This large Greektown mural on Pape Avenue features two Greek Gods – Aries and Poseidon – painted by Nick Sweetman. In the middle is the Parthenon, the work of Skewr.
below: Aries the God of War (with portions of throw up by vektr)
below: Poseidon the God of the Sea.
The photography of Wolfgang Tillmans (b. 1968 in Germany), “To Look Without Fear” is on display helter skelter on the walls of the upper floor of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Breathtaking in its audacity, but to speak without fear, overwhelming in its mediocrity.
There are some outstanding moments of brilliance and/or technique but they are swamped by lesser pieces.
Some of the best photos were those that had been printed in newspapers such as this photo of refugees in East Timor.
Exhibit continues until then end of September 2023
Welcome back!
below: Posing with the men of Legends Row
below: The CN Tower peaks out from behind glass buildings on Bremner.
below: A slightly different angle, but still looking west on Bremner towards the Rogers Centre, which of course everyone still calls the SkyDome. The very east end of Bremner is also known as Raptors Way in celebration of the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship win in 2019 (that’s basketball for those of you who don’t follow such things).
below: Maple Leaf Square. The three rusted metal cones form “Search Light, Star Light, Spot Light” (1998) by John McEwen. At night, light shines through the thousand star shaped holes in the metal.
below: South entrance to Union Station.
below: More public art with lights can be seen in the foyer at 25 York Street (enter at Union Station in photo above and turn left). Thirty thousand lights suspended from the ceiling and they are constantly changing colour. This is David Rokeby’s “Pixel Cube”.
below: If you had turned right instead of left into 25 York, you would find yourself in the foyer of Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pictured, larger than life on the wall, are 90 Ryan O’Reilly, 16 Mitch Marner, and 88 William Nylander.
below: Russell Peters gives directions?
below: Although much of the Union Station renovation is complete, there are still mystery parts behind temporary walls and plastic barriers.
below: The walk from the railway side of the station to the TTC portion is now covered. No more dodging the elements!
below: Construction on Bay Street, immediately north of the railway tracks.
below: A typical day in downtown Toronto? Construction vehicles caught in the gridlock.
below: Intersection of Bay and Front (that truck is still there!).
below: At street level, something is happening with the gold tinted glass windows on the Royal Bank building. No opportunities to play with reflections in the angled glass walls. As an aside, if you want to discover how many plainclothes security people are lurking in the area, put your camera over the wall and aim it at the building. Then smile.
below: Heading north, Bay and Wellington
In this case A is a very fancy letter and A is for Alexandra – as in Queen Alexandra. This is a post on one side of the Queen Alexandra Gateway at the north end (at Bloor Street) of Philosophers Walk. A little bit of history – This gate was built by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire to commemorate the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in 1901. Originally it stood slightly to the east, at the north end of Queens Park Drive (at Bloor). The names and relationships of the British monarchy can get confusing! The Duke of Cornwall was also Prince George (who later became King George V). Queen Alexandra was his mother – the wife of King Edward VII
Or maybe A is for Architecture.
below: There is plenty of that as you walk along Philosophers Walk including this juxtaposition of old stone and new glass. The reddish structure was built in 1897 to house the Toronto Conservatory of Music. The glass addition to the now Royal Conservatory of Music opened in 2009.
below: The aged copper at the top of Trinity College (built 1920s) is another example of the architectural details to be seen here.
… and now A is for Academia as we find ourselves surrounded by the University of Toronto.
below: Front of Trinity College
below: Ivy covered walls.
below: Hart House – financed by Vincent Massey and named after his father, Hart Massey (of Massey Ferguson). Vincent Massey was the 18th Governor General of Canada (Feb 1852- Dec 1859).
below: “He came and preached peace. ” Faces and felines above a Knox College window.
below: Impressive stonework around a University College door.
below: University College window.
below: Purple prairie clover in front of University College (and no, sadly it doesn’t start with A).
below: Not all University buildings are old and built of stone. This is the McLennan Physical Laboratories building (originally from 1967 but with many updates).
A is for Art.
When I walked this route, the Art Museum at the University of Toronto (in University College) was showing a few artists including the graduating projects of the 2023 Master of Visual Studies graduate students Durga Rajah, Nimisha Bhanot, Omolola Ajao, and Sarah Zanchetta. That exhibited end on the 22nd of July (I am a bit behind in posting). Here is an example – I leave it to you, A the Audience, to decide if it is A for Art in this case.
below: Title: “@ranaayyub Proud of the Muslim women in India who are sticking their neck out and speaking against the tyranny of the Indian state, (Rana Ayyub)” 2023 by Nimisha Bhanot. The image is taken from a short video posted on Instagram in April 2022 by Rana Ayyub who is a journalist at the Washington Post (born in Mumbai India).
A is for Anatomy. But yikes, the anatomy is not where you’d expect it to be!
below: Part of “Consuming Caribbean” series by Thomas Haskell.
