Archive for the ‘locations’ Category

Icefest

Posted: February 23, 2015 in events, locations
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Bloor Yorkville Icefest, Frozen in Time
Cumberland Ave., February 21 & 22

 Ice sculpture beside a sidewalk. The top part has the words Bloor Yorkville icefest and the bottom part has the words Frozen in time, icefest 15. The middle section looks like a large face made of Egyptian motifs.

The 10th annual Icefest featured the carving of blocks of ice into Ancient Egypt themed sculptures.

Four ice sculptures with Ancient Egyptian themes - King Tut, and a pyramid amongst them. Also a wall of hieroglypics with two guards beside it.

Both Saturday and Sunday were snowy days but the weather didn’t deter the crowds, or their picture taking.  I’m sure that there are thousands of photographs of the sculptures!
Here are a few of mine.

A man in a white parka is standing beside a sculpture with his elbow resting on it. A woman in white coat and hat is taking his picture.

A woman is facing a sculpture of a dinosaur. Both of them have their mouths wide open.

A boy is standing beside a sculpture

A mother with two little kids is posing with an ice sculpture.

A little girl in a pink snow suit it peaking throw a whole in an ice sculpture

A father is taking a photograph of his son beside an ice sculpture

A group of four people are standing around an ice sculpture. They all have puzzled looks on their faces as though they can't figure out what the sculpture is supposed to be.

An ice sculpture of a bear with it's front paws raised, looms over the interesection of Yonge and Bloor.

This bear loomed over the NE corner of Yonge and Bloor.

Most of the sculptures along Cumberland Ave (west of Bellair) are still there and will remain as long as the temperatures remain low and no one vandalizes them.

a break in winter

Posted: February 22, 2015 in locations, nature
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Yesterday Toronto got a brief respite from the frigid temperatures that we’ve been experiencing.   Instead, more snow fell.   I think that most of us are getting tired of this thing called winter, including me.  So, here are a few photos from inside the conservatory at Allan Gardens to brighten your day.

fan shaped arrangement of fern fronds in green and red, Allan Gardens conservatory

reddish coloured new growth on a green plant

close up shot of a dark pink and white tulip in bloom

close up macro photo of a bud on the end of a thorny stem

close up macro photograph of the center of a red poinsettia showing the stamens and other parts

three yellow daffodils

cedar branch in focus in the foregound with a bed of pink and yellow flowers out of focus and blurry in the background

A succulent plant with wide narrow leaves, view from the top, looking down at the top edges of the leaves
close up of the inside of a dark pink hibiscus flower with focus on the stamens.

article 13

Posted: February 18, 2015 in graffiti and street art, history, locations
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Amnesty International Toronto Organization is a group that works in the to raise public awareness of human rights issues. One of the projects that it supports is  Urban Canvas.  Thirty murals were planned, each based on one of the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Art Alley Mural Project produced by Arts Etobicoke in 2010 was designed by  Susan Rowe Harrison and painted by William Lazos.  It incorporates a poem by Dionne Brand, Toronto’s Poet Laureate  in 2010 that is based on Article 13.   This article states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.”

A narrow lane, or pedestrian walkway, between two buildings. On the left hand side wall there is a mural with a black and white background, and red letters. The words are a poem about freedom of movement as stated in article 13 of the Declaration of Human Rights.

The mural is on the wall of 4893A Dundas St. West, alongside a narrow pedestrian walkway.

 

See also a previous post on two of Urban Canvas project murals at Parma Court 

Also, a mural celebrating education, article 26.

I’m one too

Posted: February 18, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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As you walk east on Wellesley towards Church St., you can’t miss the large mural on the side of Ho’s Team Barber and Hairstylist.  The red circle with it’s white words “I’m One Too” catch your attention.   The mural, by Will Craddock, is part of the Church Street Mural Project.

  street scene in winter, looking along the sidewalk with a couple of people on it. On the left is a three storey red brick building in the background. In the foreground is a shorter building (seen from the side) covered with a mural depicting buttons with slogans and sayings on them.

The circles in the mural are paintings of buttons from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.

 Close up of part of a mural that is circular buttons from the gay and lesbian community with slogans and sayings on them.

There is actually a small lane that runs beside the button mural.  If you walk a little but down that lane and then look at the wall on the other side, you will see another artwork from the Church Street Mural Project.  ‘Kiss and Tell’ by Natalie Wood is a series of silhouette couples with their heads close together, either talking or kissing.

