oldest and newest buildings
When McMaster’s Hamilton campus first opened its doors in 1930, it consisted of five buildings: University Hall, Hamilton Hall, Wallingford Hall, Edwards Hall, and the Refectory. These buildings were designed in the Collegiate Gothic style and inspired by universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
The ornamental stonework featured on University Hall and Hamilton Hall is typical of the Gothic architectural style. These two buildings were designed by architect William Lyon Somerville. The carvings above the University Hall Arch (pictured) depict students wearing graduation caps.
The McMaster Health Sciences Centre was designed by architect Eberhart Zeigler, with the intention of “never being finished.” The interior of the building was designed without the need for structural support walls, allowing for future modification.
This building was designed in the Brutalist architecture style that emerged in the mid-1900s and first opened in 1972.
Among McMaster’s newest buildings are The Hub (2024), the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning (2019), and L. R. Wilson Hall (2017). L. R. Wilson Hall features a concert hall, blackbox theatre, interactive classrooms and an inner courtyard (pictured). The Peter George Centre was designed by architecture firm Diamond Schmitt. The four-storey atrium is naturally lit by a skylight and features a spiral staircase.
C/O Lianhao Qu
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Lianhao Qu: My name is Lianhao. I'm in my second year of [the health sciences program] and specializing in child health. My pronouns are he/him.
What drew you to photography?
I think it was when my dad bought me my first [digital single-lens reflex camera] for Christmas in my second year of high school. I think my dad mainly wanted it for family photos since I'm the designated family photographer. But then I got distracted because we go in nature a lot. I took fewer photos of my parents and my sister and just started shooting nature. This eventually progressed to the city, architecture and it evolved from there.
What subjects inspire you?
I usually lean towards landscape photography. I’m mostly in the city so it usually ends up being a lot of city architecture. I've also tried to get into shooting candid photos of strangers. I just basically go into the city, [with] no plan whatsoever, and take a photo of whatever catches my eye. But really, it's just shooting anything in the streets. Whether it's the buildings around you, the way the light reflects off the water or the water reflecting buildings. Small things like that.
How long have you been interested in photography?
I only really got into it in my later years of high school. I really enjoyed photography as a hobby and sometimes as a side hustle too. There was one summer where I was a freelance photographer. I worked with a union at one point and I was the photographer for this unit who was a part of the parade for the Caribana Festival. I got to go early in the morning and see all the dancers prep and everything. It was a fun experience — definitely out of my comfort zone — but it was a nice change.
Out of your own photos, do you have any favourites?
I think this one's the most pleasant for me to look at. It's just very calm and is a nice background to look at. This was in North Bay at Lake Nipissing right after dinner. I had to leave dinner, actually, run to my hotel to grab my stuff and then I ran back to the lake just to make it in time. I set the tripod up in the water and I looked ridiculous. The hotel owner saw me suddenly running around the street. But the photo is nice.
And then there's this photo. The style is different from what I usually do. This is when quarantine happened. I just searched around for ideas so I could take photos at home. I had the knife already pre-stabbed into the cutting board and one of the apple halves hanging from above. There was a flashlight above too and the lighting is very botched because you have to take this at a very high shutter speed. My mom had to splash water and drop the apple and then I just had to go to take the photo at the right moment.
This is my most viewed photo. As popular as this photo is, I'm not a big fan of it. I think the main reason is this was one of the first photos that kind of blew up. This is when I first got into editing as well. So, to me, the colours here are so saturated and if you look in the far distance, you can see the colours are off.
What is the hardest aspect of photography for you?
Sometimes you go to extreme lengths just to get the right angle for a photo so you look kind of weird. On the first day, it can be frightening when you're in public and you're holding this huge camera and you just stop in the middle of the road. But you have to get rid of that scary thought of how you look in public. I stopped caring what people think of me and I stop in the middle of the road. I don't recommend doing exactly that but the thrill of the photo also makes it fun. Another thing is not forcing yourself to find that perfect angle or photo. Most of my photos I find nice are complete accidents. Usually I'm planning how to get there and how to set up my stuff to take that photo but sometimes it just doesn't turn out the way you want. The photos you take some other day tend to be a lot better and they tend to be complete accidents. Let it come naturally. Don't force it.
