Posts Tagged ‘people’

Beltline murals at Eglinton

Posted: October 11, 2016 in graffiti and street art
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A beautiful Thanksgiving day, sunshine and autumn temperatures – what better time to get outside and enjoy a walk with friends?  Today’s walk included the Beltline from Mt Pleasant cemetery to the Allan Expressway.  Along the way we saw a couple of murals so I stopped to take a few pictures. These murals were under the bridge over the Beltline at Eglinton West.   Both were part of the StART (StreetARToronto) program and were painted in 2013 by artists Viviana Astudillo and Logan Miller.

below: On one side of the underpass are scenes from the days when a railway ran along the Beltline.

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, in brown tones of the hhistory of the railroad in the area (scenes from), an older man in a brown cap

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, in brown tones of the hhistory of the railroad in the area (scenes from), a large locomotive with a man standing by the front of it.

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, in brown tones of the hhistory of the railroad in the area (scenes from), kids in different coloured caps playing beside a train

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, in brown tones of the hhistory of the railroad in the area (scenes from) a young man in a brown cap

below: The mural on the other side of the underpass depicts scenes of the modern day path including hawks, people, joggers, cyclists, walkers and dogs.

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, two hawks on the ground.

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, people walking on a path through the woods including a jogger, a woman walking a dog, and a cyclist.

part of a mural under a bridge on the Beltline path, by StART, of nature scenes, a large dog is sitting beside a tree

below: Someone has left there mark here too.

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evening Oblivion

Posted: October 7, 2016 in events, locations
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I missed Nuit Blanch this year.  While I was away, I heard lots of good things about the installations at Nathan Phillips Square, including the fact that they will remain until the 10th of October.

Silly me went during the day.  It didn’t look too impressive then!
There were lots of tourists taking pictures.

a man is taking a picture of his wife and young son in front of the water and 3D toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square, a girl in a stroller watches.

and schoolkids hanging out by the 3D Toronto sign.

a group of teenagers, school kids, after school, hanging out behind the letters of the 3D Toronto sign.

Oh right, it’s a night time, after dark sort of thing.  Come back after 7 p.m.

So last night I went back at 7 p.m.  …. but last night was also the first game of the Blue Jays playoff series against Texas and it was playing on a large screen in the square.  I watched the end of the game.  There wasn’t a very large turnout, but the atmosphere was great.  Everybody was in a good mood as the Blue Jays won 10 – 1.

people watching the Blue Jays baseball team playing a game on a large TV screen outside.

Shortly after the end of the game, the large 14 metre globe that represents the sun lit up.  “Death of the Sun” by Director X (Julien Lutz) began.

The sun starts as a swirling orange and yellow globe.

looking through the O of the Toronto sign to the yellow and orange projections on the large globe in front of City Hall, art installation from Nuit Blanch

It then turns orange before the colours die out and fade to nothing.

the 3D toronto sign lit up in white, city hall behind it in purple lights, and a large globe representing the sun glows orange as part of an art installation, night time photo.

At one point the sun lets off steam, gas, fog (whatever you want to call it) before it goes silent.

large white globe lets off steam or fog in Nathan Phillips square.

The end of the sun signals the start of “Pneuma”.  Images by Floria Sigismondi were projected onto a wall of water under the arches in the square in what appears to be a short film full of  symbols.

people standing around with their backs to the camera in the foreground, with a picture projected onto a wall of water under the arches at Nathan Phillips square in the background. The picture is of a blue woman on a red background.

images of people in triangular shapes projected onto a wall of water as part of an art installation, night time, lights of buildings in the background.

‘Oblivion’ is the name given to the collection of installations at City Hall.  Both of the artists come from the world of video.  Sigismondi has previously made videos for the like of Rihanna, David Bowie and Marilyn Manson while Director X has worked with Rihanna and Drake.

It was an interesting installation….  well done technically and fascinating to watch.

two hands silhouetted on a large yellow globe representing the sun, night time.

We tried to push the sun back into the sky, but we failed.

