Posts Tagged ‘people’

north and south, blue and green

Posted: July 20, 2016 in galleries
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A comparison of sorts.  Two painters from two different time periods.  One looked north and the other looks south.  The north with its barren cold and blue in comparison to the south and its lush greenness.  A famous anglo Canadian painter who went searching for simplicity and a relatively new British painter with Jamaican roots who explores complexities.

Lawren Harris and Hurvin Anderson.  You should know which is which!

I didn’t purposely set out to compare them.  I saw the ‘The Idea of North’ exhibit that features the Steve Martin paintings of Lawren Harris first.  As much as I like the Group of Seven, Harris’s minimalist snow and ice paintings have never been my favorite.  Still, it was an interesting collection to see.  After I finished there, I headed up to the contemporary art floors.  The fifth floor is still closed (new installation opening later this week) but I discovered that the fourth floor is devoted to the works of Hurvin Anderson.  As I walked around the Anderson installation I kept thinking of similarities and differences between him and Lawren Harris.

many people in a room in an art gallery, standing around and looking at paintings.

below: Mountains in Snow: Rocky Mountain Paintings VII, 1929.  One of the many famous Lawren Harris snow and ice paintings.  Light, reflected light, shadows, and contrasts.  The elements reduced to their simplest form.   The landscape itself is almost secondary.  Or the landscape is the medium, not the message.

a Lawren Harris painting of a snow covered mountain, blue sky in the background.

below: The large painting on the right is ‘Pic Island’ painted about 1924.  Pic Island is an unpopulated island along the north shore of Lake Superior.  Today the island is part of Neys Provincial Park.

a woman walks through a gallery with paintings on the wall. She stops to look at one of them.

below: Two of Hurvin Anderson’s paintings from his Caribbean landscape collection.  On the left is ‘Beaded Curtain – Red Apples’, 2010.

three young women sitting on a couch with their backs to the camera, they are looking at two large paintings on a wall, by Hurvin Anderson.

below:  ‘Constructed View’, 2010.  Anderson’s Caribbean paintings have grilles incorporated into them.  These are the security features prevalent on houses and businesses in the Caribbean (and elsewhere in the world), metal fixtures over windows and doors to keep out the unwanted.  They contain what’s inside.  They are a barrier.  They intrude on the landscape and cut it up.  Again, the landscape is almost secondary.  The message, or emotion, is more important.  [aside – There is a grille in the painting above (right) but it’s more subtle.]

a landscape painting in shades of green with fragments of white grille overlayed, repeating pattern of 4 circles with a square

Lawren Harris painted his famous mountain pictures in the late 1920’s.  In 1930 he visited Baffin Island and a few paintings resulted from that trip.  I learned that although I associate Harris with icebergs and arctic scenery, most of his snow and ice paintings were from the north shore of Lake Superior or from the mountains around Banff Alberta.

The repetoire of both painters is not limited to landscapes.  Harris painted many houses and street scenes from downtown Toronto including houses and streets that were demolished years ago.  The examples of Anderson’s non-landscape work were interiors.  Both men used bold colours but Anderson tends to show more detail in his paintings.

below: ‘Welcome: Carib’  The Welcome sign of the bar in  juxtaposition with the red metal work covering the window.  The picture beckons to us but keeps us out.

a man in a straw fedora stands in front of a painting called Welcome: Carib by Hurvin anderson, it features a red star patterned grille over the painting, over the window that is in front of the interior scene.

below: One of the paintings from Anderson’s Barbershop collection, ‘Flat Top’ 2008.

two young women walk away from a large painting hanging on an art gallerywall. two barber chairs in a barber shop, empty. Bright pink wall with squares of colour.

below: A selection of colourful Toronto houses in winter painted by Harris in the 1920s.

two women look at a line Lawren Harris paintings of brightly coloured houses in winter on a wall in an art gallery

In the 1930’s Lawren Harris’s personal life went awry.  The words on the wall at the AGO says that he divorced, remarried and moved to the states.  That’s a bit of spin.  He didn’t divorce his wife because that would be messy, apparently.  Instead in 1934 he just married the wife of an old friend.   And of course that turned messy and the new couple left for the USA for a few years before eventually settling in Vancouver BC.   Harris’s post-1934 work is very abstract and was never as successful as his earlier paintings.

below:  You can see the influence of the mountain paintings in this,  ‘Painting No. 4’, about 1939, painted when he was a member of the Transcendental Painting Group.  This was a collective of artists in New Mexico that Harris help to found.