By Donna Nadeem, Contributor
Cootes Paradise surrounds McMaster University’s campus, creating a warm, natural environment at Mac. At the Art Gallery of Hamilton (123 King St. West) and within the heart of the Jean and Ross Fischer Gallery, a collection of various works comes together to express the impact that Cootes has had on Hamilton — spanning the past, present and (hopefully) the future.
From paintings of the beautiful landscape contained in Cootes Paradise, to photographs of the life that resides within and maps documenting the area, “Cootes Paradise: A Place Above All Others” reveals the importance of this wetland. The works emphasize that if we don’t take care of Cootes, then we are going to lose it.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Royal Botanical Gardens, Dundas Museum and Archives, Hamilton Public Library and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. It celebrates the centennial of the Hamilton Naturalists Club, discusses sustainability within Cootes Paradise and reflects on stewardship of the land. There is a focus on the human connection to the land and biodiversity.
Cootes Paradise has had a long past. Its usage claims were constantly debated in where a by developers and entrepreneurs. However, local bird watchers saw the threat looming. They began fundraising to preserve the wetlands as a natural habitat.
“Everyone had a different notion of what they wanted to do with this area, they wanted to live in it, hunt in it, they wanted to commercially develop it and this has been its fate,” said Tor Lukasik-Foss, director of programs and education at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Robert Ross is one of the artists who has contributed to this exhibition. Ross has been viewed has one of Hamilton’s most successful artists and considered a master of realism painting. The artist has focused much of his work on Cootes and Dundas Valley, detailing how the land has changed throughout time. This artwork, combined with maps and aerial photography provided by the Hamilton Public Library, effectively helps viewers understand how history has taken its toll on Cootes Paradise.
The Hamilton Naturalists Club asked its members to share their photos of the area, specifically of the birds that live and dwell within the trees. Reaching out to amateur photographers within their membership, they curated 40 photos of Cootes’ long-term residents.
The Hamilton Naturalists Club have been at the forefront of annual bird counts and record-keeping for bird activity in the area since 1927. Thanks to this, they have the most complete record of bird activity anywhere in North America.
“Even though we look at nature and think that this is a place where humans don’t reside, it's not really true, we are there whether nature wants us there or not, for the sake of its continuance we have to be there, so there’s this rich human culture that abounds beyond,” said Lukasik-Foss.
Naturally, as McMaster University overlooks the grounds of Cootes Paradise, a new course was created to explore the area. “Designing Paradise” will run during the Winter 2020 term. It will explore eco-concepts and re-define McMaster’s campus as an environmentally sustainable space. The course will be led by professors Judy Major-Giradin and Daniel Coleman.
“I love that through this course we can engage with the historical and political elements that still reside in the Hamilton landscape, but also have the chance to artistically explore the natural environment and reimagine west campus as the diverse ecosystem that it once was,” said Mariana Quinn, a 3rd year Studio Arts student who is enrolled in the ART 3DP3 Designing Paradise course.
Both Major-Giradin and Coleman are focused on sustainability. Major-Girardin is a Studio Arts professor that actively seeks methods in her studio practice that can provide and offer more environmentally responsible approaches. Coleman is an English professor who recently published a book called Yardwork in 2017 that analyzes Hamilton through ecological, cultural and political stories as well as builds awareness for the sacred land where he resides.
“These spaces, they are not untouched by humans, they are massively touched by humans, in fact, the only way that they live now is because of human advocacy and human action, so they are as talked about and combed over as any other urban space in a lot of ways,” said Lukasik-Foss.
“Cootes Paradise: A Place Above All Others” is a tremendous effort by members of the city to teach it’s residents that even though we live in a densely populated city, we have beautifully vibrant natural spaces. With these spaces; however, comes environmental issues that we need to get behind in to preserve our nature.
“Cootes Paradise: A Place Above All Others” is on display until Dec. 1 at the Art Gallery of Hamilton (123 King St. West). The exhibition is free to all McMaster students with a valid student card.
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