Posts Tagged ‘food’

Pedestrian Sunday, August 2017

Posted: August 29, 2017 in graffiti and street art, landmarks, people
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Once again, the last Sunday of the month was Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market.  There was a large turnout this past weekend!  Lots of people, music, food, sunshine, and good times.

below: Dancing in the steet

a small group of men are playing instruments and singing Spanish songs, a crowd of people have gathered to watch, outdoors, on a street, some of the people have started dancing on the street

Two men stand beside their bikes talking, a woman in a straw hat an dsunglasses sits behind a table with a yellow table cloth with items for sale on the table

a large number of people in an alley. A banner over the alley says Kensington Flea Market and Beer Garden

below: A song, a mandolin, and a Polish Boy Scout belt buckle?

two musicians, one is playing a mandolin and singing the other is just singing, they are both sharing the same microphone

below: She is showing lots of courage!

a mannequin sits on an upper balcony but only her legs and feet show in the picture, hanging from the balcony are some pieces of paper with the word courage written on them

a young man drills out the center of a pineapple while two women blend the chunks into juice. The juice is then poured back into the hollowed out pineapples and sold as a drink

a head mannequin in a store window, with an orange piece of fabric wrapped aroungd her head. Other fabric in the window. also two people reflected in the glass

two men with baseball caps are sitting on yellow Muskoka chairs on a sunny afternoon. One is facing the camer - he is holding a piece of paper in one hand, he is yawning.

below: A quiet corner for a good book

double entrance to semi-divided house, both doors are open, there are bookcases beside the doors. In one of the doorways, a boy in a green t-shirt sits and reads

looking into the window of a bakery/restaurant. Three people are sitting at a table that looks out the window. One is one his phone and the other two are looking out the window. The sign on window, in red lettering is Ricas tortas,

items for sale on a table outside, three shoes (no pairs), one gold, one red velvet and one patterned, on a purple table cloth. Also for sale, two round orange lamp shades

below: Numbers on the alley by #whatsvictorupto

an alley in Kensington with a painting by #whatsvictorupto on the ground - numbers

below: Drinks – the changing nature of Kensington market is reflected in the food and drink that is available.  There is now a large South American influence in the area so products like Inca Cola and Chicha can be bought.

sample of drinks for sale at a food stall at a street festival, nestea, coke, water, some soft drinks as well as south american products like chicha (purple) and

below: A poser bunny still lurks in an alley.  Everything around him as changed be he remains.

an old poser bunny on a wall in an alley

below: Sign on phone – Stop busting our phone!  Outside the Moonbean Coffee Shop

a small phone booth outside a coffee shop with a patio. Some people are sitting on the patio, Moonbean coffee. On the phone is a round white hand written sign that says Please stop busting our phone

a man looks at sunglasses at a table outside where they are for sale. The sign says Pedstrian Day Sale, sunglasses ten dollars, straw hats ten dollars

an old green and white pickup truck parked in a driveway in Kensington Market, beside a store with a very faded sign that barely says King of Kensington

below: Who you callin’ a pretty boy?

an ugly white dog, on a leash, is looking at the camera, outside, on the street, with the legs and feet of some people

items in the window of a store, as well as on a table set up outside the store

below: The Joker and a friend.

in an alley, two graffiti pieces. One is a pasteup, realistic and detailed drawing of Heath Ledger as the Joker and the other is a quick black line drawing of a man's face

Spadina open doors

Posted: June 29, 2017 in doors
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Spadina doors, stores with doors wide open to take advantage of the summer days.  Spadina was once the center of the garment industry in Toronto.  Then it evolved into Chinatown, especially the area south of College and north of Queen.  It still retains some of its Chinese character although there are many other Asian and South Asian influences.  There have also been some changes as the Asian merchants and residents move to the suburbs.

below: Racks of clothing for sale on the sidewalk

racks of pants and t-shirts for sale, on the sidewalk outside a store

below: A quiet corner for a cigarette break

fruits and vegetables for sale outside a food market on Spadina, beside it is another more business like entrance, with stairs, with a young man in an orange vest at the top of the stairs smoking a cigarette

below: She’s standing outside a restaurant that’s covered with signs and menus.

