Nathan Phillips Square, 14 Nov 2015
A quiet gathering in support of Paris
The event started with a few speeches. French Consul General Mr. Marc Trouyet spoke first, followed by Carolyn Bennett, Liberal MP and then Toronto mayor John Tory.
The official part of the event ended with two minutes of silence.
#parisisaboutlife
Remembrance Day
the eleventh day of the eleventh month
November 11th at 11am in 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) was when an armistice was signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente. Nov 11th became known Armistice Day, or in some countries such as Canada, Remembrance Day. An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting, a truce in other words. After this signing, it took several months of negotiations before the First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. That treaty ended the war between Germany and the Allies. (The Allies of WW1 were also known as the Entente Powers while Germany and her allies were known as the Central Powers)
The poppy became a symbol of Remembrance day, and a symbol in remembrance of soldiers who died fighting in all wars, after the publication of the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ in 1915. This popular and often quoted poem was written by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. In it he talks about the poppies that grew in the battlefields at Flanders Belgium during WW1.
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,”
below: The cenotaph (war memorial) in front of Old City Hall was unveiled on 11 Nov 1925 to commemorate those Torontonians who died in WW1. Since then, it has been expanded to include those who lost their lives in WW2 and in the Korean War. The word cenotaph comes from the Greek and translates as ’empty tomb’. This style of memorial has been used widely for commemorating someone, or some group, whose remains are interred elsewhere.
More than 6000 Torontonians lost their lives in these three conflicts. Close to three thousand men died in World War 1, a number that represents about 2% of the male population of the time. (1)
In the middle of University Avenue is a statue erected by the Toronto District of the Sons of England Benefit Society in memory of their members who died in World War 1. Founded in 1876, this society provided insurance to its members who were in need because of illness or accident.
In 1914 Canada was still part of the British Empire. As a result, when Britain found itself at war in August of that year, Canada too was involved.
below: At the base of the center lion is a small plaque that reads: “Chas Adamson, sculptor, 1923”.
below: The Sons of England building on the NW corner of Richmond St. East and Berti St., 1922
photo credit: Toronto public library website
Another memorial in this city is the Ontario Veterans Memorial. This is a 30m long granite wall in front of Queens Park dedicated to all the men and women from Ontario who served in the military. Etched into the granite are scenes depicting Canadians in military roles between the time of the Fenian Raids in 1867 to the present day.
below: Part of the granite wall. The red in the picture is a reflection of the red carpet that was laid in front of the memorial for the Remembrance Day service.
below: part of the granite wall
Transcription of the passage by Canadian author Jane Urquhart:
One by one they left behind the bright fields of innocence and stepped into the darkness of experience
Their brave departure was discrete* and humble.
Un à un, ils ont quitté les champs illuminés de l’innocence pour se plonger dans la noirceur de
i’expérience. Ils ont quitté avec courage, discrétion et humilité
Some do not return. Their absence is as big as sorrow, as wide as grief.
Certains ne reviennent jamais. Leur absence laisse un vide aussi béant que le chagrin,
aussi vaste que le deuil.
The returning walk back toward their northern homeland. Their faces are shadowed,
but they are carrying illumination in their arms.
Ceux qui reviennent marchent vers leur terre nordique. Leurs visages sont dans l’ombre
mais ils portent la lumière dans leurs bras.
(* discrete vs discreet ?)
below: Some of the wreaths laid at the Ontario Veterans Memorial on Remembrance Day.
below: Although it is not a war memorial per se, someone left a small poppy wreath by this plaque at Nathan Phillips Square. The plaque is by the arches over the pool, the freedom arches.
Transcription of the plaque: Freedom Arches. The citizens of Toronto dedicate these arches to the millions who struggled, including Canadians, to gain and defend freedom and to the tens of millions who suffered and died for the lack of it. May all that we do be worthy of them. Only in freedom can the Human Spirit soar. Against the Human drive for freedom nothing can long succeed. This plaque is mounted on a slab of the Berlin Wall.
below: The 3D Toronto sign was red on Remembrance Day.
We remember collectively as a nation, as a community. We also remember privately, as individuals, as families. Countless small memorials can be found around Toronto including in schools, in churches and other religious institutions, and in cemeteries.
below: A memorial to the 48th Highlanders, Mount Pleasant cemetery. In memory of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men who have served with the 48th Highlanders.