#nbTO2016 | #DirectorX | #pneuma | #floriasigismondi

Florence Street hoardings

Posted: September 9, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
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There is a vacant lot on Florence Street that is now mostly hidden behind a wood fence.
These hoardings are now home to a mural by Adrian Hayles.

chain link fence with barbed wire above it on the left side and then a wood fence on the right, wood fence has been painted with a mural and here in the mural is a man walking a dog past a building

 The black letters in the mural spell the words Brockton Village.

a car is parked in front of a mural painted on wood hoardings.

part of a mural, stylized woman in high heels with seemingly no clothes, walks past silhouette of buldings

The blackness and the shininess of the mural makes it quite reflective.

two old mattresses lean against a fence that has been painted with a mural in black, red and light blue. Along a sidewalk with cars parked beside, a few small trees.

part of a mural, man walking a dog

 

Labour Day parade 2016

Posted: September 6, 2016 in events, people
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Labour Day parade 2016
Monday, September 5th,

a group of people walking in a Labout Day parade, wearing orange T-shirts and holding orange signs protesting for fifteen dollars per hour minimum wage

The parade started at Queen and University and moved westward to Dufferin Street.

looking east on Queen Street West towards the Labour Day parade. A large truck is in the middle of the road, and people waving flags are walking in front of it. Lots of people walking beside it and behind it. Stores on Queen Street to the sides, taller buildings in the background.

women walking in a Labour Day parade carrying placards in red background with white lettering that say, 1. Retirement dignity for everyone, 2. Pay equity now, 3. Good full-time jobs for all.

a group of people walking in a labour day parade, two banners, one for Hammerheads and one for Central Ontario building trades.

a group of women walking in a labour day parade. One has a red heart with the number 75 inthe middle of it painted on her cheek. She is also holding a circular sign that says Work It! End job discrimination. Unite here.

large sign covering the back of a van that says We Won't shut the f*** up, in a parade, with people walking on both of it, walking away from the camera

a group of people in grey t-shirts walk behind a black pick up truck in a parade, carrying a banner that says IATSE LOcal 873 union, Toronto Motion Picture Technicians.

Two kids sitting in the back of a pick up truck, with red and white unifor (union) flags. Two men in the cab of the truck

members of the actra union walking in a parade, a woman looking at the camera and holding a sign above her head, two boys walking beside her. One in sunglasses and with hands in his pockets.

members of the actra union walking in a parade, two women and a girl blowing bubbles

a young girl rests her arms and head on a metal railing as she rides on a float in a parade

men in light blue T-shirts and wearing baseball caps, pass by in a parade, one is holding a small union flag (amalgamated transit union) and one is giving a thumbs up

According to the ‘Toronto Star’ newspaper, there were 25,000 people walking this year.

steelworkers march in a labour day parade on Queen St. West with their yellow banner

a group of people from the Power Workers Union wear grey t-shirts and and hold flags while they walk in the parade including three smiling young women at the front of the group

two people are carrying a banner for the Labour Council of Metropolitan Toronto and York Region in a parade. others are walking beside and behind them

below: The parade ended at the Dufferin Gates of the Canadian National Exhibition.  Labour Day weekend is also when the CNE Air Show is on and as a result, many of the planes taking part in the show also flew over the parade.

people walk down a street, no cars, police directing traffic, airplanes in formation and with white trails fly over the street part of the CNE air show flying over part of the Labour Day parade

a man with a large beard, wearing a straw hat and an orange bandana around his neck, carries a sign that says $15/hour minimum wage now, in a parade. behind him is a banner protesting the cost of university education and demanding free university education

pipe band, bagpipes and drums, marches through the intersection of King and Dufferin in the annual Labour Day parade, people watching on the sidewalks, a TTC streetcar waiting for the parade to pass

two men sitting in the back of a pick up truck as well as a boy sitting on the tailgate, in a parade, wearing white t-shirts that say Proud to be Union

a woman in a pink top and a black wide brimmed hat leans down to talk to her son who is sitting in a stroller. He's pointing down the sidewalk. They are watching a parade go by.

a camera woman has her camera on the ground and she is kneeling behind it and trying to take a picture. She is bare footed. There is a police car parked behind her. She is on the street, photographing a parade

iatse 58, union members walk in a labour day parade with their banner that says Behind the Scenes since 1898

a male cyclist rides past men marching in a labour day parade all carrying white Liuna union flags

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below: You know the parade is over when the street sweepers come around the corner.

a man walks his bike on a sidewalk, walking away from the camera, a large street sweeper is right beside him as it starts to clean up the street, the last part of a parade with firemen and fire trucks is in the distance

buskerfest 2016

Posted: September 4, 2016 in events, people
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Buskerfest 2016,
Woodbine Park, Sept 2 – 5

a woman white painted white face, yellow cheeks and red lips, wearing a costume in blue with padded shoulders and a fringe around the shoulders, top hat with but white feather and a big red heart

below: Making their Toronto debut, Cirque No Problem (i.e Noa and Uri Weiss from Israel) perform the acrobatic part of their show while lip synching ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ by Bonnie Tyler.