sculpture of a little Asian girl dressed in red holding a large soup bowl, standing outside a restaurant with a lot of signs in the window and on the door

below: There are usually many vendors with small tables of items for sale, such jewellery, herbs & other plants, small household items, clothing, knick knacks, etc.

a man sells items outside a Vietnamese restaurant

a woman in a pink saree and a man in a turquoise turban stand outside the entrance to a clothing store on Spadina

two women outside a store,looking at a phone, a woman inside is crouched on the floor, working.

below: And last, an open door of a different kind.

front end of a Spadina streetcar, evening, door ope as people getting on, ad on the outside with a picture of a woman,

As you can see, the doors themselves are uninteresting, it’s the context that counts here.

This is a “Thursday Door” post.  If you are interested in doors, there are lots of blogs that feature door photos on Thursdays…. check out Thursday Doors organized by Norm 2.0 for more information.

 

feeling hungry?

Posted: January 16, 2017 in alleys, graffiti and street art, public art, stores
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You can almost find it by following your nose!

I’ve been in many alleys where the smell has been less than desirable but today I was taking pictures in an alley that smelled wonderful!  A small alley running south from Bloor Street beside the The Dirty Bird restaurant….or more accurately The Dirty Bird Chicken & Waffles.

And the pictures that I was taking there?
Well, they were of chicken and waffles and people eating of course!

from a mural by elicser along the exterior wall of the dirty bird chicken and waffle restaurant - a woman is sitting at a table in the restaurant

Elicser has painted a mural in the alley alongside the restaurant.

a man in a red baseball cap on backwards is drinking,

below: I love how the straw is placed!

from a mural by elicser along the exterior wall of the dirty bird chicken and waffle restaurant - a man is sitting at a table in the restaurant . he has a very large chicken and waffle sandwich in front of him as well as a pink milkshake. The red and white straw of the miclkshake is actually a venting pipe

from a mural by elicser along the exterior wall of the dirty bird chicken and waffle restaurant - a woman and a man are sitting at a table in the restaurant eating chicken and waffle sandwiches

from a mural by elicser along the exterior wall of the dirty bird chicken and waffle restaurant - a woman is sitting at a table in the restaurant with a very tall chicken and waffle sandwich in her hands

 

Canstruction 2016

Posted: May 19, 2016 in events
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Canstruction is a non-profit competition where teams create sculptures of canned and packaged food that is then donated to food banks.  The event is held in many cities around the world including Toronto.  Since its inception in 1992, Canstruction has contributed more than 17.5 million pounds of food to food programs globally.

Planning for the 17th annual Toronto Canstruction began in January.  The “build night” where the teams come together to build the sculptures was held on the 16th of May at the Toronto Dominion Centre.  The sculptures are now in the many lobbies of the TD Centre buildings and they will remain on view until the 21st of May.  At that time they will be “decanstructed”.

A sample of this year’s entries:

below: A winning emoji, ‘EmojiCAN’ built by GM BluePlan Engineering Ltd.  Emojis, the little symbols popularized by social media, understood by everyone no matter what language they speak.

made of canned food, a large yellow circle meant to look like an emoji, winking with it's tongue out. It's about 5 feet high.

below: ‘Let’s End Hunger by All Measures’ by Walsh Canada. “Food Banks Canada estimates that in 2015 852,137 Canadians turned to food banks each month for food. The need for food banks spiked in 2009 and has hovered at record levels ever since.”

a large measuring tape (round and yellow) made of tin cans full of food to be donated.

below: A lovebot made of cans by Cecconi Simone Ltd.

A large 3D lovebot, about 6 feet tall, made of canned food stands in the lobby of the TD centre, it's an entry in the Canstruction event. Two men in suits are looking at it.

below: A close up of part of ‘Hungerbling’ by Hatch.  It features Drake and comes with lyrics.

