Posts Tagged ‘downtown’

one blue, one naked

Posted: October 8, 2015 in events, public art
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Some of the art installations from Nuit Blanche remain available for viewing this week.
Two of them are near Jarvis and Gerrard.

below: As you travel south on Jarvis Street, just before Gerrard, you can see a billboard art installation, ‘Refugees run the seas’ by Francisco Fernandos Granados.  The accompanying sign says:  “‘Refugees run the seas’ draws and diverts from pop culture as a way to invite the viewer to imagine a future where justice for migrants exists.  The work evokes past and present scenes of harrowing escape while allowing the possibility of a time to come when those seeking refuge will be agents of movement, rather than victims.”

“Refugees run the seas ’cause we own our own boats” is a line from Wyclef Jean’s rap in Shakira’s song ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ in case you were wondering how this billboard “draws and diverts from” pop culture.

a billboard on a city street. it is blue with just the words on it that say Refugees run the seas cause we own our own votes

below: In the Children’s Conservatory at Allan Gardens is another installation.  This one is titled “Sphinx” and it is by Luis Jacob of Toronto.   According to the Nuit Blanche sign: “Toronto is changing before our eyes.  Neighbourhoods and skylines are transformed seemingly overnight while the social fabric of the city is altered in ways that are difficult to discern.  Come in and see the ‘Sphinx’, who poses questions that we want ardently to ask.”

The hands and fingers of this tall and imposing headless man are forming a frame that is apparently supposed to capture our attention.  When you walk into the conservatory it’s definitely not the hands that you notice. The hands are way above the line of sight.   Of course, one could ask why he has no clothes and does having no head enhance the artwork.  Can you ask questions if you have no mouth, no voice?  And are the questions ardently wanted or ardently asked?  hmmm….

There are books and pamphlets in display cases around the room.  These publications are all about Toronto and they date back as far as 50 years ago.  No, you can’t access the books, you can’t open or read them.  I’m not sure what information they are supposed to add to the exhibit.

In a glass walled and glass roofed conservatory, a white statue of a headless naked man stands on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Two men are looking at a display on a table in the left of the picture.

 

#snbTO

Renfrew Place

Posted: September 23, 2015 in graffiti and street art
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Renfrew Place, near Queen Street West and University Avenue.

Another alley, another collection of graffiti and street art.

below: Lovebot strides over speed bump warnings.

A yellow sign warning of speed bumps in the lane has a big lovebot sticker in the middle of it. Buildings in the background.

Street art on an alley garage that covers the whole of the front including garage door and entranceway. On the entrance door is a greenish horned three eyed, big teeth monster

rasr tag on the upper story of a building in an alley . another tag under it that also covers a door.

door in an alley is covered with a street art piece in golds, reds and white

back of a building in an alley, beside a parked car, is covered with swirls of pink, orange and yellow street art. There are a couple of abstract faces in the swirls.

back of a building in an alley is covered with swirls of pink, orange and yellow street art. There are a couple of abstract faces in the swirls.

Two signs on a wall covered in street art in pinks, yellows and oranges. One sign is a Tow Zone sign, i.e. no parking. The other sign has an arrow pointing to Queen mother bar garden.

below: The Korean Grill House restaurant is at the corner of Queen West and McCaul.

The back of the Korean Grill House restaurant, and the alley that its in. There is lots of street art on it. Two red garbage bins are also in the picture and they too have graffiti on them.

below:  This mural by elicsr is on the corner of Renfrew Place and John Street.

a mural by artist elicsr on the side of a convenience store. The side of the building faces an alley. A large man and woman are in the mural and they are wearing red crowns. The woman has a young girl sitting in her arms. There is another man in the mural, he covers the back entrance to the building.

two pictures, both part of a mural by elicsr. On the left is a man in a brown and olive green adidas jacket. He is wearing a brown baseball cap with the letters ELX on it. On the right is a picture of a woman with her arm wrapped around a young girl. She is writing a letter.

A painting of Frida Kahlo on a wall. Larger than life size. She has a purple shawl around her shoulders.

line drawing of a dinosaur on a wall beside a door.

A street art piece in grey tones with some black and white, by gino.graffiti (that is how he has signed it). Done in 2015. In an alley beside a black metal door.

