Posts Tagged ‘hands’

Black Lives Matter in Graffiti Alley

Posted: June 19, 2020 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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A while ago, a group of street artists took over Graffiti Alley and painted a number of murals and street art pieces dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a large sample of the work that was completed as part of that project ‘Paint the City Black’.

Graffiti on a wall in Graffiti Alley including the words Black Lives Matter

below: A tribute to Breonna Taylor by elicsereliot

a mural featuring a portrait of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was killed by police in the United States, Her name is written there as well

below: Martin Luther King Jr with “Police brutality ends now.  RIP Jamal”

A portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. painted in a mural, along with words in green paint that say Police brutality ends R I P Jamal

below: Free the Revolution

A mural in Graffiti Alley, a black bird with a dark blue beak, with the words Free the Revolution

below: A Lovebot heart supported by a black hand a white hand working together.

A mural in Graffiti Alley, A red lovebot heart with tow hands under it and appearing to hold it up, one hand is black and the other is white

below: No Justice, No peace, a mandala by Opola Karim

A circular design in light grey on black in a flower shape with words under that say no justice no peace

below: A mural by @sumartist (Paul Glyn-Williams) – I can’t breathe, the last words of George Floyd, surrounded by the words “But we can hear you”.

A portrait of George Floyd who was killed by American police in Minneapolis, with lower part of his face covered with a black mask with words I can't breathe written on it.

below: A poser bunny

poser bunny mural in graffiti alley, giving peace sign, beside words that say black lives matter

below: RIP Jamal Francique by bubzart (aka Bubzlitto Brigante).  Jamal was shot by Peel Region police earlier this year.

tribute mural to the memory of jamal francique, with his portrait

below: A portrait of James Baldwin (1924-1987) painted by Phillip Saunders.  Baldwin was an American writer and activist.

portrait of James Baldwin, mural in Graffiti Alley, by Phillip Saunders

wall in Graffiti Alley, back of two storey building with exterior metal stairs, wall is covered with graffiti including words R I P to the black lives taken by police

below: A large paste up by Adeyemi Adegbesan

black and white and grey tones pasteup graffiti by yung of a woman with a hat that is a bird's head and large beak, many chains around her neck and her eyes are covered, lots of flowers covering the back of her head and neck

below: Leyland Adams painted this portrait of Malcolm X.
“You don’t have to be a man to fight for freedom.
All you have to be is an intelligent human.”

mural dedicated to Malcom X with his portrait and one of his quotes

two faces in two murals adjacent to each other, one is of a young woman and the other is a boy

mural of woman in bright colours, reds and pinks, wearing a blue mask, tribute to health care workers.

29 July – another Pedestrian Sunday

Posted: July 30, 2018 in events, people
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People watching at Kensington Pedestrian Sunday

a woman in white sleeveless top and with very red dyed very curly hair, carrying a bottle of ginger beer,

a young black man in black wide brimmed hat sings in front of a microphone, part of a band performing ouside in front of a mural on a wall

below: The Spontaneous Poet, poet 4 hire

woman with green felt hat with floppy brim, smoking a cigarette, sitting at a small table and typing on an old Smith Corona typewriter. She has a sign on the table that says, poet for hite, the spontaneous poet.

older man with white beard and mustache, wearing sunglasses and teal baseball cap, leans on a garbage can while smoking a cigarette

a young black woman with long dreadlocks has a large snake on her forearm, she's smiling. A man with grey grey beard and moustache watches her.

man standing in an alley with street art on one wall, holding a guitar, he has just finished playing and singing, a man is behind him on a bike

balding black man with the Queen of hearts playing card stuck on his head makes a muscle man stance with fists clenched, he's performing magic tricks while people watch him

below: #whatsvictorupto painting the word ‘together’ on the sidewalk.