You used to call me on my cell phone
Late night when you need my food
Call me on my cell phone
Late night when you need my food
And I know when that hunger bling
That can only mean one thing
I know when that hunger bling
That can only mean one thing”

 

made of cans, part of an entry for Canstruction 2016, pinkish cans of Heinz Disney , with a paper cut of a man's face. Simple body made of wrapped food.

below: ‘CANadian MAyPoLE’ by Candevcon Limited.  “We often dance around the issue of hunger, but this time the children have the formula to fight it.”

models of children made with packaged food. A girl is made with orange enfamil containers, bowl of noodles for head, tubes with orange packaging as a skirt, and cyclindrical packages of cookies as arms

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below: Close up of ‘Perspectives on Hunger and Heroes’ by ARUP.  A tribute to the late David Bowie since “hunger has many faces”.

part of a large 3D design made of canned food in white, blue and pink with a few black details.

food, food, glorious food

Posted: November 25, 2015 in galleries
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 Food is an important part of our lives and there is a lot that we take for granted about the food we eat. Food, and all that accompanies it, is the theme of a collection of art exhibits at Harbourfront’s Artport.   On display is work by a number of artists who have been examining different food related issues.   How we see food, it’s role in our lives, how healthy is it,  it’s production, and how we obtain it, are just a few of the questions that are explored.   We eat food but what about the parts we usually waste?

Below is a sample of what is on offer.

below: ‘Wearable Food – Hat’, 2014, by Sooyeong Lee, part of a series of photographs that displays food in atypical and unexpected ways.   An acorn squash fascinator is precariously perched on her head.

A picture of a photo of an Asian woman with her hair in a braid, a stern expression on her face, and the top of an acorn squash on her head in place of a hat

below: ‘Frugivore Project’, 2011-ongoing, by Amanda White, an attempt to communicate biologically with tomato plants.  White bought tomatoes from the grocery store and ate them.   She harvested the seeds after they had passed through her digestive system and then planted them.  After the plants bear fruit, it is eaten and the cycle continues.

Two pictures of one art installation. On a small door is a picture of a woman eating a tomato and with a pile of tomatos in front of her. Open the door and it reveals a small space with a tomato plant growing there.

 

below: ‘Foraged Palette’, 2015, Thea Haines, made with wool, silk, linen, hemp and cotton with natural dyes.   The dyes are made from food waste such as carrot peels, onion skins, pomegranate skins and avocado pits.

A pattern of hand dyed, hand cut leaves in varying shades of yellows oranges and browns is displayed on a wall

close up of A pattern of hand dyed, hand cut leaves in varying shades of yellows oranges and browns is displayed on a wall

below:‘Strain to Absorb, 2015, by Lisa Myers, three digital files running simultaneously. Blueberries contain the pigment anthocyanin which the artist produces from strained fruit.

Three video screens displayed horizontally on a wall.

below:‘Accidental Hunter’, 2014, by Erin Riley, hunting with a rifle received as a gift from her father and taking pictures of the event.

A picture of a large photograph of people in orange vests and hats as they set out with their rifles on a hunting trip. To the right is part of a picture of dead geese but only part of it is visible

below: ‘Delicate merchandise!”, 2014, by Lynn Price, oil on paper.  The title comes from a poem called ‘Ode to a Lemon’ by Pablo Neruda (see bottom of post)

A grid of 16 black and white paintings of three lemons in a bowl , on an art gallery wall

below:Functional Ceramic Tableware, 2005-2015, by Bruce Cochrane

Two intricately designed ceramic containers on a table in front of a series of pictures of lemons in a bowl

Two artistic ceramic pieces by Bruce Cochrane on a small shalef

below: Trading Places, Victoria Piersig.  A series of photographs from a journey spent onboard a ship transporting wheat from Thunder Bay to Montreal.

close up of part of a very large black and white photograph of a man standing on the deck of a lake freighter at night in the winter

Two photographs of parts of a ship mounted on a wall that is covered with a large black and white photo

below: cookie cutter rings and brooches, by Andree Wejsmann

six little rings and broaches made to look like cookie cutters, a shovel, a squirrel, a rabbit, a heart, a duck and a snail.

below: Teerex and Triceratops Corn Cob holders, 2012, by Lana Filippone

sculptures of cobs of corn, three, each with dinosaur corn cob holders.

