Posts Tagged ‘nathan phillips square’

summer in the city, June edition

Posted: June 15, 2016 in people
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Summer in the city – enjoying the summer weather!

below: Toronto street art in Graffiti Alley.

Street art painting in a n alley that says Toronto in blue

below: skateboarders

Two young men on skateboards are passing by, another is holding onto the back bumber of a red car while he is on a skateboard and the car is moving.

below: Enjoying a quiet moment, late afternoon.

a woman sits on an outdoor patio, under a large yellow and white umbrella with a Singha Beer ad on it, sitting on a bright red plastic stool. Other plastic stools are around her, both red and blue

below: Painting shingles – June 4th was 100 in One Day, a day where community activites are promoted. One of the activities on Kenwood Lane was shingle painting.

kids painting designs on wooden shingles, outdoors.

below: Running through the fountains at Yonge Dundas Square

a boy runs down the middle of the fountains at Dundas Square with his arms out at his side and a smile on his face

below: World Naked Bike Ride participants cycle through Kensington.

Five or six men on bicycles on a street in Kensington, they are all naked. One is wearing a large Canada Flag hat and has a Canadian flag flying from the back of his bike. Participants in the World Naked Bike Day.

below: Relaxing at Nathan Phillips Square.  #sitTO is a campaign to increase the number of places to sit in public spaces.

A man sits on a folding chair beside the fountain at Nathan Phillips Square. He has his feet up on the bars of his bike that is balanced there.

below: Distillery District

A woman is posing by the large red heart in the distillery district, she is leaning back on one side of it.

below: Patio, College Street

a restaurant on the corner of two streets, with a patio both out front and at the side. Both are full on a sunny late afternoon.

A woman is carrying a cat in what looks like a baby carrier on her chest. It is a Siamese cat

a frontyard full of small purple, blue and white flowers, all behind a chainlink fence

lazing on a sunny afternoon

Posted: May 19, 2016 in people, public art
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Spring is in the air. 

the word love is written in lights in capital letters in a window of a store. Reflected in the window is a group of older people sitting on benches across from the window

A young man is lying on a bench in the Toronto peace garden, the words of which are written beside him, metal inlay in the stone on the ground.

people sitting and standing in an alley, one man is on his cellphone, tall buildings on either side of the lane as well as at the end of the lane

A woman in black high heel shoes is sitting on a low stone wall outside. You can only see her from the thigh down. He legs are crossed at the ankle.

three people sitting outside, two men who are talking together and a woman who is sitting on her own, they are in a square and are surrounded by tall glass buildings, half in shadow and half in light

a young man is lying in the the O of the Toronto 3D sign. The O is orange, you can't see the man's face but you can see one red shoe and his light coloured pant leg.

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people sitting on benches amongst the tulips and birch trees of the peace garden at Nathan Phillips Square

Two people sitting at the base of Henry Moore's 'Archer' sculpture at Nathan Phillips Square. One man is eating and the other is reading.

I’ll be lazing on a sunny
lazing on a sunny
lazing on a sunny afternoon.
(with apologies to Queen)

pillow fight!

Posted: April 4, 2016 in events, people
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Pillow Fight at Nathan Phillips Square
in celebration of International Pillow Fight Day 2016

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - 2 asian women hit each other with pillows while other people watch

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young man with two yellow pillows looks intensely at a man with a pillow raised over his head

feathers go flying as pillows break during a pillow fight amongst a crowd of people

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a man wearing a suit and dark sunglasses participates in the pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a number of young people laughing

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a boy closes his eyes and ducks his head as two pillows come his way

two young women leaping at each other as they try to hit each other with pillows

two young boys swing pillows at each other - people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young girl swings a pillow

young people participating in a large outdoor pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

a woman holds her hands up by her head defensively to ward off pillows being swung by two girls

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young man with earmuffs and a woman wearing a face mask

young men swinging pillows at each other in a large pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people at Nathan Phillips square on a cold day watching a pillow fight, spectators,

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - an Asian woman swings a pink pillow at a man wearing a ski mask

