Picture it. The year is 1816. Scottish scientist Sir David Brewster, while experimenting with the behaviour of light, accidentally discovered that placing mirrors at precise angles created endlessly repeating, symmetrical patterns. The effect was so mesmerizing, he packaged it as a new invention and gave it a name from the Greek: kaleidoscope — “observer of beautiful forms.”
The response was instant and explosive. By 1818, kaleidoscope fever had swept across Britain and Europe. People of all classes were captivated — rich and poor, adult and child alike. Shops couldn’t keep up with demand. Street vendors set up pay-per-peek tubes, charging curious crowds for a glimpse.
Imagine what that first experience would have been like. You live in a world of coal dust and candlelight. Colour is rare. Movement, even rarer. Then someone hands you a narrow brass tube. You lift it to your eye, and light explodes. Patterns form, dissolve, then reassemble into beauty upon beauty. A mandala of tumbling glass and mirrors. Not just an image — but a world. A small, private moment of awe.
Now: fast forward. Kaleidoscope (the toy) shares its name with an upcoming event in our community. On Saturday, June 28 from noon to 5 p.m., Roberts Creek will host Kaleidoscope, a Canadian Multiculturalism Day Celebration at the Roberts Creek Library Park Gazebo. It’s a joyful celebration of music, dance, and food that honours the diverse cultural communities that make up this country — and this place we call home.
We can look to the toy that inspired its name to understand what’s really being celebrated.
I had to look up what’s actually inside a kaleidoscope — I either never learned, or my memory filed it under: early 90s science class — gone. What I found surprised me. It’s just bits and pieces. Coloured glass, beads, maybe bits of plastic. The pieces don’t change. They don’t blend. They don’t assimilate into sameness. They stay distinct — but through reflection and light, they co-create something breathtaking.
And here’s the thing: that magic? It doesn’t happen unless you turn it.
A kaleidoscope needs motion. Cultural connection does too. Diversity on its own is static. To create anything meaningful, you have to engage — look, listen, eat, dance, be changed. If you don’t turn the lens, you don’t see the magic.
With every twist, there’s a new image. That’s part of the wonder. Our multicultural society isn’t finished — it’s in motion. The future is unfolding in real time. What Canada looks like now will not be what it looks like 10, 20, 50 years from now.
And without light, a kaleidoscope is just a tube. The brilliance only shows up when you shine something through it. Events like Kaleidoscope are moments of turning toward that light — letting cultures be seen, celebrated and reflected into something more.
Of course, Kaleidoscope isn’t the only moment of light on the horizon. The lens keeps turning, and each event adds a new shard to the pattern.
Welcome to Summer Event, June 20, 6 to 8 p.m. in the Heart of the Creek.
Roving Stones: a Rolling Stones tribute, June 21 at the Roberts Creek Legion.
Bellydance Workshop, June 28 at Yoga by the Sea — a two-hour, all-levels introduction covering core stretching and strengthening, basic steps, and hip work. All genders welcome.