victor painting on the sidewalk in Kensington. He's wearing a shiny sparkly mask over the top of his head. people are walking past #whatsvictorupto

an older man in tweed jacket and cap with long white beard and mustache, black rim glasses, white plastic bag over one arm, walks down the street

young black man dancing on the street, part of a group, Pedestrian Sunday afternoon at Kensington, people in the background watching

young Asian womanin a straw coloured wide brimmed hat, smiling as she dances, she is holding the brim of her hat with both hands so it doesn't fall off

a male mime, black hamburg hat, lime green shirt, black suspenders and red carnation on the suspenders, beckoning to the crowd, outside, street festival, pedestrian sunday at kensington

a black man dances on the street, slow dance, with an older blond woman,

two women dancing, one with long hair on the top but shaved on the sides, wearing an intricate black necklace, double, one woman in focus in the front, the other slightly out of focus, purple and black sleeveless tops, close up of head and shoulders and one hand with grey fingernails

woman in short velvet close fitting top, large necklace, and holding a white parasol walks down a street in a crowd of people

young girl in Minnie Mouse tshirt and frilly pink skirt, pacifier in mouth, sits on the street beside a bike while she watched a performer, summer afternoon,

black woman with very short hair, round sunglasses and white top, wearing many strands of beads, sitting on a bench on her phone

a man wearing a purple vest and white hat, stands on stilts with long trousers covering, juggling 4 different coloured bats (or pins?) shaped a bit like bowling pins, two in his hands and two in the air. outside on the street

 

Bloor, Spadina to Bathurst, generally speaking

Posted: December 22, 2017 in memorials, old buildings, public art
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This is part of my ‘end of the year clean up and sort through photos’ process that I start most years at this time – I don’t always finish but that’s a whole other story.  One of the drafts that I found this morning was this post which I was in the midst of writing when the fan on my laptop died.   The technological hiccups have been dealt with and  on we go…. .   back in the fall I spent some time around Bloor and Spadina and this is the result.

below: On the SE corner of Spadina and Bloor are these supersized Dominoes. It’s rather silly but I like the juxtaposition of Dominoes and Pizza Pizza.  This is also part of Matt Cohen Park.

sculpture of very large black dominoes on sidewalk, street and shops in the background, including a Pizza Pizza restaurant

below: The hoardings went up around Honest Eds late in October.   By the time you read this, most (if not all) of the building will be gone.

the start of grey hoardings going up around the old Honest Eds store on Bloor Street as preparations are made to demolish it

below: Jimi Hendrix Sculpture Garden includes the bronze sculpture “People helping People” 1990, by Al Green.  The sculpture also appears on the property of an apartment complex in Davisville – the connection being that the two properties were developed by the same family company (the Green family as it turns out).  The garden also includes two bas-relief sculptures on the wall.  These are reproductions of some of the decorative facades of the Victorian houses (1890’s) that used to be on this site until they were torn down in 2004.

a small sculpture of two hands holding, vertical, one hand from above and the other from below, in a small garden with some shrubs with autumn foilage, orange colours

below: What the well dressed mummy was wearing this fall season.

a mannequin in a window of a men's clothing store, Theodore 1922, wrapped up like a mummy, scarf loosely draped around his neck, wearing a bowtie, and holding a folded up compact umbrella

below: There is not a lot of street art as you get closer to Spadina (there is more closer to Bathurst).  This garage door is one of the few pieces.

mural on an alley garage, black and blue predominant colours, some flowers, and birds

below: Poster for the YCL (Young Communist League) of Canada.

old posters on a a green utility pole, Join the socialist movement in Canada, gig economy,

below: The Ten Editions books store which sits on University of Toronto property.  There is some debate/discussion going on at the moment re the development of this site.  Ten Editions has been there since 1984.  At that time, the building was 100 years old as it was started its life 1885 as the John James Funstan Grocery Store.   The University of Toronto wants to tear it down so they can build a 23 storey residence on the site.

Ten Editions, a used book store on a corner, blue trim, large windows covered with white paper, door is open, stack of boos can be seen inside, old brick building

below: On the grounds of Trinity St. Paul Church is a sign that marks the spot of another garden.  This one is the Heart Garden and it is there to honour the children who were lost in or survived the residential school system.  “May we be part of a future of reconciliation and justice”.  It is designed in the shape of an Indigenous Medicine Wheel.  You can see the four concrete ‘paths’ that divide the wheel into four sections.  I have never noticed this garden before and it is unfortunate that the first time was late in the autumn when nothing was growing.  I will come back in the spring and/or summer to take a closer look.   Apparently it is part of a project, just one of many heart gardens across the country.

sign in a garden beside a church on a corner, autumn so there isn'tmusch growing in it, recnciliation garden

below: Walmer Road street sign.  Most of these green Annex signs have faded over time and it is rare now to find one in good shape like this one.