Dileas Gu Brath, their motto, is gaelic for ‘faithful forever’
below: Quiet memorials
(1) source: Patrick Cain, Global News
‘In-Between Worlds’ is a series of photographs by Canadian photographer Meryl McMaster. This series centres around the role of McMaster’s dual heritage in her search for self; The images represent her being part of, and also being between, two different cultures as she is part Cree and part ‘European’.
Three of the images are on display at Ontario Square by Queens Quay West and Lower Simcoe St.
below: Horse Dance. The bright red and blue of the shaggy hobby horses against a winter landscape makes for an eye catching picture. On closer look, you realize that there is a person’s head inside one of those horses’s head. Heads that have no eyes to see or mouths to speak.
below: Wingeds Calling. Around the corner there is another picture of a person in costume, playing the role of a real, yet not real, animal. A large black bird-like figure walks on the frozen ground, perhaps too big and awkward to fly.
below: Wind Play Variation. The third picture baffles me a bit. Although this is another picture of a person assuming a role, this time the creature is totally of the artist’s imagination. A blue hairy thing that is slightly blurry as it walks amongst the pine trees. Is it coming or going?
There’s a new mural being painted. It’s not quite finished
but it is looking impressive!
It is the work of Essenciartcollective, namely brunosmoky, shalakattack and fiyabruxa.
It started to rain quite heavily while I was there so I didn’t linger.
I’ll return soon – and by then it should be finished! A few photos in the meantime:
Parts of the mural are very apocalyptic
Pictures of the completed mural are now available!
Invention, an installation at The Power Plant gallery, by Mark Lewis.
The main part of the exhibit consists of 3 short films shot in Toronto.
When I first saw it, I thought that the films were older, perhaps from the 60s or 70s.
below: A short film begins with a pan over part of downtown Toronto. It circles back to the Robarts Library and focuses on a woman standing in the window of one of the upper floors. After zooming in on the woman, the film “enters” the room she’s in and turns back to focus on what her view out the window looks like.
below: Another exhibit is a film comprised of segments filmed at a number of locations around City Hall this past winter. The image below is shot from the upper ramp at Nathan Phillips Square, looking south. Old City hall is on the left. There are no people in the picture. There are also no commercial images such as billboards or signs on the buildings. Slow moving, quiet.
It wasn’t until I looked more closely at the images that I realized that the films had to have been made recently… for example, the recently built stage area in Nathan Phillips Square. So I watched the films again looking for details.
A little perplexed, I tried to find out why Lewis made these films, and why they were considered to be “art”. It wasn’t easy; it was probably made more difficult by my love/hate relationship with contemporary art. The title of this post comes from a paragraph I found on The Power Plant website description of this installation: “Together, the elements that make up Mark Lewis’ films culminate in a body of work that is as astute as it is elegiac in its contemplation of the quotidian, offering an experience of the flux of time that is as elating in its duration as it is haunting for its sense of passing.” Well, um, okay.
It also wasn’t easy because of the scope of the questions that Lewis seems to be tackling. One of his interest lies in discovering what it might have felt like when film revolutionized they way we looked at ourselves and at the world around us. That’s a tough one. We are a society that is immersed in moving images of all kinds. Movies and TV have been part of our lives for many generations. Can anyone truly imagine what it might have been like to see a film for the first time?
As we all know, digital technology has put video production into the hands of anyone with a cellphone. Even my three year old granddaughter asks me to make videos of her and I’m sure it won’t be long before she’s producing them. And that leads to another question that Lewis is interested in examining – what are the implications of these technological changes? Not only can see video, we can be in control of making our own whenever we want.
But that’s not all. Lewis is also interested in architectural surfaces so walls, windows, pavements and reflective glass amongst others play a role in his films. Urban architecture; urban landscapes. Cinema made of the ordinary everyday life of living in the city and everyday life in the city is cinema. 24/7 movie making. You are part of the cast; you are the camera.
What I have presented here are just three pictures and I’m not sure the pictures do the films justice. If you want to see these films, they are at The Power Plant gallery until 3 Jan 2016.
#PPInvention
Dia de Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where and friends come together to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It occurs at the end of October (31 Oct to 2 Nov). Here in Toronto there was a Day of the Dead festival at Harbourfront this past weekend.
One of the traditions of Dia de Muertos is the making of ofrendas which are altars dedicated to the deceased person. Jose Clemente Orozco was a Mexican painter (1883-1949). He specialized in painting murals in frescoes and his work can be seen in Mexico and in the USA.