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a woman with long red hair hides under her pillow as she walks through a crowd

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a young woman is on the shoulders of a man as they pass through a crowd during a pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day - a woman in a pink and blue striped hat smiles at a man as she readies to through a pillow at him

a person in a bear costume waves to the camera as a boy in pyjamas holds a pillow

people, adults and kids, swinging pillows at each other in a large pillow fight

people in the midst of a large pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square in celebration of international pillow fight day -

asian young man in suit and tie and glasses is laughing and smiling as he swings a pillow in a pillow fight outdoors with many people

a young woman holding a pillow and screaming at another young woman

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an asian woman with her hair dyed auburn has a pillow over her head as she emerges from a crowd at a pillow fight

#pillowfight | #pillowfighttoronto

our faces are all over the place

Posted: October 12, 2015 in events, public art
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Inside Out, a global art project
with more than 250,000 portraits in 124 countries

This project came Toronto as an extended Nuit Blanche installation.

Two men are holding up a large black and white photo of the head and shoulders of one of the men that has just been printed

Starting a few days before Nuit Blanche the Inside Out mobile Photobooth was parked at Nathan Phillips Square.  Anyone who was interested could have their picture taken – a digital copy was emailed to each participant and a large black and white copy was printed within minutes.  The photos were collected and then used to make one large image, a series of concentric circles in the center of the square.

A picture of the mobile photoprinting booth that was used for the Inside Out global art project at Nathan Phillips Square. Some people are waiting in line to have their picture taken.

Two people are holding up a black and white photo of a girl's face. She has her fingers up to her eyes in an owl face. The man holding the photo is making the same face.
below:  Getting ready for Nuit Blanche at Nathan Phillips Square

A group of young people are using brooms and sqeegees to glue blackand white photos of peoples faces onto the concrete of Nathan Phillips Square

A group of young people are using brooms and sqeegees to glue blackand white photos of peoples faces onto the concrete of Nathan Phillips Square

Concentric circles of black and white photos are being glued to the concrete at Nathan Phillips Square, overview, photo taken from the upper level.

below: Nathan Phillips Square at Nuit Blanche

a group of people is gluing pictures to the concrete while many people look on, most are behind barricades, night time

view of the Inside Out Project at Nathan Phillips Square on Nuit Blanche 2015

below: The side of the ramp to the upper level was also covered with photos.

A group of people pose beside a wall that is covered with pictures, nuit blanche, night time.

black and white photos of peoples faces glued to a wall, part of Inside Out Project in Toronto

below: … as was the south side of the 3D Toronto sign.

3D Toronto sign covered with black and white pictures of people, at night, at Nuit Blanche when there were a lot of people standing around it.

below:  The Inside Out Project remained after Nuit Blanche.

Two photos that are glued on the O of the 3D Toronto sign. One is of a man in Blue Jays T shirt and one is of a ayoung man with his hands on his cheeks and a wide eyed, open mouthed look of astonishment on his face. Toronto city hall is in the background

Three people sit on the bench beside the fountain at Nathan Phillips Square. Their backs are to the camera, they are looking towards the 3D Toronto sign that is covered with black and white photos for Inside Out project. Toronto city hall is in the background

A seagull stands on photos of people that are glued to the concrete

Nathan Phillips Square after Nuit Blanche when Inside Out projects are still on the ground, and a farmers market is going on around it.

below: There were a number of other sites around the city that participated in this project including  a wall at Mel Lastman Square in North York.

A wall alongside a sidewalk ramp is covered with black and white photos of people's faces.

below: There was also a wall on the southwest side of Coxwell subway station that was covered.

exterior concrete wall covered with black and white photos of people

exterior concrete wall covered with black and white photos of people

#IOPToronto | #snb2015 | #snbTO | #share3DTO

Lots more info about Inside Out can be found here.

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Toronto selfies and other poses

Posted: July 28, 2015 in locations, people
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Overheard at Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday:
“There must be 10,000 photographs being taken here as we speak”.
I suspect that he was right!

A view of the 3D Toronto sign from the southeast corner of Nathan Phillips Square showing the lights on the arches above the water as well as the Panamania pink and yellow covering on the lights and sound system for the stage.

