Sunday sun and water

Posted: May 18, 2015 in waterfront
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Sunday of the long May weekend,
along the waterfront,
sun, water, and people

A man is sitting by the lake, his back to one of the posts supporting the chain links that separate the walkway from the water.

Two people are lying on the deck of a large boat that is moored at the waterfront, in the background is the Rees wave deck, a wavy sidewalk, on which a lot of people are walking

View of HTO beach with its yellow umbrellas with the Toronto skyline in the background.

people lying in the sand or sitting on chairs, reading, talking, and enjoying the sunny afternoon under large yellow beach umbrellas.

sitting under yellow beach umbrellas beside Lake Ontario

A couple is lying on their backs on a concrete bench beside lake Ontario. Their legs are bent and feet are on the bench, feet towards the lake, head towards the camera. You can see the backs of their heads.

part of the Toronto waterfront, looking towards the city with high rise condos and the CN Tower. some boats are moored , a man is standing beside the water reading a book.

The tall shil 'Caledonia' is moored in the foreground. Behind and to the left are red fire boats, to the right is a walkway beside the lake on which people are walking and cycling.

A child looks askance at thing made of green balloons.

A man on stilts and wearing a black tux and tophat along with a red cumberbund and rose in his lapel is entertaining a group of people

People on the waterfront boardwalk taking pictures of two swans and two ducks that are in the lake

#turbanup

Posted: May 17, 2015 in events, locations
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This afternoon at Yonge Dundas Square,
Turbanup, presented by the Sikh Youth Federation.

There were many people there helping to wrap

Passersby have stopped to watch a an is wrapping a red turban around a young woman's head.

and many colours of fabric to choose from.

People in turbans are at a table sorting and folding purple and pink and blue fabric that is available for making turbans with.

A young man having his head wrapped in a dark blue turban. His eyes are closed. Close up shot.

Two men sitting in chairs while having their heads wrapped in a turban, one purple and one orange.

A man is wrapping a light blue turban around a young woman's head.

A man in a bright yellow T shirt is sitting in a chair while another man wraps an orange turban around his head. To the right, an older man is waiting his turn to get a turban.

A man is grimacing while having a yellow turban wrapped around his head (and into his eyes) by an older Sikh man with a a dark red turban.

A black woman with long hair is having her head wrapped in a turquoise turban

Three men in their new turbans are standing together while a fourth man is taking their picture.

bolts of many different colours of cloth being folded by some people

spring blossoms in Mount Pleasant

Posted: May 16, 2015 in nature
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This week all the flowering trees and shrubs have come to life.  Also, a number of times I have looked out the subway window as the train passed Mount Pleasant cemetery and noticed the blossoms on the trees there.  Past experience says that the pinks and whites of these trees may not last long.  So I took my camera and macro lens to Mount Pleasant cemetery and played.

There were lilacs and forsythia and many others that I don’t now the name of.

little pink buds on the end of a branch of a tree

clusters of white blossoms on a branch of a tree with a brownish marble tombstone in the background

close up of the flowers of a horse chestnut tree. Small white petals with pink and yellow markings, and large green seed pods.

close up a cluster of lilac buds, with one flower already open that is partially obscured by buds

bright pink flower on a blossoming tree

branches from a tree laden with pink blossoms in the foreground, a cemetery tombstone in the background

two white flowers in full bloom on a flowering tree

flowers partially open. One bud is still closed and it is pink, when the flowers open they are white as the petals are white with pink tinges on the edges.

pinkish purple little flowers on a branch along with some dried brown pods left over from autumn.

chestnut tree in bloom in a cemetery.

A branch of a forsythia bush with many little yellow flowers on it

close up of new growth, new leaves, on a branch of a flowering tree

below: Apparently this tree is called a Moose Maple.

new growth on a moose maple tree, little dangling green parts and new leaves that are a pinkish colour
new growth on a moose maple tree, little dangling green parts and new leaves that are a pinkish colour - a slightly out of focus ant is climbing on the stem of one of the leaves.

 

legs, we walk on them

Posted: May 15, 2015 in locations, people, public art
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Figures and Models of Surfaces,
by Isabelle Wenzel,
on King St. West at John (by Metro Hall).
Part of CONTACT Photography Festival.

Six people walking on a sidewalk. They are walking past a row of large pictures of legs in various strange poses on bodies with no upper parts.

“I’ve got two legs from my hips to the ground
And when I move ’em they walk around
And when I lift ’em they climb the stairs
And when I shave ’em they ain’t got hairs.”

 “I’ve Got Two Legs” by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam

That’s the sort of thing that went through my head as I took these photos.

A man in brown pants and a brown and white striped shirt is holding a drink in his hand as he walks past two large pictures of legs.

a man's leg and black boot stick out from under a picture of a woman's leg with a yellow shoe, on a bright orange background. A man is sitting on a ledge behind the photo.

All photos are self-portraits of the photographer.
Legs as sculptural elements – colour, shape and composition.
Legs as objects – objectification of the legs is now complete.

people in front of 4 large photos of legs by Isabelle Wenzel. A couple are saying goodbye, two men in suits are walking together, a woman is looking at the pictures as she walks past and another woman is walking out of the photo on the right.