Two men talking to each other on a wall. The men are shown from the waist up. They are made of paper and pasted on the wall. The paper is actually a collection of prints of book covers.

silhouettes of four couples either kissing or close together talking. The silhouettes are collages of prints of book covers.

 

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Bathhouse raids mural

Posted: February 12, 2015 in graffiti and street art, history, locations
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The Bathhouse Raids by Christiano De Araujo is a mural on Church Street just south of Carlton.
Completed in the fall of 2013, it was the largest of the Church St. Mural Project pieces commissioned for WorldPride 2014.

The following photos were taken with a very wide angle lens
because of the size of the mural and because there are always cars parked in front of it.

large mural on the side of a building. A number of cars are parked in front of it. The mural depicts the bathhouse raids, an event in Toronto's history where police raided gay bath house and arrested those they found inside. A yellow Toronto police car, a fire truck with its lights on are both in the picture. An oversized person is in the center, hands held over her/his head.

On the 5th of February, 1981, Toronto police raided four bathhouses in what was known as ‘Operation Soap’.
Around 300 men were arrested.  Most charges connected to the incident were eventually dropped or discharged, although some bathhouse owners were fined.

part of a large mural showing a yellow Toronto police car from the 1980's, a couple of policemen and a crowd of men standing just back of the police car

part of a large mural showing a yellow Toronto police car from the 1980's, a couple of policemen and a crowd of men standing just back of the police car

The event marked a major turning point in the history of the LGBT community in Canada.
The raids led to protests – the night after the raids, 3,000 people marched on 52 Division police headquarters and on Queen’s Park, smashing car windows and setting fires.  That spring the city held its first Pride Parade.

right hand side of the bathhouse raid mural on Church St. showing a firetruck with its red flashing lights on

eyes on fingernails

Posted: February 11, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Graffiti on a wall on Queen St. West
at the west side of Trinity Bellwoods park.

A graffiti face high on a grey wall, with a pine tree branch partially obscuring it

Close up of graffiti painted fingers in many bright colours. They are very large. Each fingernail has an eye.

Close up a piece of street art featuring brightly coloured fingers, with eyes on the fingernails. Partially hidden behind pine trees. Snow on the ground.

Close up a piece of street art featuring brightly coloured fingers, with eyes on the fingernails. Partially hidden behind pine trees. Snow on the ground.

Unfortunately, there is now an ugly black tag on the lower left corner.

Graffiti painting of a man high up on a grey wall, partially hidden behind two trees. Unfortunately someone has painted a black tag over the lower left corner of the painting

In the corner of a piece of graffiti with a blue background is a signature of the artists, in blovk letters, LEXR & EVOKE

around the corner

Posted: February 9, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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I walked around the corner and down a small dead end lane and this is what I saw.

near St. Clair West

garages and gates in fences in a snow covered lane. Two of the doors have been painted in geometric designs.

On a brownish grey wall, some white paint has been applied to provide a backgound for some black line drawings of faces. There are four faces.

A mural on a wall of two polar bears - an adult and a young cub. It looks like they are walking on the snow.

Close up of the mural of two polar bears. in this picture, the whole cub is visible but only the nose of the adult bear is seen. The picture is signed J. Mora 2010

 

yet another proposal

Posted: February 2, 2015 in locations
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Development proposal sign

Bathurst and Robinson

an older two storey brick semidetached house at the corner of Bathurst and Robinson. No other houses are next to it.

the sign says:
“…to permit the development of a nine storey mixed use building…..
….. consisting of ground and 2nd floors with commercial….
…. 28 residential units….
… zero parking spaces ….”

standing alone

Posted: February 1, 2015 in locations
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at the corner of Redpath and Roehampton

A single family, two storey house stands alone in an otherwise vacant lot. The houses around it have been demolished. This last house has just begun to be demolished. There are many apartment buildings in the background.

beside 314

Posted: January 31, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Street art seen in a small lane, on the side of 314 Adelaide East.

A dog and a face partially obscured by swirls. There are also some chemical structures in this grey and blue painting.

above: painted by Aaron Li-Hill

IAH media graffiti in blues and greys on a black wall, very geometric. Sidewalk in front has snow on it.

above: painted by IAH Media

HUG graffiti tag and drawing in blues, greys and purples on a black and white wall.

Graffiti picture of two people, a man and a woman,

people painted by Elicser

Mural of a group of people, one in a chef's outfit, one on a bike,
314 Adelaide East is the home of Artik, a custom T-shirt (and other things) printing company.

mural scene of two people working at a desk amongst paint cans

mural scene of two men working on a machine that is printing designs on t-shirts

 

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