I think that there is something intriguing about what people will do when there is a camera in front of them, how some people are comfortable while others are not.    The photos that I took by the 3D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips square on Saturday were of people taking selfies or posing for pictures.  None of them were posing for me, but for their friends or families.

A young couple sits in one of the O's in Toronto while another person takes their picture with a smartphone.

There is also something intriguing about how people behave when they have a camera in their hand.

A toddler sits on her father's shoulders. He is holding onto one of her arms. She is looking at a pink smartphone being held up by a selfie stick almost to her level.

A young blonde woman is posing inside the O of the Toronto sign.

A couple takes a selfie beside water. He has long hair, a beard and is wearing sunglasses.

Two Asian women sit on a concrete wall beside water. They are probably mother and daughter. They are posing for a photograph.

A middle aged man and woman are looking at a selfie that they have just taken on a cellphone.

Three sets of photos taken beside water. Two boys are sitting crossed legged right at the edge. A young woman is posing with her hands in the air and her fingers in peace sign. A south Asian couple are looking at a picture that they have taken on a smartphone.

A family of four, mother, father and two sons, are taking a selfie.

Many people are standing in front of the 3D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips square. There are also many people standing around the pool.

A young woman with long black hair and an Aeropostale T-Shirt stands beside the water with her arms raised to shoulder level.
three South Asian women are standing beside the Toronto sign. A few other people are in the picture because they are sitting on the base of the sign.

A young man has climbed up the side of the N in the Toronto sign as is sitting on top of it.

A couple poses beside the water in Nathan Phillips Square.

A group of Pan Am games volunteers in their orange T shirts pose in front of the 3D Toronto sign.

A young woman gestures towards the Toronto sign (which is not in the photograph).

A woman with long brown hair and wearing a red T shirt poses beside the water. The 3D Toronto sign is in the background on the other side of the pool.

Two women check a picture on a smartphone. They have just taken a selfie.

Six people, a man and five women, are talking a selfie with a phone on a selfie stick. Two of the women have small Canadian flags. Another woman has her arm up in the air.

#share3DTO  #hostcity2015

our latest photo op

Posted: July 13, 2015 in locations, public art
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A newly installed large 3D sign in Nathan Phillips Square is Toronto’s latest tourist attraction and local photo op.  It is scheduled to remain in the square until the end of 2015 at which point it will be moved to another public location.

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square -

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square - a couple sits in the O posing for a picture while a young boy crawls between the O and the R

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square - from the back, Toronto is spelled in reverse but there are still people taking their picture by it

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square - a couple stands in front of it, a man with a camera walks past it

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square - kids standing in between the letters as well as in the round part of the O

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square - a man stands in the water in front of the word Toronto

large three dimensional block capital letters that spell Toronto installed alongside the pool fountain in Nathan Phillips Square - a woman stands with her back to the camera and takes a picture

#share3DTO  #hostcity2015

pillow fight!

Posted: April 5, 2015 in events, people
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Pillow Fight
Nathan Phillips Square, Saturday of Easter weekend
Lots of pillows to dodge.
Lots of exuberant fun.
Pillow fights, now a spectator sport!

 

two young men hitting each other with pillows in a pillow fight.

One young men is sitting on the shoulders of another. He is swinging a pillow around in a pillow fight. Many others, who are not on shoulders, are trying to hit him with pillows

A boy is swinging a brown pillow at a woman in a pillow fight.

Two Asian women wearing pyjamas are hitting each other with pillows. Lots of hair flying around.

A young man in a batman shirt is being hit over the head with a red pillow in a large pillow fight.

people at a pillow fight

A group of young men having a pillow fight outdoors,

A young woman is sitting on the shoulders of a young man. She is laughing. She has a pillow in her hand. The crowd is behind her. A large man's face is on the very left of the photo.

A group of young people in a crowd who are having a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square. A woman wearing a t-shirt that says "Lets pretend this never happened" is ducking pillows and laughing.