The back of a couple of buildings in an alley, covered with graffit, mostly tags. One says Herbs and another says Near. A beige car is parked there too.

A street art painting is wearing away revealing the red brick underneath. A pink bunny is still partly visible. The word gwap is written above the rabbit's ears.

the demolition of a building has made it easier to see some street art and signs on the upper part of the side of a building. One is the word Alveno (or maybe Alvend) written in large block letters. Another is a colourful geometric design.

banners on Queens Quay

Posted: September 18, 2015 in public art
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 Waterfront Outdoor Photo Exhibit

For the past four years, the Waterfront BIA has organized a photography contest.  East year fifty finalists are chosen.  This year they have organized a photo exhibit of a different kind.  One hundred and fourteen images were chosen from the 200 finalists from their previous photo contests.  These images were used (and cropped!) to make vertical banners, 5 ft x 2 ft in size.   The banners are made of vinyl and the same image is on both sides.

below: You can see many of the banners on Queen’s Quay between Yonge and Bathurst.

Looking west on Queens Quay towards Bathurst street. New TTC streetcar is in the photo as well as a number of condos and other buildings on the north side of the street

Picture of round orange life ring on the edge of the waterfront in Toronto.

Three pictures in one. Each of the pictures is of a banner hanging from a pole outside. On the left is a picture of seagull, in the middle is a picture of two houses and on the right is a winter waterfront scene

A pole with a vinyl banner with a colourful picture of boats. Also on the pole is a street sign that says Yo Yo Ma Lane

looking towards the waterfront. A banner with a picture of the Canadian flag is on a post by a tree in the foreground. The old silos for Canada Malting Company are in the background as is a boat moored beside the silos.

A banner with a picture of a seagull on it. In the background of the banner picture is the CN Tower. In the background of this photo, there is also the CN Tower.

 

below: Sometimes it’s difficult to see the banners amongst all the other things along Queen’s Quay

TTC streetcar on Queens Quay

below: There are also some banners on Lakeshore Blvd between Bathurst and Spadina.

A woman is walking on a sidewalk, away from the camera, beside the Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto. There are a few cars on the road. There are skyscrapers in the background. The elevated highway, the Gardiner Expressway, is also in the picture.

A composite of three pictures, each of a vertical banner hanging from a pole outdoors along a street. One banner is a kayaker in the harbour in front of the Toronto skyline. Another is a sunset over Toronto skyline on a cloudy day

it’s become a game

Posted: September 10, 2015 in landmarks
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And the point of the game is this:

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How many views of the CN Tower do you think there are?
I suspect the answer is something like “bazillions” but I am willing to try to see how many I can find.

below: From far away. Looking eastward across Lake Ontario from Humber Bay park.

looking across a hazy Lake Ontario to the TOronto skyline

Some of these views you have probably seen before…  and perhaps many times before.
But, I  hope that some of these views are new to you.

below: Zipline at Canada Square, part of EpicIsOn event

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below: From the east, across Sherbourne Common, late afternoon

Sherbourne Common looking towards downtown and the CN tower. Splash pad with fountains in the foreground with late afternoon sun shining on the water

below:  And from the west

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  below: Behind a busy intersection, King and Spadina

the intersection of King and Spadina in Toronto with a wide angle lens. People are crossing the street, there is a streetcar and lots of streetcar wires. THe LCBO and Winners are in the background as well as the CN Tower
The CN tower between two skyscrapers

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below: behind Queen St. West

Looking towards shops on Queen Street West with the CN Tower behind.

Musicians play on the rood of the Fairland grocery store in Kensington. The CN Tower is a bit hazy but it is visible in the background.

below: The CN Tower peaks out from between the pencil supports at OCAD

Looking through the pencil like supports to the black and white upper lever addition to OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design). The CN TOwer and other tall toronto buildings are in the background.

This post is a continuation of another CN Tower post, Always in the way, from last year.

north of Nassau

Posted: September 5, 2015 in graffiti and street art
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Nassau Street that is, just south of College and just west of Spadina.  There is an alley that runs north from Nassau directly behind Spadina.  A dead end lane runs perpendicular to it, behind the houses on Nassau Street.  Like most alleys in Toronto, there is street art there.  Some old, some new, and unfortunately some scribbled over.  All in all, this lane is looking a little worn.