Toronto street sign, Annex neighbourhood, Walmer Road, top part of the sign is green with 4 houses on it.

As I type this, there is still snow falling from the sky, the tail end (I hope!) of the latest snow fall. ..  so you can expect some snowier pictures in the near future!

South Asian Festival

Posted: July 24, 2017 in events, people
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Toronto in the summer means street festivals every weekend.   One of the festivals this past weekend was the 15th annual South Asian Festival in ‘Little India’.   Gerrard Street East was closed to traffic between Greenwood and Coxwell for the occasion.

below: Shopping, strolling and playing games.  Try your skill at cricket or buy some jewellery or some clothing.

street scene at South Asian festival. a man hits a ball with a cricket bat, two women in head scarves are talking, men behind a table are selling jewellery and clothes

a woman leans on the top of a rack of clothing for sale, sidewalk sale, as part of the South Asian Festival on the Gerrard Street.

three women are looking at a blouse (dress?), red and white pattern, on a hanger at an outdoor sidewalk sale, as part of a street festival. They are looking at the same piece of clothing

mother and daughter look at bangles, jewellery, for sale outside, at street festival. Both are wearing sunglasses

an older man sits behind a small table covered with a white cloth. on the table are toys that he is selling. he is holding an orange Nemo shaped bubble maker plastic toy. behind him, a man is standing smoking a cigarette

Like all street festivals, there was lots of food and drink available.

below: Extracting sugar cane juice.

a man shreds sugar cane in a machine to extract the sugar cane juice which he is then selling, outside, street festival, Little India

below: Fresh baked naan, straight from the oven.

a man removes freshly baked naan from a tandoori oven

There were many photo ops provided.  For instance, there were cut outs for faces in pictures of Bollywood actors.

at a street festival, two people are putting their heads through cut outs while others take their picture, cut outs are on faces of Bollywood actors and actresses.

… and a richly decorated cart (What is it’s proper name?)

an older couple pose for a picture while they are sitting in a decorated cart, purple velvet, and many colourful tassles

and mannequins in traditional costumes.

two young boyus pose with a manniquin dressed in traditional Indian (South Asian) costume

below: There was also entertainment.   In this case, a rapper in Hindi and English.

a man with a black shirt with the word security on the back watches a performance of a rap artist who is on a stage with many people watching him

one woman adjusts the floral headband on another woman, both are dressed in traditional South Asian clothing

young kids lean over a yellow barricade as they watch a performance a girl is giving a thumbs up sign

a woman is airbrushing black paint onto a stencil on the upper part of a small girls arm, temporary tattoo

a woman with shiny bangles, bracelets, on her wrist puts her hand on her boyfriend's lower back

… and there was even a large elephant parked beside Victoria Whole Foods!  It looks a bit tacky with the big advertising  banner on its side but it was still a popular place to take selfies.

a couple, man and woman, each with a dog on a leash, is taking a selfie in front of a large elephant sculpture

road losed sign and yellow metal barricades, street festival going on behind the sign & barricade. Also racks of sarees for sale and in the distance, a large fake elephant

I went to Bessarion for you

Posted: March 8, 2017 in public art, transportation
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This looks like an ordinary entrance into a TTC subway station.  It is.
It’s Bessarion station on Line 4, the Sheppard Line.

escalator down into Bessarion station

The red arrow points to one of a series of little photographs of hands that run beside the escalator to street level.