A young woman is holding a pillow with a pillowcase that has pink, green and yellow geometric shapes on it. She is getting ready to hit someone with it in a pillow fight. She is laughing

A young man on the shoulders of another at a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips Square.

A groupd of young people in a crowd who are having a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square. Old city hall is in the background.

A happy couple taking a break from a pillow fight. He is laughing, she is saying ouch and putting her hand over her ear.

a couple taking photos from the upper level of Nathan Phillips square. Down in the square below them is a large pillow fight, and a lot of spectators and photographers

four young men laughing as they partake in a pillow fight.

Three young men are in the foreground, all are at a pillow fight. One man, wearing glasses, has his pillow held tightly over his head, one is looking away from the camera and the third looks like his head hurts as he puts his hand on his forehead.

CTV reporter ducking pillows as she gives commentary. Camera of cameraman is just in view on the right. Crowd at the pillow fight is behind her.

A boy in a blue jacket is in the foreground, he's hitting a woman in a black jacket. A group of young people in a crowd who are having a pillow fight at Nathan Phillips square. Old city hall is in the background.

A young woman has her eyes closed and is smiling as the people around her are hitting each other with pillows.

A young red headed man is on the shoulders of another person in a pillow fight.

Lots of pillows being held up in the air.

crowds of people at Nathan Phillips square on a spring Saturday afternoon

Two young women and a young men at a pillow fight

A smiling man, crouched shoulders, clutching a pillow, walks past a crowd in a pillow fight.

A group of young people taking a selfie photo at a pillow fight.

Man with a spiderman pillow and woman with a pink pillow at a pillow fight

A group of young men enjoying a pillow fight as they swing their pillows at other people

Bald man wearing a ferrari jacket is smiling at the camera as he walks through a crowd having a pillow fight

pillow fight

Two young men having a pillow fight while a crowd stands around them in a circle and watches.

Young man in a black leather jacket has his eyes closed as he hits someone with a pillow in pillow fight.

Young men swinging pillows at each other and trying to hit each other, all in good fun.

A young woman wearing a maroon McMaster shirt is holding a very large stuffed yellow cartoon character bird (tweety bird?)who is wearing a blue denim hat. Posed for the camera. Smiling.

A little boy in a blue jacket with a determined and fierce look on his face in hitting someone in a pillow fight.

A man being hit in the face with a pillow

Three people in costumes are posing for a group selfie as a photographer walks past.

A young woman with black curly hair and glasses is smiling as she takes part in a big pillow fight.

Young people having a pillow fight and laughing.

Man with a beard and a moustache, wearing a white fuzzy jacket with a pale purple artifical flower pinned to it. He's smiling and holding a pillow over his head.

A young man's glasses are falling off because he's just been hit with a pillow.

Two women in a pillow fight, lots of long hair blowing and being thrown around.

Man wearing a yellow top with hood that says on the front "Random yellow fruit". He's yelling and is holding a pillow over his head.

Young woman with long light brown hair is smirking at the camera and showing off her pillow - it is a body pillow with a picture of a male movie star on it and he's dressed in purple tux and black bow tie.

A young man is swinging a pillow while someone on the left is taking his photo.

Young woman with a pillow in a mickey mouse pillow case

Boy wearing a fuzzy brown hat and a camo print fleece bathrobe over a grey T-shirt

A young man being overwhelmed a bit by a large number of pillows being aimed his way.

 

anti bill C-51protest

Posted: March 14, 2015 in events
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Stop Bill C-51 Protest and Rally
Nathan Phillips Square, noon, Saturday 14 March

It was a foggy and damp morning before the protest.

Nathan Phillips square on a foggy wet day. Greyness. There are a few people under the stage overhang but otherwise the square is empty
but the rain held off once the rally started.

View of a protest from the back of a stage. The backs of 4 photographers is to the camera. They are taking pics of the crowd.

A young woman is holding a piece of white fabric on which words have been printed: "Fuck bill C-51" is in larger letters.

“Protect our Charter Rights. Fuck you Harper”

 

Two young girls are holding protest signs. One says "Stop Harpers Secret Police" and the other says "Stop C51".