Buildings in an alley with lots of graffiti on them.

a wall with a painting of a woman's head on the left (in grey tones), a door with metal bar gate in the middle, and part of a tag like graffiti piece on the right.

large geometric street art piece on a brick wall in an alley

Black and white street art painting on a reddish brick wall, signed Jaroe

Two large poser bunnies on a wall in an alley

buildings in an alley with lots of street art on them

A lovebot and a pair of anser eyes on a wall in an alley. Lots of empty cardboard boxes on the ground by the wall.

A wall with a small window with a metal grille over it, covered in street art, with weeds and goldenrod growing up in front of it

view down an alley late in summer when there are leaves on the trees and lots of weeds growing at the edges of the pavement

An old wood door on an alley building has been painted with a large yellowish green face with big pink lips and brown teeth

graffiti on a garage door

Two black lovebot robot stickers on a yellow protective sleeve around a cable that is helping to hold up a pole.

In an alley, the back of a house is being renovated, all the windows are boarded up and some of the exterior brick has been removed. There is a metal gate across the back of the property. The garage to the left is covered with graffiti.

Newer garage in an alley with a crooked metal wire gate beside it. The garage has graffiti on the side wall and on both of its garage doors.

looking towards the end of an alley that has a large wheatpaste 3D lovebot high up on it. Beside lovebot is another wheatpaste

Wheatpaste high up on a wall, a large face like thing. The words 'dying inside' are part of the picture

below: Only the eye remains from a previous painting

Just an eye from a previous street art painting hasn't been covered by a white tag

below:  Two photos from the south side of Nassau street

Two women pushing a stroller walk past some street art on Nassau St. in Toronto, a large orange piece ta

The front and side of a garage are covered with street art. The front is not very very visible in this picture but the side is. A man from the waist up with his finger pointing upwards is beside a picture of city buidings and a poser bunny.

Chinatown Festival

Posted: August 25, 2015 in events
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A summer in Toronto is a summer of small festivals all over the city.  This past weekend, a part of Spadina was closed to traffic to make way for the Chinatown Festival.

looking north from Dundas, up Spadina. Part of the street is closed to traffic to make room for the Chinatown festival. Many people are waiting at the red light.

There were dragons,

Two women under a white Chinese dragon costume and they are walking beside a black dragon, They are following a girl who is holding a white flag with red Chinese characters on it

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food,

Fried squid on sticks being barbecued at a street festival

deep fried twisted potatos for sale at an outdoor festival

demonstrations and shows,

Four kids, two girls and two boys, practice kicking as part of a muay thai demonstration on an outdoor stage at a festival

Muay thai demonstration

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Two girls wearing shiny red dresses and gold and silver boots perform a dance on an outdoor stage. The audiencee is in the background

dancers from M. Dance school

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magician Stephen Cheung shows a deck of cards at an outdoor show

Stephen Cheung, magician

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A chinese woman sings on an outdoor stage at the Chinatown festival on Spadina Ave

Angel Cheng, singer

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as well as vendors and booths

members of the Toronto Chinese Baptist church making music, singers, accordian, and guitar player

music by members of the Toronto Chinese Baptist Church

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A girl tends a table full of cold drinks that are for sale, on the sidewalk

A young Asian boy sits on his father's shoulders

saluting the sun

Posted: August 23, 2015 in events, people
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4th annual Yogathon,
Rise for a Cause – 108 Sun Salutations

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - looking toward the stage where the leaders are, arms stretched upwards, YOnge Dundas Square in Toronto

The event started with some warm-ups, some laughter yoga and some Bollywood style dance moves.

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - a young man in a pink turban, as well as some other people, laughing as they warm up to the yogathon while doing some laughter yoga

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, warming up to dance music, swinging arms

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - women laughing as they warm up to the yogathon while doing some laughter yoga

Money raised through the yogathon here in Toronto (along with 45 other cities) helps to support Care for Children, a program dedicated to providing free education  to rural youth in India.