an abstract painting by Lawren Harris, circles and diamonds in an egg shape

below: Since I have no idea where the art of Hurvin Anderson is headed, I will leave you with one more of his present paintings (I’m not sure those two ideas actually go together!).  ‘Foska Foska’, the interior of a shop behind yellow bars and black mesh.

a painting by Hurvin Anderson called Foska Foska, shows the interior of a store with a yellow metal gate in front. and a wire structure covering the ceiling too

 

The Idea of North – until 18 September

Hurvin Anderson – until 21 August

#HarrisAGO | #HurvinAndersonAGO

Festival of India parade

Posted: July 18, 2016 in events
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Many people walked and danced, clapped and chanted, as they paraded down Yonge Street on Saturday to start the annual Festival of India weekend.

The parade is similar to an annual procession (Ratha Yatra) that has occurred for centuries in the city of Puri, India as part of a Hindu festival associated with the god Jagannath.  Here in Toronto, as in Puri,  three chariots constructed to look like temples are pulled through the streets in a procession from one temple to another.    Each chariot carries a richly decorated representation of a god, first is  Jagannatha (another name for Krishna or God) and then his brother Baladeva and his sister Subhadra.   The chariots are pulled by people and the procession symbolizes the pulling of the Lord into our hearts.

In Puri, this Ratha-Yatra procession continues to attract over a million people every year.  In Toronto, the numbers aren’t quite that high!

a police car drives slowly in front of a parade as it makes its way down Yonge Street

people walk behind a yellow horizontal banner that reads Festival of India, Join us at Centre Island.

two women in sarees are pulling on a large rope in a parade. In the foreground, a man is pulling on another rope.

a group of young South Asian women walking in a parade. One of them has her face decorated with paint. In front of them is a group of young men in yellow tops and white bottoms, one has a drum.

South Asian, Indian, women, in long colourful sarees dancing as they move down Yonge Street in a parade

some older people dressed in white riding high in the chariot float in the Festival of India parade, others walking in front and pulling ropes to make the chariot move.

South Asian, Indian, women, in long colourful sarees dancing as they move down Yonge Street in a parade, lifting their skirts a little bit as they move

people walking in front of one of the chariots in the Festival of India parade in Toronto

a large blue wheel that is holding up a chariot float in the Festival of India parade, people walking beside and behind it as they walk down Yonge Street

lifting the red rope that separates the parade from the traffic, women dancing and clapping and walking as well as other people, pulling ropes to pull the chariot in the parade

at the mouth of the Don

Posted: July 13, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
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street art painting of a blue fish on light blue background, stylized

Today I walked the southern part of the Lower Don River trail.  It’s not the most relaxing place to walk even though the path follows the river.  I have a habit of absentmindedly meandering and I didn’t want to meander right into a cyclist on the narrow shared path.   There was constant background noise from the cars and trucks on the nearby Don Valley Parkway but it was the GO trains that made the most noise as they rumbled right beside me.  Yes, you are correct, it’s not my favorite place to walk.  But I also knew that there was a reward near the end of the trail.

Near the ‘mouth of the Don River’ (in reality, where the Don River turns into the Keating Channel), there are some new murals on the bents supporting the ramps between the DVP and the Gardiner Expressway.  They are part of the Love Letter to the Great Lakes project.   A previous blog post, love letters in paint, concerned the murals from this project that were painted near Ossington and Queen West.

below: If you approach the area from the north, this is the first bent that you see.  All sides of it have been painted by Kirsten McCrea.  If you are driving south on the Don Valley Parkway and you exit to the Gardiner westbound, you drive right over this, and the next few, bents.  In case you haven’t guessed, a bent is that concrete support thingy holding up the road.

a bent supporting an offramp has been covered in a bright mural, grass and weeds grow in front, the river is behind, a small tree also in the picture

below: The other side of the McCrea mural is in the background, behind the bent that has been painted by PA System (Patrick Thompson and Alexa Hatanaka).  Amongst the swirly watery  shapes there is a face near the top.  Extra bit: The guy on the bike stopped to take a photo too.

A swirl of colours makes a mural of faces and hands and watery things, on a bent under the Don Valley Parkway

below: The other side of the PA System bent. A large fish fits perfectly in the upper portion while a hand reaches up from the vertical part.

