Posts Tagged ‘men’

Turbanup with its bright and colourful fabric was back at Yonge Dundas Square again this year.

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a famil group with some with turbans and one person having a black turban wrapped on their head, to the side a young girl doesn't look very happy about this

an older man with a beard and an orange turban, is tying a yellow turban onto the head of another man who has a large tattoo on his neck

a woman holds a yellow sign that says Ask me why sikhs wear turbans

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, woman taking a selfie as her head is wrapped in a blue turban

 

orange turbans

piles of colourful fabric on a table At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square,

a woman watches another woman getting a turban

a policeman getting a black turban at Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square,

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a man in beard and red turban wraps the head of young person in a blue turban, in the chair behind is a female police officer having her head wrapped in a purple turban

young person in blue turban

a woman in a bright yellow T-shirt, sitting on a chair, taking aselfie of her with her new red turban

an older woman having a magenta turban wrapped around her head

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, people having turbans tied on their heads with purple fabric

 

a woman having a black piece of fabric twisted in front of her head in prep for having a turban made for her

two young boys in turbans, one in blue and the other in white. The younger boy, in white, has a red mask face painted around his eyes

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, 4 young men standing behind a barricade, all with turbans, one with a hoodie over his turban

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square,

an older woman in a light blue turban smokes a cigarette

An older woman in a beige sari sits on a chair outside, three women stand behind her, beside a table with piles of fabric in oranges and reds

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a man in a purple and white turban wraps another person's head in the same colour of turban

3 D Turbanup sign at Yonge Dundas Square, in front of it a young woman in a black turban is helping a balding man with a yellowish green turban

a young person in a black T-shirt is directing a woman sitting to get the best pose for a photo, woman is having a pink turban wrapped around her head by another woman at Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas square

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, young person looking bored, standing behind table with orange sign above head that says free ice cream cones

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, an older woman with a white cloth over head head and a kirpan sword at her side

a sikh man in bears and orange turban carries a tray of cups of mango and rose milkshake

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, an older woman is sitting in a chair, talking (gesturing) with her hands while a Sikh man with a long beard and orange turban wraps her head in a pale orange turban

a woman with a light orange cloth draped over her head and around her shoulders and body takes a selfie

the back of a woman with white bra straps showing and a large tattoo on ther shoulder. A man pulls a length of pink fabric as he wraps her head in a pink turban

At Turbanup event at Yonge Dundas Square, a sikh man with a pale orange turban wraps a pink turban around the head of a woman who is seated, and frowning

a mother in son in bright turbans, mother in pink and son in orange, sit by a table piled with orange and pink fabric

a young boy in a red turban gives a thumbs up sign

a group of people waiting for a green light, two are in costumes for Fan Expo

Fan Expo came to Toronto for a few days this weekend.   If the person beside you on the subway was dressed up in some sort of costume, perhaps they were heading to Fan Expo.  Prizes were award to the best costumes and from what I saw when I hung out around the convention centre, the competition was quite steep.

Here are some examples of the people that I saw.

man in red leather mask, holes for eyes but nothing else,

below: Looloo from ‘The Fifth Element’

a woman with a bright orange wig

below: The Littlest Mermaid, Ariel

a woman dressed up as Ariel, the Disney mermaid, long red hair and a purple flower in her head

below: Robin, Boy Wonder

a woman dressed as Robin, Boy Wonder, reddish orange wig, and large glasses

a woman in costume, black top, har, and face paint,

a woman in costume, long curly black hair, fangs, black lips, claws and fur on hands,

 

a woman in pale pink wig and totally covered face with pink paint

below: The Queen of Hearts

woman dress as the Queen of Hearts, head only, curly red hair, white face paint, tiny red heart on lips

a person in an elaborate costume looking like a metal robot figure

below: You’re never too young to dress up!

a mother with a child on her shoulders, walking to Fan Expo, child has spiky hair and an orange costume

below: The Joker and mini Joker with a Harley Quinn or two.