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - most people are in a lunge position except for one woman who is standing with her arms raised

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - a yoga instructor is helping another woman with her upward dog position

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, a young woman with palms of hands pressed together, fingers spread apart

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, in downward dog position

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - downward dog time

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, women in lunge position with arms down and fingers on the ground

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, woman with ganesha tattoo on her calf

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - a man stands with his hands around his ankles, knees straight.

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, two women in downward dog position

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group - arms stretched to the side, standing, getting ready to practice yoga

men and women at a yogathon - doing yoga outside in a large group, young girl sitting on the ground and eating a cookie while her mother does yoga.

#riseforacause

playing in the streets

Posted: August 16, 2015 in events
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Open Streets,
Yonge and Bloor Streets,
Sunday 16th August 2015

 

looking south on Yonge St. from Bloor street on a morning when no cars allowed. There are people walking on the street. There are also two kids with pink balloons.

Two men wearing red T shirts are riding their bikes on Yonge street, passing a woman who is using chalk to draw a floor on the street

A young boy is playing with a hula hoop in front of a sign that says Give It a Try

below: Slow bike race

A man is riding his bike as slowly as possible and still stay within a narrow path as part of a slow bike race. Other people are standing beside their bikes and watching him

A man is skateboarding on the street

A group of adults and kids are doing the limbo with a long rope on the street on a day when the road is closed to traffic.

A couple is pushing a stroller up Yonge St. past some of the stores. No cars on the street

A few people walk on the streets, two bikes also, the bikes have pink balloons attached to them, they are on Yonge Street, just south of Bloor in front of the construction on the west side of Yonge, the lower storey of old brick stores is boarded up, the upper storeys are still visible

A young man is standing in a doorway beside a hair and nails shop on Yonge Street.

Two women are jogging, and other people are walking, on Yonge street on a Sunday morning at Open Streets Toronto so there is no traffic.

#OpenStreetsTO

people overhead

Posted: July 20, 2015 in public art
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In Underpass park, some of the concrete supports holding up Eastern Ave have been painted by various street artists.  The pillars that are closest to Lower River Street feature people of all races, genders, ages, and colours entangled together.

A man and two kids walk their bikes past Underpass Park on Lower River St. in Toronto. A road is above them. Concrete supports that hold up that road have been decorated with paintings by various street artists. Closest to the street, the pillars are people with their arms raised so it looks like they are holding up the road. The horizontal part of the supprts are covered with pictures of people flying outward from the center.

Details of some of the people:

part of a street art painting, a black man with a yellow baseball hat, an older Chinese man with a small beard, as well as other arms and legs tangled up together

street artist painting of a woman with long black hair emerging from a bed of flowers.

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street artist painting on a concrete underpass support, a white man is reading a read book with the titile Like. A brown man's face is also in the picture.

street artist painting of a woman with long yellow hair emerging from a bed of flowers.

a street artist painting of a woman in a blue and white striped shirt flying with her arms outstretched. Two pairs of feet as well as a pair of hands belonging to other people are also in the picture.

the painting of a mural

Posted: July 15, 2015 in graffiti and street art, public art
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Piliriqatigiingniq

This mural is on the south wall of Hosteling International on Church St.,
and in a parking lot on Court St.,
just north of King St. East and across from St. James Cathedral.

Painted July 2015

The beginnings of the mural on Court St. in Toronto. The picture is drawn in blue on the wall, and the bottom part is painted. Scaffolding is in place but no one is there at that moment.

This project was a collaboration between Mural Routes and the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association.  Artists were youth from Cape Dorset as well as graduates from Toronto’s Oasis Skateboard Factory: Latch Akesuk, Audi Qinnuayuaq, Cie Taqiasuq, Parr Etidloie, Julieta Arias and Moises Frank.

Two people sitting on scaffolding while they paint a mural

A man wearing a hard hat who is sitting on scaffolding and painting a mural on the side of a building.

Completed mural of stylized and symbolic bird and snimal shapes in many bright colours. It is at least two storeys high.
Close up picture of the mural's bottom center part showing a man in winter clothing with a snowmobile strapped to his back. He is hunched over as he walks. On the snowmobile of a very large bird shaped crature with faces covering its body.

 

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