These legs were made for walking.  Not.
Just walk on by.
More silly thoughts as I watch people walk past the pictures.

Two young women are alking past a few large, larger than life photos of legs. The women have their arms up in the air.

below:  The blue tones of Metro Hall provide a backdrop.

A tall bluish colored glass building with a sidewalk in front. Along the sidewalk is a row of short young trees with new leaves. There is also a row of large photos of legs on the sidewalk between the building and the street.

Fun.  Great installation.

Edouard’s Toronto

Posted: May 15, 2015 in locations, public art
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Edouard
a CONTACT photography festival exhibit,
VIA Rail Concourse (i.e. where the trains depart from)

Edouard LeBouthillier documented his life in Toronto in the 1970’s and early 1980’s with Polaroid pictures.  On the back of the photos he noted dates and places.  He also took pictures of Toronto buildings and landmarks that were newly constructed or in the process of being torn down (e.g. the old Eatons store at Yonge & Dundas).

There are two exhibits of his work being shown at CONTACT this year.  The first, shown below, is on the east side of the VIA Rail Concourse of Union Station where a number of large prints are on display.  If you have trouble finding them, look for VIA platforms 12 and 13.

A second Edouard exhibit is at Art Metropole (1490 Dundas West) and it consists of some of the original polaroids that show his domestic life.

below:  At new City Hall.
In front of the tulip garden on the left and lying by the fountain on the right.

large photographic prints on display at Union Station

large photographic prints on display at Union Station

below: Edouard was at the CNE on the 17th of August 1977.

large photographic prints on display at Union Station

below: On the left is Ed’s Wacky Wirld store, 1977

large photographic prints on display at Union Station

under the Millwood Bridge

Posted: May 14, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Millwood Bridge
also known as the Leaside Bridge

I first visited this site late in March.  For one reason or another I didn’t get around to adding the photos that I took that day to this blog.  I was back yesterday on another grey day.  There are now leaves on the trees and the graffiti on the concrete has been painted over.

looking along the length of the bridge from just underneath it at one end. Sloping ground in the picture, as are concrete supports and the metal steel girders supporting the road above.

below:  The Don River flows under the bridge.  In the distance, top right, is the Don Valley Parkway.

steel girders under the Millwood bridge with the train tracks and Don River below. Lots of bolts holding this bridge together!

graffiti on the yellow girders under the bridge. The concrete supports at the end of the bridge are also visible and also covered with graffit.

yellow girder in the foreground, the cat walk and metal structure of the bridge in the background. Graffit on the girder including the word 'scarey' in white letters.

Catwalk under the Millwood bridge, looking down almost the whole length of it. A person is on the catwalk in the distance.

yellow metal girder covered with scribbles in black, red, and green.
There was also some graffiti and street art on the concrete supports at the north end of the bridge.  These have now been painted over.  The graffiti on the metal portions of the bridge remains.

below: Two of the paintings that are now gone.

Street art painting of an eagle attacking a snake.

graffiti tag that says Mozie in large letters, blue on the top and a dark burgundy colour on the bottom

Lovebot didn’t want to stick to the paint on the girder but he hung around long enough to get a picture.

lovebot sticker on a yellow metal girder under a bridge

under Glen Road

Posted: May 11, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
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All bridges have a character of their own including the Glen Road bridge.

below: Looking east toward Glen Road from the Beltline Trail that follows the Yellow Creek.  Photo taken a couple of weeks ago just before the leaves started growing.

trail beside a creek in a ravine with lots of trees in early spring before there are any leaves on the trees. A woman is walking two dogs on the trail and in the distance there is a bridge over the ravine.

The following photos were taken under the north side of the bridge. On the day that I was there, it was impossible to cross the creek – something to do in the future!

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - words 'power to the creative people"
graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - large symbol with eye, yellow sun and serpent like shapes, high on a pillar up near the green metal girders of the bridge

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - looking up from under the bridge - some graffiti on the concrete pillars but they are hidden behind the green metal girders.

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - stencil of a little green alien and the words, "I want to believe"

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - along the back wall, mostly tags, one picture of a man's face that has a big grey X through it. On the ground in a corner is a mattress covered with a blanket or sleeping bag.

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - tags around the base of the pillars

whos yo daddy? graffiti

graffiti under a bridge

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - colourful tags. Some are older and are starting to peel

graffiti on the concrete supports under a bridge - a pile of trash beside graffiti covered sections of the bridge

CANstruction

Posted: May 9, 2015 in events
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Since 1999 CANstruction has been an  annual contest amongst the GTA design community.  Companies build structures with canned or packaged foods for the benefit of the Daily Bread Food Bank.  These structures are then displayed and judged  before the food is donated.