acrobatics - a woman upside known hanging from a trapeze by her knees, holds onto a man

busker show, men holding up a trapeze frame while and couple perform on it.

below: Fire Guy juggling three flaming torches as he moves through the middle of the crowd.

fire guy is moving around on motorized skateboard while juggling three llit torches, fire

below: The Privy People. A wonderful idea – porta potties as suites, each decorated with a different artist. I had the privilege to use the Frida Kahlo suite. An added bonus – the man in the lobby held my bag for me thereby solving another problem.   And those three women swimming past?  They are ‘Money Fish‘ , silent synchronized swimmers.

three women dressed in flippers, bathing suits and bathing caps pass by The Privy People, an act that is also very functional, porta potties decorated with artists work on the inside, personal service by people

below: Bex in Motion with two flaming hula hoops .

woman standing on a stool with two hula hoops around her middle, both of which have 5 or 6 spots that are on fire, in front of a crowd of people sitting on the grass

below: Chalk Master Dave gets a little help.

man is drawing a picture with chalk on the sidewalk. A little girl is squatting beside him and watching him work

below: There were a few small amusement park type rides including this ferris wheel.

a boy is waving to the camera as he sits on a ferris wheel

below: Gaia, a character performed by The Mistress of Madness .

a woman is dressed as Gaia with flowers in her hair, balancing and juggling three glass balls

below: It’s big enough to swallow a whole family!

a large monster made of purple, red and green balloons is manned by a man, an Asian family is having their picture taken in front of the monster

below: One of many shows with balancing and juggling, Kobbler Jay and his three knives.

a man stands on top of three stools as he juggles three knives

below: Dr. Bubblito and his bubbles… and lots of kids (and adults) chasing those bubbles.

very large bubbles being made in front of a crowd of children and adults, kids chasing and trying to catch and burst the bubbles, small girl with her arms outstretched

very large bubbles being made in front of a crowd of children and adults, kids chasing and trying to catch and burst the bubbles, just at the moment that the bubble breaks

very large bubbles being made in front of a crowd of children and adults, kids chasing and trying to catch and burst the bubbles

very large bubbles being made in front of a crowd of children and adults, kids chasing and trying to catch and burst the bubbles, young boy being held up by his mother to reach the bubbles

a young boy with bright yellow rimmed sunglasses stands on a large chess board contemplating his next move in the game of chess.

#buskerfestto | #buskersatthebeach

The Ex!

Posted: August 30, 2016 in events
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Hey you!
Been to the Ex yet?

a man dressed in costume, white face, bobby hat, white gloves and a red and white striped shirt

An end of summer tradition since 1879… although a lot has changed since then!

below: The midway, 1937 (photo source: history section, CNE website)

an old black and white photo of the midway at the CNE taken in 1937, lots of people in period clothes, an olf tilt-a-whirl ride also in the picture.

below:  Part of the midway this year.  Rides, games and food! … oh, and people!

looking down the CNE midway towards the CN tower in the late afternoon as the sun gets low, riders overhead on the Skyline ride, lots of people walking, lots of signs for games and food.

midway game, shoot out, early evening, lights on, people walking in front, ferris wheel in the distance.

Games of skill

many people playing a midway game at the Ex involving rolling a bowling ball up a short alley. Prizes hand all around them.

And games of chance (gambling, if you will)

two young men in blue shirts working at one of the midway gambling games, with another man standing behind the counter

a young boy pokes his around his mother to watch her as she plays a gambling game on the midway at the Ex

Rides that turn you upside down,

young women upside down on the Fire Ball midway ride, their long hair hanging down.

make you scream,

two people upside down on a ride at the CNE,

swing you around,

a young couple kissing on a swing that is up high

drop you,

people wait in line for a ride that takes up up in the air and then drops you. A group has just begun their trip upwards.

jostle you around,

a mother and daughter enjoying a ride, like a roller coaster, as it comes around a corner.

and let you laugh with friends. 

two girls coming down a large, multi lane, slide, holding hands and laughing

below: And, hey look, the pink and blue ride in the background, that’s a tilt-a-whirl ride.  It’s a bit different from the 1937 version pictured above but the concept is still the same.

a couple ride on a midway ride at the Canadian Exhibition, behind them is the blue and pink tilt-a-whirl ride

Food… deep fried almost anything you want!

people standing in front of food vendors that ate brightly lit up, selling deep fried food such as deep fried oreos, deep fried pickles, as well as chicken and corn dogs.