A very large fish is painted across the top of a bent, and a hand is on the vertical part, with finger tips pointed upwards.

below: The work of MC Baldassari who is currently from Montreal.

concrete support, or bent, under a ramp has been painted with a mural based on a large dark blue triangle

below:  The other side of the above bent.  It looks like the woman has come through the pillar.

concrete support, or bent, under a ramp has been painted with a mural based on a woman's head coming through a large dark blue triangle

below: A woman with a mouse in her hand and a flower in her hair kneels beside the foxes,
a mural painted by EGR (Erica Balon).   In the background you can see a much taller bent that has been painted blue.   This bent is on a different ramp, the ramp that you would find yourself on if you were driving east on the Gardiner and then exiting to the DVP.  It has been painted by Jason Botkin and it includes the word Wonscotanach.  Apparently that was the First Nations name for the river before John Graves Simcoe came along in 1790 and decided to call it the Don River.

A mural on a bent in an underpass, a young woman is kneeling. She is holding a mouse in one hand. Two foxes stand beside her.

below: There are more animals on the other sides, along with a city lit up in the night in the background of the mural.   Raccoon, rabbit and a pink butterfly fluttering past.

2 bents covered with murals. In the foreground, the mural is dark blue, with a pink butterfly, a rabbit, a mouse and a raccoon.

woman holding a mouse in a mural on a bent in the foreground, with another bent in the background, a mural of water and topless red women walking or standing in the water

below: Rajni Perera‘s mural features red and yellow women walking or standing in the water.

part of a mural of water and topless red women either walking or standing in the water

below: Looking back

a cyclist rides past 4 bents under the Don Valley Parkway that have been painted with murals as part of the Love Letter to the Great Lakes project.

below: A collaborative effort by Jarus and Kwest beside the Don Valley trail, just north of the other murals.

large sea creature painted on a mural on a concrete wall.

below:  And one last photo before leaving the area… a quick note sprayed on a concrete support.

rough spray painted words 'Hi Love' on a concrete support on a railing by a river.

pride parade 2016

Posted: July 5, 2016 in events, people
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Or rather, pre-Pride parade.  The parade route is usually very crowded and this year I decided not walk it.  Instead, I mingled with the parade participants who gathered on Bloor Street in preparation for the event.  What you’ll find in this blog posts are a lot of pictures of people, people laughing and smiling and enjoying the day.  I hope I have captured some of the energy and spirit of the occasion.

below: A temporary rainbow LOVE sign

a rainbow coloured large sign that says LOVE on it, in front of a row of brick houses. A policeman is walking along the street in the right of the picture
below: The orange guy from the fruit group!

a man dressed as a fruit, an orange, with big green glittery bow in the front and oversized orange frame glasses, also white gloves and an orange hat. He is smiling a big smile and waving at the camera
below: One of the floats parked on Rosedale Valley Road. Toronto in balloons, ready and waiting for the parade to start.  The calm before the storm.

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below:  When I first approached this group, the man in the middle had a rainbow flag in front of him. As I took the picture he flung the flag to his back and hammed it up for the camera.  Thanks!

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below: These boots are made for walking, but that bike sure looks great!

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below: Apparently, wearing large amounts of feathers on your back is quite warm. Not so good on a hot day!

Two men with large feathery wings on their back. The one in front has black wings and is wearing a black leather hat. He is topless. The other man is wearing a white T-shirt and white feathery wings as well as a rainbow striped hat.

below: The solution – water of course.   Super soakers and the spraying of water is a big part of the pride parade.

a man wearing black feather wings and a black leather cap is being sprayed with water

below: The three coloured Transgender Pride flag – the stereotype colours of light blue for baby boys and light pink for baby girls with a white stripe in the middle for those who identify as neither.

A young person with short hair and a floral wreath in their hair, holds three pink and light blue trans flags,.

below: #ShareLove wash the hashtag used by Telus and the people on their float. I love the glitter and the purple hearts!

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below: Puppets from Kids Help Phone Line make an appearance at the parade with a little help from some friends.  The one T-shirt reads “Tell us about your #firstpride”

two young women with puppets, from the Kids Help Line float at the parade. One puppet is a girl and the other is a boy.

below: Well, what can I say? It’s Pride.

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below: Nonchalantly blowing bubbles.  Someone looks unimpressed.

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below: I managed to find the saddest person on Bloor Street.