man dressed up as Joker pushes a stroller with a young boy also dressed as the Joker with green hair and purple suit

below: A Sailor Moon gets a touch up

woman with green hair is applying blue lipstick

below: Batman comes in many shapes and sizes!

child in long red wig and batman mask, also purple batman costume with a yellow bat symbol, Batman is in the right of the pic

woman in black leather and tophat

woman in turquoise face paint, dark blue veil and a white frilly collar and white hair

a woman in pale blue shirt, pale purple witch shaped hat, carrying a purple umbrella

woman in yellow wig, and matching yellow dress, carrying a yellow basket

a woman wearing a tall crown made of sticks, three strands of yellow beads and a cross around her neck, lots of make up to make her face look mottled and bumpy

man in black and red bandana, black vest open to reveal bare chest, tattoo above his heart, black glove, carrying a can of red bull

two women in costume, the one in front is smiling, the other is not, hair in braids, small crown on head,

man with shite face and yellowish green eyes

people walking to Fan Expo. Man in a red T-shirt with drunk 1 on it, similar to a Dr. Suess thing 1 t shirt

below: Anime inspired costumes.

four asian women in navy and white frilly anime french maid costumes, with hair tied up with bows,

asian woman in navy and white frilly anime french maid costumes, with hair tied up with bows, pompom bracelet on

asian woman in navy and white frilly anime french maid costumes, with hair tied up with tartan bows,

asian woman in navy and white frilly anime french maid costumes, with hair tied up with pink and green bows, blue nail polish

asian woman in navy and white frilly anime french maid costumes, with hair tied up with pink and purple bows,

below: Anonymous mask

person wearing anonymous mask from v for vengence movie

woman with orange hair

a woman lies on her arms on a table, sitting at the table, as she works outside at Fan Expo

A Saturday walk about with friends

a group of people walking over the raised pedestrian bridge between the Eaton Centre and the Bay, 4 women, one man and a boy

Looking at people.  Ordinary people.  Going about their summer lives.

man with beard and moustache, one a bike that is stopped in front of a red and white TTC bus, man wearing a blue baseball cap with red Air Canada maple leaf logo on it

young Asian woman under a black umbrella, standing in a TTC bus shelter, reflections off her umbrella of other people, plus a stella artois beer ad

man in an apple store, orange T-shirt, leaning on the counter, with headphones on, looking closely at the screen of a laptop, other men in the store too

a young woman with bright yellow hair tied back in a short ponytail, tattoo covering most of her arms and upper part of body that is visible , wearing sleeveless black top, walking past Cheese Magic shop in Kensington market, Toronto

two people, one is a woman holding a coffee cup from Jimmys Coffee, she is laughing. The other is black, hair tied back, pink long sleeved shirt and sleeveless jean jacket, scowling,

a tanned older man in sleeveless black shirt leans against metal railing at the Eaton Centre, mannequins in a store window behind him, womens' sporting wear

a man sits with his son on the floor of the Eaton Centre, next to the glass railing. reflections from the railing make it look like there are two boys

looking into the window of a women's wear store, two dresses, on mannequins, each holding a handbag. a red dress and a dress with big red flowers, a red head woman is standing beside the mannequins

people walking across pedestrian bridge between the Eaton Centre and the Bay, one woman has long light pink hair and is wearing jeans with many rips and holes in the front,

a couple sitting in a restaurant, across from each other, in the window, window is open, drinks on the table .  Woman has glass of white wine, man has something orange

a woman standa against an exterior wall, beside a tottoo place. The word tattoo is in large yellow letters beside her, her hair is multicoloured, she is wearing a short dress, knee bent with one foot against the wall, phone in hand, black jacket over her shoulders

three people sitting on a concrete bench outdoors at Yonge Dundas Square. An older woman with teal long sleeeved shirt and light blue hat, a man in a white t-shirt with black moustache, with a woman leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed

a couple standing facing each other, talking to each other,

an older woman carrying a pale purple umbrella, and a handbag with pictures of cats on it, a blouse with orange flowers on it

mother and son posing for picture, Asian, boy is lying on the ground between his mother's feet

bald black man with black sunglasses is taking a selfie while holding a large ice cream cone

a young man holds a sign that says hug me we need it

black man with blue t-shirt holds a blue bubble maker and he is making bubbles as he walks down the street

young woman in sunglasses poses in front of a fountain

couple, one is smoking, man in yellowish orange shirt, standing by a chinese restaurant, pictures of the food on the wall behind them.