The Ex…  The CNE…  call it what you will.
Have fun!

lots of people in swings suspended by chains, about to twirl around at the CNE

late evening on the midway at the Canadian National Exhibition, water game at the ex, piled high with stuffed prizes, and some people playing the game and some people watching the game

Two young Asian men on a ride, they are lying on their stomachs and appear to be flying, in circles, with the ex midway behind them

a young woman is screaming as a ride takes her around in circles, she is slightly blurry because of the speed of the ride

a young black man wearing a turd hat and talking into a microphone as he tries to get people interested in playing the game he's working at. A wall of stuffed prizes is behind him including yellow pokemons

a group of young people around a counter playing a game of chance outdoors, at a fair, the cne

a very large inflatable yellow ducky with bright red beak and black sunglasses, standing beside a pick-a-duck game with a wall of stuffed yellow ducks behind it

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street food…. sort of

Posted: August 29, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Toronto’s first “street” art – a mural on the pavement, painted on the street itself.   It’s located on Baldwin Street in the Kensington market area.

below: The mural was painted on Pedestrian Sunday (28 Aug) when the streets were closed anyhow.

a young man and a young woman painting on the street, painting part of a mural on a street in Kensington market area

Murals on the street aren’t legal in this city.  In 2015 City council voted against making them legit.  Instead, they allowed this one to go ahead as part of the StART Road Mural Pilot Project.  Plans are afoot for a few more to be painted in the next couple of months.  The city has imposed some restrictions as to where they can be painted, rules such as the murals need to be away from intersections and be on streets with a low volume of traffic.   It is rumoured that future road murals will be on Condor Avenue (west of Greenwood subway yard), Lauder Avenue (near Dufferin and St. Clair), Hiawatha Road (Little India), and lastly, somewhere in North York

below: The next two pictures were taken from the upper level of the adjacent parking structure (where I had a chat with a security guard, private property and all that).

view from above of a mural on a street, fruits and vegetables, carrotes, eggplant, watermelon, beet, mushroom, lemon,

The pilot murals are all the result of work by community groups – people within a community working together to produce something representative of that community.

view from above of a mural on a street, fruits and vegetables, carrotes, eggplant, watermelon, beet, mushroom, lemon,

below: Painting a raspberry.  The shapes were drawn by artist Victor Fraser and then painted by a number of artists and volunteers.  It is an acrylic based paint that will wear off in 6 to 9 months.

a young man paints part of a pink raspberry that is in a mural of fruits and vegetables, on a street in Kensington

below: From street level – peas in a pod, a clove of garlic, a bunch of spring onions, an artichoke, a banana, and in the distance a lot more!

from low on street level, view of a mural painted on the street of fruit and vegetables, peas in a pod, a bunch of green opnions, a raspberry, with other food farther down the street,

This project was organized by Stas Ukhanov and supported by the Kensington Market BIA.

movement in vibrant colour

Posted: August 25, 2016 in public art
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They aren’t easily seen from any street but there are now 20 colourful figures leaping and dancing their way along the west side of Bridgepoint Hospital.   You will encounter them if you walk on the path that runs between Gerrard East and Riverdale Park.

below:  Perched high above the Don Valley, they run, jump, leap, dance and celebrate movement of the human form.  They are sculptures by Canadian artist Bill Lishman (with help from Richard Vanheuvelan).

brightly coloured sculptures of figures in various active poses, made of loosely woven metal, a purple woman leaping, an orange man on his back about to catch of blue woman who is leaping head first through the air, and others as well, along the side of a building, the DVP runs beside in the background and the Bloor Viaduct bridge across the valley is in the distance

below: A yellow goggle-wearing snowboarder leaping over the bushes is the first sculpture you come across if you are walking up the path from Riverdale Park.

yellow metal sculpture of a young man in goggles

below: Two of the twenty different figures form ‘The Lambada’ (a dance style originating in Brazil in the 1980’s) by Richard Vanheuvelan.

a purple male figure in metal sculpture is dancing with a woman made of red metal, she is bending backwards while he supports her.

below: More dance, this time ballet in red, blue and purple.   Strength and grace.

sculptures of three figures in ballet poses, one in blue metal, one in red metal and one in purple. Dancing in a garden outdoors

below: ‘The Three Muses’ pose overlooking the city.

outdoor sculptures of three women dancing, one is red metal, one is orange metal and the last is yellow metal. Downtown TOronto skyline is in the distance

top part of a blue metal sculpture of a man, showing his head, with long hair flowing out behind, one arm raised. The glass windows of a building are behind him, outdoors,

The sculptures were a generous gift from the Tauba and Solomon Spiro Foundation and were originally designed in memory of businessman and philanthropist, Max Tanenbaum (1909-1983).