Stop C51″. “Stop Harper’s secret police”

 

A coalition of groups under the banner of StopC51.ca organized a “National Day of Action”.  Included in the events were protest rallys in cities across Canada. 

crowd shot at a protest

A group of 3 people. A woman on the right is holding a purplish grey umbrella. The other 2 people are holding protest signs.

People at a protest rally. One man has duct tape over his mouth and he is holding a placard that says "Citizen journalism will be silenced by Bill C-51"

“Citizen journalism will be silenced by Bill C-51”

 

A man is holding a placard that says Don't Let the Terror Win at a protest

“Don’t let the terror win”

 

A protester is holding a hand written sign that says #rejectfear

#rejectfear

 

A man is handing out protest signs that say "Say no to Islamophobia"

“Say no to Islamophobia. Say no to war.”

A crowd of people at a Canadian protest rally

A boy on his mother's shoulders is holding a sign with a picture of Lisa on it.

The other side of the Lisa Simpson sign are the words “I don’t want a big brother”

 

protesters at a rally.

A group of people around Henry Moore's sculpture "the Archer" in Nathan Phillips Square. They are there for the anti Bill C51 protest. A couple are sitting and talking to each other. Others are standing under umbrellas.

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The Toronto Raging Grannies were also there with their own unique sound.

 

Photograph ers are shooting a man who has a flag around his neck

signs lying on the steps as people walk around.

“Not the Canada we want or need”

je suis Charlie

Posted: January 12, 2015 in events
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#jesuisCharlie Toronto version.
Rally & march, Sunday 11 January.
Nathan Phillips Square

Close up photo of two small flags, one Canadian and the other French, on the end of a guitar.

flags, music and people

Close up of a sign that says 'Je suis Charlie Toujours en vie! I am Charlie' in black letters on white paper. The sign is being held by someone who is wearing red mitts with big CAN on them in white.

One of the many Je Suis Charlie signs.

Overview of Nathan Philllips Square in front of Toronto City Hall showing a large number of people gathered on a winter day in January to rally in support of Je Suis Charlie.

The crowd part way through the rally.

Part of a crowd of people at the Je Suis Charlie rally. Many are holding signs that say Je Sui Charlie. Most are dresssed for winter weather.

Crowd scene, listening to speeches.

A man is wearing yellow clogs and holding a sign that says Je Suis CHarlie. Ik ben Theo Van Gogh

Theo Van Gogh was a Dutch film producer, writer and actor.   He helped create a short film depicting the mistreatment of  Islamic women after which he received death threats.  In November of 2004 he was murdered in Amsterdam.

A large TV camera is filming a reporter from CP24. People behind the reporter are holding Je Suis Charlie signs.

Many TV reporters were on the scene, including CP24

crowd

Je Suis Charlie signs and a few flags

A crowd in front of the stage at Nathan Phillips square on a January day when the Christmas tree in front of City Hall is still there.

The view from behind the stage.

A man is holding a sign that says Ich Bin Charlie

German participants too

Crowd at a rally in the winter

more crowd scene

A man is holding three signs. One says 'Je Suis Charlie' and two are in arabic. He standing behind a large white sign withblack letters. The words can't be read in this photo. An Iranian flag is being held by someone standing behind him.

There was also a group there with a large sign that said ‘Free all Political Prisoners in Iran’.  A number of Iranian flags were being carried, but they were the flag with the lion in the center.

People are walking through the intersection of Queen and Yonge streets as they march in the Je Suis Charlie rally. A policeman in a yellow jacket is standing in the intersection to help prevent the cars from interfering.

The crowd walked from Nathan Phillips Square to Dundas Square.

Two women. One is holding a Je Suis Charlie sign in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other. THe other woman has a large pencil shaped sign.

at Dundas Square

.

December rolls around again

Posted: December 2, 2014 in locations
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Happy December!

Stay warm!

skating rink with brightly lit Chrsistmas tree behind it

It’s a chilly evening but skaters take to the ice at Nathan Phillips square. Christmas stars overhead and a brightly lit tree in the background for it’s December again.

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