For a number of reasons, I started walking late yesterday.
It was overcast and the the light was flat.

a woman on the sidewalk, with people on the other side of the street in the background

  There were a few people sitting around and/or hanging out – on their phones, alone with their thoughts,  meeting with friends, or just passing by.

three people, two sitting, one smoking and the other on her phone. The third person is male, lying down with head on lap of woman on her phone, outside,

Catching moments and freezing them in time – is that what photography is?   To call the images random would be farfetched.  They are edited starting from the first decisions such as where to aim the camera and at what moment do I take the picture.   But they are candid in that the people are unaware, unposed, and to me, more natural.  These women are just hanging out outside the Eaton Centre, together, yet separate.  Are they waiting for someone?  What is the woman on far left reacting to?

women in head scarves standing beside glass window of a store, other women walking past

men sitting on a bench, a woman walking past

As I mentioned above, the light was flat.  It was a grey afternoon and that is always a challenge.  As the day becomes darker, the ambient light provide by windows increases.

below: Is it my imagination or is her neck longer than most?  I don’t think that I’d be able to wear four leather rings around my neck even if I wanted to.

head of a mannequin in a store window, white, large sunglasses, leather rings around her neck

As I was processing some of my photos, I got to thinking about my grandmother.  I remember driving with her at dusk and into the early night.  She would get excited about being able to look into people’s windows after they’d turned on their lights but before they’d closed their curtains.  We could only get a quick glimpse as we passed by – were there pictures on the wall?  What was on TV?  What were the people doing?  But even that was enough to spark our imaginations and we would create stories about the possible lives of the people in those houses.

below: Talking at the bar

from the outside, looking into a bar. Line of bottles on a back lit shelf, two women takling near the window

below: Sitting at Timmies

three people at Tim Hortons, sitting at a table. Seen from the outside, a poster on the window blocks the view of one of the people

Night windows offer a different view.  Things that are hidden during the day become visible.

below:  Interior renovations in progress

looking in the window of a construction site, two ladders, square panes of interior glass on a wall

below: The mundane and austere railing and fluorescent light in the stone bank building caught my attention.  As I was lining up the shot I noticed the woman (who had obviously noticed me first).

evening, from outside, a lit window in a bank of Nova Scotia building shows a hand rail, a woman stands outside the window

people in the midst of getting on and off a streetcar

two people, slightly out of focus pass by a lit window

And then it started to rain.  My feet were getting wet and my umbrella wasn’t big enough so I called it quits and went home.

a woman holding an umbrella crosses the street

red chairs and white tables in an empty restaurant

Walking with the revelers on Church Street on Sunday afternoon as the Pride Parade was winding down.

a man in drag, high heels, skimpy bottoms and a frilly red top looks at the camera with a smirk and a wink

crowds on church street, with a man in just underwear sprawled on a chair in the middle of the street

three Asian woman laughing as they walk down the street, looking at something that has made them laugh

an south asian man in pink shirt and sunglasses gets a topless woman to pose with him, she is kissing him

two men with big beards. one in a short red top and red cap, the other topless except for shoulders straps

two women talking, with rainbow headbands and colourful clothes, as another woman walks past behind them

a young girl holding a bunch of yellow balloons

men with no clothes except for black leather harnesses and straps and a black cap

below: A slow time at the ice cream truck

a young man sits in the window of an ice cream truck as he watches the crowd

below: It was the man behind that made me laugh.

two naked men walking down the street, with a man behind them taking their picture, two women in bathing suits and large hats

below: Matching butterflies.