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below: Thanks to these two women who showed off their T-shirts for the camera. #ProudBecause was Fido’s campaign for Pride. Each person on the team had a T-shirt like this, and each person had filled in the white rectangles with their personal messages.

two women pose with their backs to the camera. They are wearing yellow T-shirts that have multicoloured hashtag symbol with the word #ProudBecause written below it. Below that is a white space where they have each filled in the reason for why they are proud.

below: Spectators waiting. One is keeping cool.

A man in a large red afro wig is standing beside the parade route, on the sidewalk but behind the barricade. Viewed from the back, all he is wearing is a leather thong and red shoes and socks.

below: The Liberals had a large presence, most of them in red T-shirts.  They congregated on Asquith Green early on and there were many in the staging area on Bloor Street.  As the world knows, Justin Trudeau walked in the parade with Toronto Mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.  As an aside, I may be the only person who didn’t get a photo of Trudeau!

When the parade started, I left Bloor Street, heading south on Ted Rogers Way then back towards the Hayden Street entrance to Bloor subway station.  Somewhere along that route (and I can’t remember exactly where) I saw a small group of PC/Tories with their signs walking towards the parade.

a man wearing a rainbow coloured mask and a rainbow bandana over his head, holding a flag. In the background is a group of people wearing red T-shirts that say Proud Liberal

below: Tomodachi is Japanese for ‘friends’.

a group at a parade, rainbow umbrella, one woman holds a sign that says "Pride from Japen" and another woman holds a placard that says "we are tomodachi"

below: The Federation of Canadian Naturists were also walking in the parade.

a group of naturists , mostly seen from the backside, naked bums, bare bodies

two young Asian men pose beside a man in drag, long auburn hair and a red tight fitting dress, there is also a topless man wearing a hat with a Mexican symbol on it and holding a Mexican flag.

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a person in an orange wig and with green lipstick. You can only see the face because the rest of her is covered by the yellow feathers and glittery pieces that she's wearing. A very vibrant picture.

A woman dressed in a Sailor Moon costume sits on the ground beside a large rainbow flag

A minister in black shirt and white collar, also wearing a large wood cross on a necklace. Other people dressed for the pride parade are in the background.

A young Asian woman wears large round sunglasses with pink peace symbols on them as well as a pink and a green fuzzy necklace. A man holding a rainbow flag is smiling in the background.

a man in drag, pink dress, and a very large pink wig. He also has a partial mask over his face so that is forehead and very large nose look blue.

A young person with very short hair, wearing round purple and pink sunglasses and a tie dyed T-shirt that says Free Hugs on it.

line of people waiting behind barricades at the side of the street waiting for the Pride parade to begin.

a girl in pink sun hat, white sunglasses and a bright multi coloured dress poses for a picture

Two young women from the group 'Mercy for Animals'. One is holding a green placard in the shape of a rabbit and the other is holding a placard in the shape of an orange pig.

two people on a motorcycle posing for the camera

dyke march 2016

Posted: July 3, 2016 in events, people
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This year’s Dyke March (the 20th!) was an energetic, supportive, and positive celebration once again.  It was led as usual by motorcycles and then Dykes on Bikes.  Numerous groups and individuals walked and there was a good turnout that lined the sidewalks to watch the parade pass by.  Colourful.  Joyful.

many motorcycles as part of Dykes March, downtown Toronto

two people hugging, one in black pants and knee high boots, motorcycles parked around them.

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - one cyclist in a tight red body suit is yelling in celebration, other cyclists around her

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto

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two women on a red motorcycle in a parade

girls and women marching in a dyke march

a young woman with magenta coloured hair and a t shirt that says "Kiss me i'm gay"

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a woman carries a large crocheted umbrella with a multicoloured fringe

women walking in a dyke march

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - two women dancing

topless bare breasted cyclists in dyke march

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a woman in a turquoise top with her arms raised, a rainbow flag in one had, another woman is grinning

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a group in various leather clothes, some topless

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - Dykes on bikes, parade has stopped so the cyclists have put down their bikes and many of them are lying down, crowds on the sidewalks watching the parade

two women carrying a crocheted banner for Dykes on Bikes, walkers in a dyke march in Toronto

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - Latino, or Spanish speaking group with a baner that says" Estamos Aqui"

spectators sitting on a sidewalk. A woman with flowers in her hair and pink sunglasses as well as white knee socks. The man beside her has a fedora on.