Another altar that was on display was one made by artist Alberto Cruz in honour of Pablo Picasso.
The Casa Cultura Mexicana made an ofrenda to honour the Prehispanic indigenous people and warriors of Mexico.
The bottom part consisted of pictures made with coloured rice.
Food items such as rice, beans, and corns were an important part of the ofrenda.
Ofrendas are decorated with sugar skulls and marigolds (or yellow and orange paper flowers) as well as candles, photos, momentos from the person’s life, and things that symbolize something about that person. Sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical.
What would your friends and family put on an ofrenda in your memory?
There was also clay available if you wanted to make a small skull or other symbol for the occasion.
Rest in Peace.
There is a new collection of street art in Little India. It can be found if you go behind the stores on the south side of Gerrard Street between Rhodes Avenue and Craven Road. The art is easily seen because there is not only an alley behind the stores but also a parking lot.
below: Udlaakut Alysia. Udlaakut is Inuit for good morning.
below: Above the stairs painted by timmydrift and below the stairs by thepasystem
below: A marine creature (alligator) by Nick Sweetman and a woman’s face by Kairo.
below: The metal fittings on the back of the building were spray painted shiny gold and incorporated into the design of the mural.
below: behind 1465 Gerrard Street East
below: Lean back!
below: behind Siddhartha vegetarian restaurant
below: On the back of the Flying Pony cafe is this colourful mural painted by Tim Skynz, lead artist of the group Eskape Reality
below: tropical paradise?!
below: Side of the Flying Pony cafe
Diagonally across the corner (of Gerrard and Rhodes) from the Flying Pony is another store that has been covered with street art recently. This mural was painted by Runt. 1600 Gerrard East is the home of Lenswork, a photo and art studio gallery.
If you go back to Craven Road there are two murals.
First, there is the one by Monica on the Moon on a small building behind the Gujran Wala Tikka House restaurant.
Beside it, on the side of the Gujran Wala Tikka House, is a larger mural titled “The Rickshaw” by Monica Wickeler
(note: Monica Wickeler is Monica on the Moon)
below: And last, seen on a pole in the parking lot:
The alley project was coordinated by Tammy Rogers
with assistance from Monica Wickeler and the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA.
Craven is a narrow street that runs south from the railway tracks. For most of its length, there are houses only on the east side of the street. Between Gerrard and Dundas, a wooden fence runs along the west side right up next to the street. This fence separates the backyards of the next street, Ashdale, from Craven Road. As I drove up Craven this afternoon I noticed that someone has mounted a number of pictures onto the wall so of course I parked my car and took some photos.
There are paintings of cats of various sizes and colours
The stars look like the glow in the dark stars that my kids used to have.
Most, but not all, of the paintings have an animal theme. Seven Christmas sheep in the snow.
They are painted on canvas and stapled to the fence. Some are in better shape than others! The pattern of the rips in this painting seems to complement the pattern of the boards in the fence although the cat doesn’t look too pleased about it!
There are a few dog pictures too including this reindeer dog.
You may have noticed by now that this gallery is a one woman show. Christine Kowal is an artist and a resident of the street.
And did I mention that there were pictures of cats? 🙂
I happened to walk into the Queen Mother Cafe (on Queen West) this afternoon. They often have original artwork displayed on their walls and today was no exception. I found some intriguing and very creative masks.
They are the creation of Jeff Mann, a Kingston based artist.
According to his website, Mann makes the masks mostly from car parts and shovels. The ones here are only a sample of the collection I saw at the Queen Mother cafe. In addition, there are pictures of more masks on Mann’s website.
As I sort through the photos that I took this past summer, I keep finding pictures of street art that I have not yet posted. The following collection were taken in the Dupont and Ossington area back in July.
below: A very horizontal piece by Cool Ethan, obviously
below: A TTC streetcar passes by the Massey Harris building, a mural by Colin Turner Bloom. This office building, at 915 King St. West, was built in 1883 as the headquarters for the Massey Harris Co. It was declared a heritage building in 1973. Since then it has been developed as lofts/condos.
below: A city scene mural by Monica on the moon, just off Dupont Avenue.
below: Another garage door
below: Up, up and away with a bunch of red balloons.
below: Bobby with a gas mask, stencil on garage door in a lane.
below: Two lovebots on Dupont.
as I walk Toronto 