two women in bikinis, both with sparkly butterflies on their lower back

a man in drag with a wig of long grey hair, black hat with red flowers, in the crowd

a young man with pink t shirt and fuzzy pink ears, another man with a rainbow flag on his back and his hand over his mouth

a group poses for a selfie shot as other people walk by

below: Daddy hunter

 woman with a sticker that says daddy hunter

below: Another daddy sticker

a woman is putting a sticker on her upper thigh while another woman looks on

below: Spock makes an appearance

a man dressed as Spock mingles with the crowd in front of Pizza Pizza

The weather’s been all over the place, warm, cold, hot, cold again, back and forth…. like May weather usually is.  We were fortunate to have great weather this past holiday Monday and a lot of people took advantage of the day!  As I walked around, this is some of what I saw.

a man stands and watches another man playing the drums outside on Yonge street, some other people standing around too

by the fountain at Nathan Phillips Square, a man dressed in orange hugs a man dressed in brown who is checking his phone after just taking a selfie

women and men standing outside the Eaton Centre on Yonge street

people crossing the street at an intersection, a woman in a pink top and white sweater is pushing a stroller with a fluffy small white dog in it, a man in a blue Jay t shirt, camo jacket and baseball hat, smoking a cigarette, is walking beside her

Graffiti alley, walking past an uber 5000 mural, a man and a woman with their backs to the camera. on the back of the man's camo coloured jacket are the words true freedom is being unknown

two women in the O of the 3D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips square in front of city hall, examining photos that they have taken on their phone

2 young men and 2 young women walking down Graffiti Alley

a woman in a purple dress is sitting on the sidewalk, patting the cat wearing the superman costume that is sitting on a box. other people standing around, corner of Yonge and Dundas

a girl and her mother playing in the fountain at Nathan Phillips Square, in front of city hall,

a woman in jeans and pink top poses in the doorway of one of the back doors in Graffiti Alley

Tucked away in part of the old Lever Brothers (then Unilever) soap factory there is a small exhibit now showing.

below: Follow the yellow caution tape to find the installation…..

yellow caution tape marks a path through an old industrial space, sign on a post that says Danger no pedestrian traffic.

below: This is the sight that greets you when you first walk into the room…..   A large industrial sized funnel left behind when the factory was decommissioned dominates the room.  A few figures stand on the other side of it.

mannequin automatons as part of an art installation in the old Unilever soap factory, concrete floor and walls - three of them stand around a net on a circular frame, a large industrial funnel above them.

below: Moving closer.  Above the figures is a bubble making machine – how appropriate for a soap factory!

mannequin automatons as part of an art installation in the old Unilever soap factory, concrete floor and walls

As it turns out, these figures – mannequins or automatons – were originally made back in the 1980’s as props for the Wilderness Adventure Ride at Ontario Place.  When Ontario Place closed, these guys were abandoned.

below: He looks very intent on something. .. like destroying my camera if he could.

mannequin automatons as part of an art installation in the old Unilever soap factory, concrete floor and walls - solitary man with half an arm missing, staring straight ahead, beside a net to catch soap, a large soap bubble dropping from above him

Toronto artist Max Dean rescued their remains, cleaned them up and brought them back to life.

below: … and into the 21st century.  Playing Candy Crush to pass the time? Or checking his Tinder messages?

mannequin automatons as part of an art installation in the old Unilever soap factory, concrete floor and walls - sitting on a stool with a phone in one hand, a real woman behind him with a phone in her hand taking a picture

mannequin automatons as part of an art installation in the old Unilever soap factory, concrete floor and walls - an older man standing on the stairs and looking down

mannequin automatons as part of an art installation in the old Unilever soap factory, concrete floor and walls - the likeness of Andy Warhol, white hair, glasses on head, hand up, finger pointing

The Unilever factory site is now owned by First Gulf (a development company). Access is at 21 Don Roadway which also the DVP ramp from the Lakeshore. There is parking. Getting there by public transit is not easy as there is no access directly from the north (the railway tracks & DVP are in the way).