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‘Ode to a Lemon’ by Pablo Neruda

Out of lemon flowers
loosed
on the moonlight, love’s
lashed and insatiable
essences,
sodden with fragrance,
the lemon tree’s yellow
emerges,
the lemons
move down
from the tree’s planetarium
Delicate merchandise!
The harbors are big with it –
bazaars
for the light and the
barbarous gold.

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

blog_chinatown_festival_black_dragon

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

kultura 2015

Posted: August 11, 2015 in events
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10th Annual Kultura Festival

This Filipino arts festival was 4 days long;
I caught some of it on its last day, 9th August, at Yonge Dundas Square.

Phillipines flag hanging from the top of an open sided tent. A young man is holding down one of the corners so it doesn't blow in the breeze

a large number of people at a festival at Yonge Dundas square.

a longline of people waits for food at an outdoor festival at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto

a young man preparing food outdoors on hotplates at a festival

Women buying Filipino food at a vendor at an outdoor festival

three young men preparing food outdoors on hotplates and a barbecue at a festival

a line of filipino design T-shirts for sale on a table outdoors

A filipino woman singer and a woman on drums, on a stage, outdoors, making music

The Lonsdales from Vancouver

A male singer with a man bun is sitting in front of a keyboard playing music and singing

Sean Kua

multicoloured geometric shapes that together make a star shape

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.

Dupont and Spadina

Posted: November 27, 2014 in graffiti and street art, locations
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A short walk around Dupont and Spadina.

At an intersection, looking across the street to a glass dome like structure that is a subway station entrance. Beside it is a building with a tag that says Uh Oh

The northwest corner of Dupont and Spadina and the weirdness that is the subway entrance.

 

Movember mural

looking across the street to a mural to commemorate Movember. Two large men's faces, both sporting moustaches beside the word Movember written in cursive.

On the northeast corner.  Mural by Elicser

 

The men’s faces up close.

close up of mural, showing man's face with furrowed brow and black moustache.

close up of mural, showing man's face including white eyes and a green moustache.

There are also a few brightly painted garages near the intersection.

A wood picnic table is in front of a street art mural on the side of a garage door

street art mural on the side of a garage door, multicoloured shapes and lines with the words 'escape reality' written in the top right corner

A van and car parked in front of a street art mural of a face in blue, yellow and red that is surrounded with stylized food, especially candy and popcorn. The neck is an iconic red and white striped popcorn container. The picture is reflected in the windows of the van.

literally, pizza face, by Tim Skynz

street art mural of a face in blue, yellow and red that is surrounded with stylized food, especially candy and popcorn. The neck is an iconic red and white striped popcorn container. viewed from the side on quite an angle

a multicoloured tiger's face painted on a garage door

(photo from 2012) This painting is still on a garage door on Dupont. I was going to re-take the photo today but there was a vehicle parked too close to it. Painted by Studio 32, Jose Gabriel.

summer days

Posted: September 2, 2014 in general Toronto
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The day after Labour Day, the official end of summer get back to school day.

So here are a few photos of the lazy hazy days of this summer past…..

two sisters are hugging while having their picture taken in front of a large wire mesh heart. The word LOVE is spelled in large wire mesh letters. People have locked padlocks onto the wires.

summer love, in the Distillery District

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Looking down at a man who is sitting on his balcony and reading a book. Across the street is an open hole where a new condo is being constructed

‘On a Toronto balcony’… or, ‘Looking out my window’

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A boy dress in shorts and holding a plastic bucket is watching a group of men and women practise a performance that includes long bamboo poles.

Watching performers practise at Kultura, the Filipino Arts Festival, Wychwood Barns.

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A path leads through a garden, there is a group of people sitting in the park. The CN Tower is in the distance.

Hanging out at the Music Garden, on the waterfront.

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