 

 

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

oldies on Camden Street

Posted: August 16, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Well, not really Camden Street, but an alley that runs perpendicular to the street….  If the lane has a name I don’t know what it is.  Google maps doesn’t even include it.  It’s a very short alley that runs both north and south from Camden street and it doesn’t go anywhere.  Both sections were painted with murals 9 or 10 years ago.   Amazingly, they have survived.

Let’s start with the south side of Camden Street.

below: Mural Project, “The walls won’t know what hit them”.  The mural was painted in 2006 youth from the   Harbourfront and Cecil Community Centres as part of the City of Toronto’s Graffiti Transformation Project.

part of a mural in an alley, yellow background, blue pistol with the word mural in large red capital letters, flag at the end of the barrel that says , white hand holding the grip with finger on the trigger.
below: The mural is painted in a quasi cartoon style.

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below: She’s upset and she’s expressing her hurt and anger with spray paint seems to be the start of the story.

part of a mural in an alley, a woman with bright yellow hair is spray paint out of a can with a word bubble that says "He crossed me first"

below: My knowledge of slang is limited, and this is 10 years old but this sheezy is cool.  It’s probably as simple as “this sure is cool”, i.e. spray painting graffiti is cool.

This seezy is off the heezy are the words in a word bubble coming out of the mouth of a man painted in a mural, short black hair, wearing a red shirt, and spraying a can of pink spray paint,

below: Oh no! I always laugh when I hear this expression these days… is there anywhere in Toronto where property values are going down? Okay, okay, so it’s part of the story – she’s complaining that someone has sprayed graffiti somewhere nearby, the vandalism part of the story.   The angry young woman or the “sheezy heezy” guy above have been busy in her neighbourhood.

street art, picture of woman with orange hair, wearing white gloves, hands on sides of head, words saying "On no, my property value went down"

below:  As you can see, a couple of things were in the way as I was taking pictures.   I am not sure exactly how the plot of the mural progresses from here because I couldn’t see the whole thing.  There are gaps in the story line.   A few missing pages so to speak.

looking down one wall of an alley, a mural is painted on it, in the foreground is a woman in profile (she's looking down the lane), very yellow hair. Two cars are parked in front of the mural

below: Flesh tones as dots in the face of woman who plays an unknown role in this story – the mystery woman?

part of a woman's face, painted in dots, bright red lipstick, brown hair, looking at the viewer

below:  I suspect that this is the “We’ve got to get rid of the graffiti” part of the story.  Is it improper to make comments about Rob Ford and his anti-graffiti program here?  I don’t want to insult the mural or the project behind it because I think that the Graffiti Transformation Project is an excellent program.

scene in a mural, a football helmet wearing head, with words I wish my school had an art program, also two men talking about how it's time to take out the trash

below:  If there was a mural on the other side of the alley, it’s long gone.

a red car is backed into an alley, and is parked there, along the wall beside the car is a lot of graffiti spray painted and written on the wall. There is a stair case in the back part of the wall.

A short walk across Camden Street to the other half of the alley….

below: You can see the taller buildings on Richmond Street West but you can’t get there from here.
And like most downtown alleys, garbage bins are a dominant feature.

looking down a dead end alley, lots of blue rubbish bins that are slightly overflowing, tall buildings on either side. The back of a two stroey building straight ahead with taller buildings behind

below: At the entrance to the alley.  There are words under the window by the sunflowers that say that this painting is also the work of the Harbourfront/Cecil Community Centre’s Graffiti Transformation Project, 2007.

wall of an alley with a long window with worn painting around it of flowers and sunflowers

below: A very low window with green arrows

a low window, close to the ground, with a green arrow painted around it.

orange geometric street art, with the words 'stay alive' written in orange beside it

two old windows with rusted and bent metal grille on the windows, a street art painting of a woman in profile with eyes closed is between the windows, White hair

below: And last, I’ll end with a weather comment because we’ve all been talking (complaining?) about it these days – someone’s a bit overdressed for this August weather although it doesn’t seem to bother him.  Maybe he knows something we don’t.   Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

street art on a grey brick wall, head of a young man in a fur lined hood of a parka

Stay cool!

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