 

“Still Moving” continues until the 3rd of June.

subtitle: Finding treasures

Hidden behind ivy, on a building at Ryerson University, are three relief sculptures of men in athletic poses.   There’s also a line of trees beside the building that they are on.  No wonder I’ve missed them on previous walks down Nelson Mandela Way.  Today the light was shining on them just the right way .

below: Javelin thrower.  Does his left arm look a little awkward?

on a wall, covered with ivy plant (early spring so no leaves), relief sculpture of a man from the side, about to throw a javelin,

below:  Man with a ball, and covered with ivy vines which was designed in 1962 by Elizabeth Wyn Wood (They are all the work of the same artist?)

on a wall, covered with ivy plant (early spring so no leaves), relief sculpture of a man with legs spread apart, with a ball on his shoulder, arms bent upwards at elbow

below: Lifting weights.

on a wall, covered with ivy plant (early spring so no leaves), relief sculpture of a man with legs spread apart, and holding barbells across his shoulders, weight lifter,

Elizabeth Winifred Wood (1903-1966), also known as Elizabeth Wyn Wood, was born in Orillia.  She graduated from OCA (Ontario College of Art) in 1925.  Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s, many new buildings in Toronto were decorated with relief sculptures on their exterior walls.  Although many of these buildings have since been demolished, you can still see some sculptures as you walk around downtown.   By the time that Wyn Wood designed these (and other) sculptures for Ryerson in the early 1960’s, the use of relief sculptures in this context was fading.

Womens March
Nathan Phillips Square

A few photos of people (of all ages) and signs at today’s rally and march.

below: “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made”  and “Destroy patriarchy not the planet” while sitting on the 3D Toronto sign.

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, two young women sitting in the O of the 3D Toronto sign, each with a sign, a couple behind them - the woman looking at them, the man taking a picture with his phone. The cover on his phone is a British callbox (phone booth)

below: “Grope”.  A play on Obama’s Hope sign

Toronto womens march and protest, women with a sign that is picture of Donald Trump in reds and blues with the word Grope written in large letters

below: Walking across Dundas Street.  “Believe women”. “My body is not public property”.

women walking down Bay st towards Nathan Phillips square and city hall, womens march

women walking down Bay st towards Nathan Phillips square and city hall, womens march

 

below: There were many Princess Leia & the Resistance signs.

young girl on her father's shoulders, wearing hat and scarf and holding a reistence sign with a picture of Princess Leia on it.

below: “Men of quality don’t fear equality”.

men of quality don't fear equality.

below: “Gender equality now”.  “End Violence Against Women”.

Toronto womens march and protest, a woman with a sign that says gender equality now, and a woman with a sign that says end violence against women along with the names of women who have been killed by their partners.

below: “Boys will be good humans”

Womens march, protest parade - mother pushing double stroller, with two boys in in, sign that says boys will be good humans,

below: “I can’t believe we still have to protest this shit!”

older woman with a walker at womens march protest at Nathan Phillips, wearing a pink hat and a pink sign that says

below: “Love is the answer. Try it”

Womens march, protest parade, woman with hat and scarf and holding a sign made of brown cardboard, orange painted letters that say Love is the answer, try it

women holding protest sign, womens march, Toronto
signs and placards ready to be used in a protest rally, womens march, I am a snowflake, together we are an avalanche
group walking in a protest march, the future is female is one of the signs being carried, walking on Dundas St

Toronto womens march and protest, a smiling woman with a placard that reads hear me roar, along with a picture of a tiger

Nobody illegal, be kind, signs, held by kids and their parents in the womens march

person in shark costume holding a sign that says sharks aren't scary, climate change is.

below: “I stand with the dreamers” “Defend DACA”

I stand with Dreamers, Defend DACA, protest signs

young woman giving peace sign and laughing, holding a girls sign

below: “Missing my nap to smash the patriarchy”

mother and daughter, Womens march, protest parade, daughter is a baby in a front carrier, sign ver her says Missing my nap to smash the patriarchy

below: “Feminism is for everybody”

Toronto womens march and protest, a young woman with a sign that says feminism is for everybody

below: “The peeved beavers”