Two people holding hands, one is wearing a pink T shirt that says "Women want to have FUN - damental rights". Closely cropped picture

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto -

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a woman with a red boa is dancing and talking to other women at the same time

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a large group of cyclists on Yonge Street, Dykes on bikes

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - two young women walking together, one is holding a sign that says "love is proud"

spectators on a sidewalk watching the Dyke March, one woman has a sign that says "Marching for those who didn't make it"

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a woman on a motorcycle with a rainbow flag

two groups, one Muslim and one Jewish, walking in a Dyke March

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a couple hugging, a couple wearing long colourful beads

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - Dykes on bikes, one woman on a bike has one arm in the air,

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a young black woman is shouting as she raises her sign in the air

black dog all dressed up for pride, walking in a dyke march

a woman with very short purple hair, a pink sleeveless top, and many tattoos, is taking a picture with her phone of a group marching in the Dyke March

a woman with a rainbow string bikini stands beside a well tanned man in white shorts and no shirt as they watch women marching in the Dyke March

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a woman on an E-scooter in short white shorts and a red shirt and red pointy hat

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - a CTV reporter is walking backwards as he is being filmed following the Dyke March

spectators on the sidewalk watching a parade. A man with a camera, a woman with her shopping, a man with a pink boa, another man with a pink shirt and white pants

people watching a parade

kids riding on bikes with their mothers in a dyke march

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto -

walkers in a dyke march in Toronto - two women wearing T shirts that say "This parade is gay", as well as a topless woman holding a sign that says "We are not targets". Another sign says "Learn the difference between sex and gender"

a woman is carrying a crocheted rainbow banner for a dyke march, behind her a larger group is carrying a crocheted banner that says diversity

a woman in dark sunglasses stands beside a banner with sections for different famous lesbian women - Mary Woo Sims, Lynne Fernie, Betty Baxter, We Wha, Gertrude Stein,

crocheted banner for dyke march is lying on the pavement. A woman is sitting on the kerb and she is crocheting

#pride | #prideTO | #prideToronto

trans rally and march

Posted: July 2, 2016 in events, people
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The Trans Rally and March, first of the Pride parades was last night (Friday).

 

a young man in a white sleeveless shirt in a parade, holding a sign that says #love always wins

below: If you were driving on Yonge street last night, perhaps you got stuck in traffic. Northbound cars on Yonge were stopped to allow the parade to cross from Bloor to Yonge. The parade continued in the southbound lanes which gave the stuck drivers and passengers a front row seat.

Cars coming north on Yonge street are stuck because they have to stop for a parade that crossed Yonge street, the Trans parade then marched south on Yonge street beside the traffic. A woman takes a picture out the window of her car.

Last year it rained for the Trans March and in previous years the turn out was low.  Whether it is because trans issues have been in the news a lot lately, or because the trans community is more visible, or because of other reasons, there were more people walking than usual.

parade coming down Yonge street, cars stopped on the right, a flag on the left, one woman holding a sign that says We celebrate our children

guys walking in a trans parade on Bloor street holding signs that say "We are #orlando, we will always remember you RIP"

A man in butterfly pink sunglasses is making a face as he blows bubbles, the man beside him has a large beard and he's laughing as he blows bubbles too.

a woman in an orange dress holds a sign that says "Hearts not parts", she has her arm around a young man in a black baseball cap and sunglasses.

people walking in a parade on Bloor street in Toronto including a man dressed all in pink and a man with shiny magenta leggings and a rainbow tie dyed top

two men in a pride parade with wigs on, each carrying a rabbit

an old motorcycle and sidecar painted splotchy orange with a person wearing a pink bra sitting in the sidecar. Parked, waiting for the start of a parade.

a boy waits for the start of a parade. He is carrying a sign, dark blue lettering on magenta, that says I have a sign.

a man in a zebra striped dress and a bright pink wig, in a parade, another man is beside him holding a sign that says US anti-trans bathroom bills are full of shit, no more hate

two small dogs on leashes, walking in a parade

trans parade on Bloor Street, many people walking and holding signs, "Support Trans Families". One person with a rainbow flag on their back. one girl with a bright pink boa.

two older guys dressed up for trans parade, one in a glittery top and the other in a pink fishnet top, both in motorized scooters, one with a rainbow flag draped over the scooter, the other with big plastic flowers.

A button that says "Sex, it's what we do".

people walking in a parade including a woman in a jean jacket and a frilly white skirt and a person dressed in white dress, hat and high heel shoes.

three people stop to pose for a photo as they walk in a trans parade for pride weekend

below:  Dave holding ‘Pulse’ a memorial artwork in honour of those who died at the Pulse nightclub Orlando.  The piece was crocheted by Dave and the Craft Action Collective.