Photos from some of the entries for this year’s competition:

below: Hunger for Sport, by HDR
Toronto is about to play host to both the PanAm Games and the ParaPan Games.  These games are a celebration of individual triumph and collective national achievement.  Food fuels the body and the mind and is needed for individuals to strive for their goals.  But many go without.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - a white curved wall with two symbols representing sports on it

below: Feed People not Trash, by Cannon Design
Canadians waste food, a lot of food.  Expired food and uneaten leftovers become organic landfill.  This sculpture is an oversized trash can overflowing with food; about 12,000 of these sized trash cans of edible food are thrown out in Canada each day.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - an oversized trash can overflowing with cans of food. The trash can is made of gray coloured cans

below: Food for Thought, by rebanks pepper littlewood architects inc.
Hunger can have a profound effect on the brain and as a result, how we learn, behave, and make decisions.  Healthy and energetic minds need complete and balanced meals.  This sculpture represents the brain with each lobe being a different food group and in turn, each food group is different coloured can.  Fruits and vegetables are green, grains are yellow, dairy is blue, and meats and other protein sources are red.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - close up of a representation of the brain with a string of little lights representing the brain at work

31% of food bank recipients are children.  By feeding hungry mouths with good food we ensure that minds are nourished and the brain can focus on learning, developing, and growing.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - close up of a representation of the brain with a string of little lights representing the brain at work

below: Constructing Hope, by PCL Constructors Canada with Entuitive
Biomimicry uses nature’s patterns and strategies to find solutions to human challenges.  Here we have a calla lily, a resilient and beautiful flower modelled from nature.   In turn, society can learn from nature to work together using available resources to ensure the survival of all.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - a calla lily in yellow and blue cans

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - close up of the yellow and blue calla lily

below: Can the Force Be With You, by GHD Inc.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - a large picture of Darth Vader's head

below: On the Front Lines of Hunger, by Aercoustics Engineering Ltd.
“The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.”
It’s a war with many fronts.  Food inequality impacts 13% of Canadian households especially people with disabilities, single people, and single parent households.
“United we can stop hunger in its tracks.”

in the trenches, a sculpture made of cans on display as part of a competition

below: Oppor[tuna]ty by Ryerson University Dept of Architectural Science
The tuna fish is one of the most common sources of protein and other nutrients such as Vitamin B12 but it is still inaccessible and unaffordable for those who struggle financially.  The completed head and tail of this structure represent those who live comfortably.  The middle section, the “bare bones” of white beans, represent the nutritional issues faced by those who live on cheaper low protein foods.

a large fish skeleton, a sculpture made of cans on display as part of a competition, representing oppor Tuna ty

below: Fortuna, by BA Consulting Group
Fortuna was the ancient Roman goddess of fortune and symbol of the random and unpredictable forces that control human life.  This fortune cookie is made of over 9000 cans of tuna.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - a large fortune cookie made of 9000 cans of tuna

below: Shifting Perspectives, by Quadrangle Architects
Objects seen from different angles appear differently.  So to with situations and challenges such as hunger in midst.

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - close up of a representation of the brain with a string of little lights representing the brain at work
sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - from one angle this sculpture is a red wall with the word HUNGRY written on it in block white letters

sculptures on display that were entered in a contest in support of the Daily Food Bank, sculptures made of canned food in a theme pertaining to hunger awareness - a red folded wall with a white plate, white knife and white fork on it.

 CANstruction was:
→ presented by Design Administration Canada,
→ supported by Consulting Engineers of Ontario and The Design Exchange, and
→ hosted by Cadillac Fairview Corp.

Information and photos from previous years entries on CANstruction website.

beached at the waterfront

Posted: May 8, 2015 in galleries, waterfront
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‘The Death of a Journey V’ by Zineb Sedira,
at the Power Plant, Harbourfront,
south exterior wall facing the waterfront.
19 ft x 31 ft

This is a photograph that appears in Sedira’s ‘Shipwrecks’ series, a picture of the ‘United Malika’ that ran aground enroute to a shipping graveyard near Nouadhibou Mauritania in 2003.

A large photograph by Zineb Sadira of an old ship that lies rusting on the shore. A tree is in front of the photo. Although it is rusting, the ship is intact.

Although it is part of the CONTACT photography festival, it is scheduled to remain until September.

Demolition at MOCCA

Posted: May 7, 2015 in galleries
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‘Demolition Site’ by Jihyun Jung,
at MOCCA as part of the CONTACT photography festival

This Korean artist visits demolition sites where he paints one of the rooms red.
Over time, he documents the changes to this room as demolition proceeds.

below:  One of his photographs of a red room covers the entire wall at MOCCA.

 A large photograph of the inside of an abandoned building. The interior walls have been painted red. Rubble has started spilling into the hall from the demolition of the rest of the building.

One of the walls of the courtyard in front of MOCCA is covered with one of his photographs.   It is 30 feet long.  Very annoyingly, a car was parked in front of it the day I was there.  It was promoting a car dealership in return for their support of an exhibit at the gallery that shares courtyard space with MOCCA.   The two planters with the tall evergreens are very tacky too.

A large photograph (30 feet long) that covers the side of a building. The photo is of a building being demolished. It is to scale with the real building.

A close up of A large photograph (30 feet long) that covers the side of a building. The photo is of a building being demolished. It is to scale with the real building.

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