I’d be willing to bet that none of you have been to Bessarion subway station.  If you’ve heard of the station it’s probably in the context of complaints that no one uses the station so why did the city spend so much money building it.   One of the reasons for the low volume of traffic is that there are no bus routes (besides Sheppard) that serve this station.  Apparently in 2014 an average of 2380 people used the station on weekdays.  If true, then 2379 plus me where there today (although the stats may have increased since then).    I took some pictures for you – you will now have an idea of what the station looks like without having to go there.

photos of peoples legs and feet in black and white on tiles on a yellow tiled subway station wall, over the metal turnstiles for entry into the station, artwork by Sylvie Belanger

below: An art installation called ‘Passing’ dominates the yellow walls of the station concourse level.  It consists of a band of black and white photographs of legs and feet taken by Sylvie Belanger.  The little pictures of hands that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog are also part of this installation.

photos of peoples legs and feet in black and white on tiles on a yellow tiled subway station wall, over and beside two Bell pay phones, artwork by Sylvie Belanger

below: The pictures of legs and feet run around the whole concourse level of the station.

below: Down the escalator to the lower level.

looking down the main escalator at Bessarion subway station, the upper level has yellow walls and the lower level (track level) can also be seen.

below: I was not alone!

pillar covered in red tiles and with a black and white photo of the back of three peoples head, a man with a turban and a woman in a head scarf and someone with curly hair.

below: The artwork at track level is a continuation of the photographs by Sylvie Belanger.  This time the pictures are of the backs of people’s heads and they are incorporated into the red pillars.

close up of black and white photo of the back of peoples heads, one child's face turns to the camera and is slightly out of focus, Passing by Sylvie Belanger at Bessarion subway station

below: The outer walls are bare concrete and there are very few ads or posters on the walls.

from the subway platform at Bessarion subway station looking toward the concrete wall at the edge of the tracks, signs for the station, and direction signs.

Ice Breakers

Posted: January 19, 2017 in events, waterfront
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The finishing touches are being put on five installations for the new Ice Breakers event along Queens Quay West and the waterfront.  Everything will be up and running this weekend and the installations will remain until the event ends on the 26th of February.    Ice Breakers is the result of a collaboration between the Waterfront BIA and Winter Stations (the people that brought the winter warming stations installations to the Beaches)

below: The first installation that I saw was ‘Incognito’ which stands out in Rees Street Parkette on Queens Quay.   It is by Curio Art Consultancy and Jaspal Riyait.

a public art installation in a park, winter time but no snow, no leaves on the trees, muddy brown grass, condo in the background. Artwork is a series of shapes stacked in a pile, all shapes are painted in black and white wide stripes. The stripes are horizontal, vertical and diagonal in the resulting structure, called incognito, by Jaspal Riyait and Curio

below: Set your sails and round you go!  Sailboats that go in circles.  ‘Leeward Fleet’ by RAW design sailing at Canada Square.

with the lake in the background, art installation beside Lake Ontario on Toronto's waterfront, called Leeward Fleet, by RAW consulting, two (of three) round platforms with a small sail in the middle. The boom of the sail is the handle for turning the platforms round and round like a merry go round.

art installation beside Lake Ontario on Toronto's waterfront, called Leeward Fleet, by RAW consulting, two (of three) round platforms with a small sail in the middle. The boom of the sail is the handle for turning the platforms round and round like a merry go round. CN Tower in the background as well as some of the downtown condos.

below: ‘Icebox ‘ is a black box on HTO beach which is where the yellow umbrellas are.  Alan and Alex of Anex Works were putting the finishing touches on it when I walked by.   Polymetis designed it, but Anex Works built it.  In fact, they are the ones responsible for construction of most of these installations.   I didn’t take any photos inside the box in part because it’s not complete… but the inside walls are made from hardened spray foam insulation and that’s all I’m going to tell you.  This one will be more fun if it’s a surprise.   I definitely plan to go back later in the month to check out the finished product.   And yes, it is reminiscent of the black box that was one of the Warming Stations in 2015, Hot Box, because it was the same artist (or group of artists).

black box on a beach with muskoka chairs and yellow umbrellas,

reflections of the yellow umbrellas of H T O beach on the black shiny sides of Icebox, an art installation at the beach

below: From across the street it looks like two hands gesturing like “It was this big!”
Or perhaps they are holding that grey building up?