A is for Artefacts although I may be grasping at straws here…. (Art -efacts perchance?)… “Resurgent Artefacts” is the name of another of the installations at the U of T Art Museum. It consists of words written on the wall as well as spoken plus a visual aspect. The words begin with: “this morning, a hole appears in your stomach. you rinse dishes that roll inward. sprinkle flowers which disappear. your heart beat ragged like stems rotting in still water. it is no small devastation. sprung without antecedent or count in. just a slow sink. a mossy bog.”… there is more, 8 feet high. Full text on artist’s instagram page
below: The visual part of Jasmine Gui’s “Resurgent Artefacts”, floor to ceiling designs on Japanese paper. A single picture probably doesn’t do it justice.
A is also for Astronomy.
Or in this case, the Louis B. Stewart Observatory on Hart House Circle. The original building was the Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory. From Wikipedia: “The original building was constructed in 1840 as part of a worldwide research project … to determine the cause of fluctuations in magnetic declination. Measurements from the Toronto site demonstrated that sunspots were responsible for this effect on Earth’s magnetic field. When this project concluded in 1853, the observatory was greatly expanded by the Canadian government and served as the country’s primary meteorological station and official timekeeper for over fifty years. The observatory is considered the birthplace of Canadian astronomy.”
A is for Anthropology. That’s the study of humanity, or what makes humans human. You could say it’s the study of cultures and societies and how they develop or interact. Here someone from the Anthropology Department has planted food? I am not sure what is growing here….
below: Also outside the Anthropology building is this cast-bronze sculpture called ‘Cedars’ (1962) by Walter Yarwood.
A is for Anishinaabe
It is also our last stop on this wander through part of the University of Toronto. Now we are at Spadina, just north of the Daniels Building/Architecture faculty where this design was painted on the large north window in November 2021 by Que Rock.
Anyone for B?
At the end of last year there was some controversy about removal of some of the trees from the park in front of Osgoode Hall to make way for Metrolinx and the new Ontario Line subway. (see post here – tree removal ).
Well, the trees did come down and subway construction has begun. The northbound lanes on University Ave north of Queen are closed and of course traffic chaos has ensued.
below: One entrance to Osgoode station on the southwest corner of Queen and University (looking north). On the Metrolinx website, the old building that now houses Rexall will become a new entrance to the subway. Or at least the facade of the building from 1929 is being retained. Before it was a Rexall drug store it was a CIBC branch.
below: Pedestrians crossing Queen Street, east side of University Ave (looking south)
below: The other entrance to Osgoode station is on the northeast corner of University and Queen. (Looking south in this photo.) A new entrance is planned for this location too except that it will be within the black wrought iron fence that surrounds Osgoode Hall. This frees up space on the busy sidewalk.
below: The bike lane on westbound Queen Street comes to an abrupt end and the corner is quite dangerous.
Walking north on University Avenue
below: Looking south on University from Armoury Street. This is the section of University that is closed to traffic.
below: University Club of Toronto, a Georgian building, with just one edge of the US Consulate General visible on the left side of the photo.
below: Weaving of traffic at Armoury Street (in front of the US Consulate General).
One of the exhibits now on at the Art Gallery of Ontario features the work of two Impressionist painters. One is Helen McNicoll who born in Toronto in 1879 but raised in Montreal. When she was two years old she contacted scarlet fever which left her deaf. After a few years of art studies in both England and Montreal, she moved to Europe in 1908. She was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1913 and was created an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1914. In 1915 she died. Over her short career she contributed over 70 works to exhibitions in both Canada and Britain.
below: “The Open Door” about 1913, by Helen McNicoll. The words beside the painting end with this sentence: “(The) title asks us what it means to stand next to an open door and not walk out.” Also, note that there is no reflection in the mirror.
below:“In the Shadow of a Tree” by Helen McNicoll.
In this exhibit, McNicoll’s work is shown along side some of Mary Cassatt’s paintings. Cassatt (1844-1926). Both artists were women and both painted in an Impressionist style. Cassatt was at least a generation older as she was showing her paintings in Europe a few years before McNicoll was born.
below: “The Cup of Tea” by Mary Cassatt, about 1880 to 1881. This painting was shown in the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1881. It is a portrait of Cassatt’s sister Lydia as she partakes in a Parisian afternoon tea with white gloves and pink finery. The pink of the dress is reflected in the shiny fabric of the purple chair. (note: between 1874 and 1886 there were 8 exhibits featuring Impressionist paintings. Cassatt had paintings in many of these exhibitions.)
below: “Montreal in a Snowstorm” by Helen McNicoll. Although McNicoll spent most of her adult life in Europe, she returned home to visit her family in Montreal frequently.
This exhibit is on until 4th Sept 2023.
Something to smile about!
He’s happy to be hanging out under the Gardiner with a friend….
while another of the gang lurks nearby, keeping an eye on the situation….