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, two women talking, one is holding a sign that says the Peeved Beaver

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, a woman with a very pink wig on, holding a sign from socialist.ca that says fight racism and islamophobia

below: “I am a snowflake”

Womens march, protest parade - a girl walking with her father, she has a pink sign that says I am a snowflake

two protest signs, one says because a strong woman raised me. the other is a Nellie McClung quote about never retract, never explain, never apologize, get things done and let them howl

below: “Pussy power”

Womens march, protest parade - a woman holding a black placard with pussy power in pink, stickers of cats, and some tampons on it

Womens march, protest parade - young women with signs and rainbow peace flags

below: ” I stand with you” across the shoulders

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, from the back, a woman with short and very orange hair, has a patch on the back of her black jacket, rainbow flag with I Stand with you

below: “Why I march? So my daughter will never have to say #metoo”  “Supergirl in training”

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, by the rink a mother and daughter getting their picture taken. Both are holding signs, the daughter's sign is yellow and says Supergirl in training, mother's sign is pink and says

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, 3 girls watch the protest march go by, they are each holding a sign - Respect my existence or expect resistance, the second is Grab 'em by the Patriarchy, and the third is OK with

below: Trump in effigy, “Stop the madness”

Toronto Womens march, protest parade, woman holding up an effigy of Trump with a sign that says stop the madness. Others around her walking in the protest march

below: “Care about each other, not like Donald Trump”

boy with a large hand drawn sign on white bristol board that says care about each other not like donald trump

below: “Love not fear” and big red heart shaped balloon.

women in crowd at Nathan Phillips with sign that says Love not fear, also a large red mylar balloon heart

below: “I hope”

little girl on father's shoulders in Toronto womens march on Bay street, holding sign that says I hope

Womens march, protest parade, a group of people with animal rights, eat vegan, signs

Womens March, Nathan Phillips square, a woman with a megaphone

below: “Tick tock on the clock, we all say time’s up!”  “You’re so vain you probably think this march is about you”

women marching in Womens march, holding pink signs

below: “Respecta mi existengia espera resistencia”.  “We are the change”

many women marching, many holding placards with protest slogans

below: “We won’t let this slide”.  “My sexual preference is mutual consent”.

two women holding up signs, a pink one that says we won't let this one slide and a yellow sign that says my sexual preference is mutual consent

As part of a larger mural project in David French and Barbara Barrett Lanes (near Bloor and Bathurst), elicser has painted another mural with more of the kinds of people that he is known for painting. Every day people doing every day things – with some emphasis on musicians and the people who listen to them.

For this post I’ve combined photos that were taken back in mid-September on the weekend that the ‘Wall Expressions’ project was started with those that I took a few weeks later.  ‘Wall Expressions’ was a StreetARToronto project to paint/repaint garages in David French Lane.

below: Elicser works on a face

street artist, elicser elliott, up on a lift as he spray paints the outlines of a man's head as part of large mural that he is working on.

below: The finished face.

mural, part of, by elicser, people sitting outside, a young child with red hair sits on the grass, her mother behind her. A black man sits on a wooden seat, a cassette player on his lap

below: More of the mural in progress.

view of most of a long horizontal mural on the side of a building in an alley, by elicser, who is in the picture, painting, mural is of people doing various things.

part of a partially completed mural, two girls sitting at a table and talking, one with brown skin and long black hair, one with short red hair, a glass of water in one hand

partially finished man with green sweater, grey hair, elbows on table

finished section of a mural, with man with grey hair sitting with elbows on a table,

elicser works on painting a mural, in the foreground is a large painted guitar player with a red uitar, painted behind a metal fire escape staircase

part of a mural by elicser of people - 4 people, a woman overlooks them, a small black man on a cello and a man with beard and glasses on a white guitar.

part of a mural by elicser of people - a woman is sitting on a stool and playing a guitar, a man in a red and black checked shirt

below: The complete mural

mural by elicser of people - whole mural, completed, on Barbara Barrett Lane, musicians and the people listening to them as they sit at tables