looking across Queens Quay west to the buildings and condos in downtown, the edge of the Skydome (Rogers Center) is just visible, two large hands rise upwards as part of an art installation.

below:  The hands are made of wood.  The palms are covered in a shiny gold coloured material that will reflect the light that shines from the bottom of each hand.   “Tailored Twins” by Ferris + Associates.

two large wooden hands face each other, beside the sidewalk, condos behind, the plams are covered with shiny gold,

below: And last, an installation that probably looks much better in the dark when each diamond shaped module is lit from inside.   This is ‘Winter Diamonds’ and it was designed by Platant, a Danish design and artistic consultancy.  Their website is in Danish but it does have some interesting pictures on it, including an installation similar to this that was in Copenhagen last winter (I think!)

public art installation in a park along Lake Ontario, diamond shapes stacked in a pile, 10 pieces altogether, 5 on the bottom, 4 on the next row and one on top, grey in colour, bare trees and boats covered for the winter are in the background.

#TOicebreakers | #TOwaterfront

Note: Winter Stations returns to Balmy, Kew and Ashbridges Bay beaches on the 20th of February.

reflections of the yellow umbrellas of H T O beach on the black shiny sides of Icebox, an art installation at the beach

back to Wilson station

Posted: December 7, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Back in mid October I blogged about the new murals on the south side Wilson Ave as it passes under the Allen Expressway (where Wilson subway station is).

below: Looking across Wilson Avenue to part of the mural on the south side.

looking across Wilson Avenue, under the Allen Expressway towards a mural that has been painted on the pillars and supports on the other side. A face is painted there.

When I was there last,  the murals on the north side were not completed.   The other day I remembered that I hadn’t seen the finished work, so I took the subway back to Wilson station to see what the pillars on the north side look like.   There is more light on the north side as there are entrances to the subway along the sidewalk here.   There is also more pedestrian traffic.

pillars and supports under an overpass that have been painted in bright colours by smoky and shalak

This side was also painted by shalak and smoky (as was the south side).

pillars and supports under an overpass that have been painted in bright colours by smoky and shalak - swirls of purples and yellows

below: In the center by one of the well-lit subway entrances.

pillars and supports under an overpass that have been painted in bright colours by smoky and shalak - red pillars with blue geometric patterns in a band around it near the bottom

pillars and supports under an overpass that have been painted in bright colours by smoky and shalak

pillars and supports under an overpass that have been painted in bright colours by smoky and shalak - a face showing eyes and top of nose

below: Looking east along Wilson Avenue.

pillars and supports under an overpass that have been painted in bright colours by smoky and shalak - a large face in the center pillar, with hands gripping the outer pillars on each side of the face

below: A little street artist with his can of spray paint has been left in a corner.
He’s not easily spotted.

a grey tones painting of a man with a spray can in his hand, from the waist up

 

 

body soul mind

Posted: November 14, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
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The words body, souls, and mind painted on a mural

In the southwest corner of Alexandra Park (near the SE corner of Bathurst and Dundas) there is a large colourful mural.  It was painted a couple of years ago by Elicser and Troy Lovegates.

 

large mural on the side of a house at the edge of Alexandra Park in Toronto, painted by Elicser and Troy Lovegates

part of a larger mural, the face and heads of two young black men.

part of a larger mural of elicser and Troy Lovegates, colourful people, A woman stands behind a seated man.

part of a larger mural of elicser and Troy Lovegates, colourful people, a heavy set man with a cap on, seated with large hands folded on his lap, wearing a sweater with rows of colourful diamond shapes. A large bee is flying above his head.

part of a larger mural of elicser and Troy Lovegates, colourful people, a man in a top hat and jacket, holding a bouquet in his upraised hand - a bouquet that looks like one a magician would use

part of a larger mural of elicser and Troy Lovegates, colourful people, a man's face in grey tones, many small objects coming out of his mouth - an eye, a finger with long fingernail, a cow's head, two bottle caps, a bird, and many more things.