Together they are part of “Boom Town”, a temporary creative intervention to brighten the day of passers by. A colourful contrast to the Lakeshore and the Gardiner above it, brought to life by the people at the bentway as well as the Waterfront BIA.
I have blogged a few times about the new Eglinton LRT/subway line that may or may not ever get finished in our life time. As well, I have shared some pictures of the construction that is the beginning of the work on the Ontario line through downtown. But apparently, that’s not all that Metrolinx is up to – I have heard rumours of another LRT line under construction in Toronto, the Finch West line. So I went to investigate.
below: Waiting on the platform at Finch West subway station.
Like so many transit projects in the city, the history of the Finch LRT has not followed a straight path. In 2009 the provincial government announced a new subway/LRT line along Finch from Don Mills to Humber College. But that promise was shortlived – the eastern end was removed a year later. Next, mayor Rob Ford cancelled the whole project after taking office at the end of 2010. City Council reinstated it (the western portion) in 2012 and construction was to begin in 2015 for a 2020 completion date. Work began a little later than planned but at least it actually started. The new LRT line goes from Finch West station at Keele to Humber College, 10.3 kilometres in total. It’s behind schedule but I don’t think that that surprises anyone.
My walking plan was to take a Finch bus westward along the new route and then walk back…. Traffic, of course, was horrible and by the time we got to hwy 400 I was ready to get off the bus. It didn’t help that they were repaving parts of Finch Avenue.
below: Like many plans, changes had to be made along the way since the sidewalk kept coming to an abrupt end….
below: .. and intersections weren’t always easy to navigate.
below: At the eastern end of the new LRT, on the east side of the intersection of Keele and Finch is a new public art installation. This steel structure is 40 feet high and represents Elia Public School which once stood at this intersection. It was designed by Brandon Vickerd. In the photo below, the building behind seems to be another Metrolinx building – that T symbol is on the new LRT stations as well.
below: Also at Keele and Finch – there are already two buildings to access the subway. It seems to suggest that TTC and Metrolinx have structures on three of the four corners of that intersection. Finch West station is on the section of Line 1 (Yonge-University) that opened late in 2017. Pictures from those days can be found at “to the end of the line”
below: Most of the LRT runs above ground. In order to provide easy access with the existing subway line, the LRT goes underground just west of Keele.
below: New LRT trains parked at the new Finch West Maintenance and Storage Facility just west of Jane and Finch.
below: No one will be able to say that they can’t find the stations along Finch. This is Driftwood station.
below: Walking past Norfinch Oakdale station.
below: Track work at Tobermory station.
below: Looking west from Romfield
For the nest few months, three big, bold, and colourful images are on display at Ontario Square on the waterfront. These are “Joy in Resistance” by Frizzkid aka Hana Shafi.
This is one exhibit where the “words on the wall” work well! This is how Frizzkid describes her work: “They are celebrations of diversity and of LGBTQ+ joy, where we envision a bright future; where people can flourish and dream wildly, and be wholly themselves without danger or hate. I have a love of 60’s and 70’s popular culture aesthetics, which spans from the golden age of Bollywood, to Studio 54 disco fever, appearing throughout my work to convey a warm nostalgia amidst the psychedelia. I believe in the beauty of reinvention and fluidity, and to make each piece feel transformative. My chaotic use of colour is meant to invoke powerful emotions that jolt people out of apathy and the exhaustion of doom-scrolling on their phones and to invite them to imagine their ideal future, one where they feel at home in their own skin and beloved by their communities.”
On display until 5th Nov 2023
Another visit to Graffiti Alley to see what’s changed…..
below: Collage on the back of a sign with contributions by many.
below: An orange dragon graces a utility pole.
below: Sentient Cookie with “The words you’ve said to me a decade ago still echo in my brain”.
below: Another section of wall covered with the remains of stickers and slaps.
below: Truth, It’s that simple. Consume daily. “Free through an earnest volition. Side effects include decreased stress and increased mental clarity…. ” Dorian’s House.
below: Who do you love? Apparently someone loves his/her girlfriend while someone else loves, and misses, Stephanie Ann.
below: More ink additions, this time on a bird. Someone has written, “no phone no wife” – either he thinks that without a phone he can’t find/attract a wife (no tindr?) or he has neither a phone nor a wife (lucky man?). Interpret as you want. Also, there is Kone x Roc on his wing as well as Sari D. declaring her love forever.
below: Someone left their shoe behind… and that’s quite the reaction from Tips
below: 33wallflower33 whetpaste – My body my choice
below: … and another
below: Urban Ninja Squadron running away with an angry bird…. and Adopt by Praxis in bright pink
below: An angry white cloud seems to hover hover a drawing by catchoo
below: More catchoo
below: What’s this chef serving up?
below: L S and Z
below: A skull and Noah forever.
Photos taken June 2023
as I walk Toronto 