large mural on the side of a house at the edge of Alexandra Park in Toronto, painted by Elicser and Troy Lovegates, most of the mural is in the photos along with some autumn foilage trees and some newer houses in the neighbourhood

rise for a cause

Posted: August 22, 2016 in general Toronto
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close up of a phone tucked inside a sandal, beside an orange yoga mat. People around are doing yoga outdoors,

5th annual yogathon at Yonge Dundas Square

A banner that says Yogathon rise for a cause hangs over a crowd who are standing with their arms in the air as part of the activity

A smiling woman outside, with sunglasses on, in a crowd of people

a group od people outside, all with bums up in the upward dog position (I think). All doing yoga in a yogathon

a young Asian man with his arms up in the air, doing yoga positions, with a large group of people

a young Asian woman with big sunglasses, palms together and fingers spread, doing yoga with a group of people outdoors

group of people on their mats doing yoga outside together

a man stands in the middle of a group taking a picture, the rest of the group is on the ground, on their yoga mats, doing yoga at a yogathon, outdoors,

a woman with her eyes closed in the downward dog yoga position as she participates in a yogathon with many others, outside

young black woman, close up of head and shoulders, with arms raised doing yoga

bare feet on yoga mats, legs in leggings, photo cropped so there are no bodies in the picture

a woman with her hands up at chin level, palms facing outwards

a group of people practising yoga outside

young asian man in sunglasses and white t-shirt

Two men, one in focus in the foreground and one fuzzy in the background. they are both wearing orange t-shirts that say yoga warrior on the back.

back of a woman's head, long braid down her back, arm up in air as she does yoga

people standing on yoga mats, hands together, palms pressing together looking like they are praying

a man in red shirt and blue pants is standing tall, others around him also standing in yoga position, a boy is sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and looking at something in his lap

a young boy is staring at something (it was a man and his dog, but those aren't in the picture)

#riseforacause | #yogathontoronto | #riseforacausetoronto

come pose with me

Posted: July 29, 2016 in public art
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The first time I saw the latest art installation in the Canary District I was in a car and only got a quick look at it.  I couldn’t figure out what the mess was all about.  It wasn’t until I went back on foot to take a closer look that I could appreciate what the artists were trying to do.

Located at Front and Bayview is the ‘Garden of Future Follies’ by Hadley Howes and Maxwell Stephens (Hadley & Maxwell and the Studio of Received Ideas).  It is a sculpture garden and there are 7 sculptures in this garden.  Each sculpture is a mashup of pieces from different sculptures around Toronto.  Aluminum foil ‘molds’ were used to replicate portions of over 80  different monuments and architectural features.  These portions were then put together in a whole new way.

public art installation on Front St East, various pieces of sculptures put together wrong, people with more than one face, legs in pieces, bronze pieces in 5 groupings on the sidewalk

From an interview with the artists:

“Sir John A. Macdonald’s nose is assembled along with the eyes of artists Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, the chin of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and Northrop Frye’s hair; Jack Layton’s smile is one of seven that grace a figure lounging atop a reconstituted mantel from the library at Osgoode Hall; a bell from St. James Cathedral’s famous collection is perched on a cannon from Fort York; while nearby a suitcase from the Memorial to Italian Immigrants acts as a plinth for a collection of hats from various bronze heads.”

Now you can play spot the pieces!  But you won’t find any hockey sticks.

blog_man_three_heads_statue

So far I haven’t seen anyone taking selfies here but I think it would be a great spot for them!

part of a public art installation outdoors created by piecing together fragments of other statues cast in bronze , man and hammer

fragments of horse and feet statues embedded in the sidewalk

part of a public art installation outdoors created by piecing together fragments of other statues cast in bronze

part of a public art installation outdoors created by piecing together fragments of other statues cast in bronze, hands, top of a column and a laurel leaf

part of a bronze sculptture, a naked bum with a hand beside it.

part of a public art installation outdoors created by piecing together fragments of other statues cast in bronze

below: No one will ever call it beautiful, playful yes, but not pretty.

arrangement of statue pieces to form a sculpture garden, Garden of Future Follies by Hadley and Maxwell.

a face is upside down on a statue made from bits and pieces of other statues

 

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