Dave holding up a large crocheted banner with a black and grey ribbon, and rainbow ribbons with the names of each of the people killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

a group of people walking in a trans march, three in long skirts and two with hats, the middle one is dressed all in purple

a couple in a parade, one has a rainbow coloured boa and the other has a pink wig and is draped in the pink and blue trans flag.

a woman wearing a bikibi top and sunglasses is blowing a whistle and pumping her fist as she walks in a parade

a crowd of people walking down Yonge street in a trans parade as part of Pride, one person is holding a sign that says "I just want to pee"

a woman in a parade is holding as sign that says Biological Sex does not equal gender identity

a person with long hair and wearing a purple t-shirt that says fuck on it, holding a banner in a trans parade

a young woman laughing, she's wearing a stars and stripes bikini top and a straw cowboy hat.

young person in a green t shirt holding a sign that says "We need health care not gatekeeping"

A young woman carrying a sign in a parade. The sign says "Proud of my parent and you"

a couple walking arm in arm in a parade, one has short blue hair and the other is wearing a t shirt with a skull on it and holding a rainbow pride flag

a couple standing beside each other with their backs to the camera, one has a rainbow flag draped over her back and the other has a trans flag draped over his back.

#loveislove | #lovealwayswins

nuit rose

Posted: June 28, 2016 in events, people
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Nuit Rose,
a festival of queer art and performance

On Saturday night events were held at a number of venues that were concentrated in two locations, along Queen St. West and in the Church-Wellesley village area.  I hung out around two parks in the village, Norman Jewison Park which runs east of Yonge and Barbara Hall Park on Church street.  In hindsight, I wish I had had more time, or had been more organized, to get to more of the events.

Red Pepper Spectacle Arts led a Light Parade that started at Norman Jewison park.    A small contingent, most wearing or carrying a light-emitting object, walked through the park, along and then back down Church Street.  From the  – sparklers, glow sticks

people walking in a night time parade for nuit rose, down Church St., one man is holding up a light stick, a woman is holding a sparkler, other people have lanterns and glow sticks.

to the more elaborate

Two guys in drag with lights all over their costume, holding large fans

a man holding a large pole with a bird head on the top of it, with rainbow coloured fabric, meant to be the bird's wings.

below: and an eagle on stilts

A woman in a flowing costume with eagle head, up on stilts, in a night time parade for nuit rose

below: Note to self: for night time parades take more photos at the start of the parade because once people start moving it’s more difficult to get them in focus!

people walking in a parade, glow sticks, some costumes, a woman with pink butterfly wings

a paper lantern in the shape of a floating flower, out of focus

below: Where else would you be able to sit on a unicorn and get your picture taken?

two people sitting on unicorns to have their picture taken with a person in a red wig hamming it up in front of them, nuit rose, night time.

A young man is sitting on a pink unicorn

below: And after a unicorn pose, have your photo taken standing with a well-lit couple.

a man with lights in his shirt poses beside two statues that light up

below: 360 degrees by Iain Downie, 360 stars, 60 in each of the six Pride colours in the garden.

under a tree in a park, with roses in the background, many coloured 3D stick shapes that have been covered with yarn, lie on the ground.

a group of people stand around a stage watching a dance performance

below: Dance performance, ‘By Chance’ by Janessa Pudwell and Tanya Svazas Cronin.

We pass by hundreds of people on a daily basis who we may never see again. Sometimes we share a glance that lasts a bit longer. This piece is about the relationships that could be created if we acted on those glances. These are the fleeting chances, exchanged through our eyes that will never be fully realized. Instead these people may only appear once in our lives as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.”

two women performing a dance on a stage., one is seated and the other is standing, some people are sitting beside the stage and watching the show.

Dancers performing in front of a video playing on a screen, night time performance, some of the dancers are partly blurry

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dancers performing in front a screen that's showing a video, night time, nuit rose performance

a hand holding a camera, two dancers out of focus in the background.

#nuitrose | #nuitroseTO | #nuitrosetoronto

luminato mirrors

Posted: June 25, 2016 in events, people
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The 10th annual Luminato festival is being held inside the old Hearn Generating Station in the Portlands.  There are many theatrical, musical and visual events and the location itself is worthy of many, many photos.  Rather than try to cover everything in one blog post, I’ve chosen to focus on mirrors and reflections to begin with.    First, there is the giant ‘disco ball’ that keeps light circulating around the massive interior of the Hearn and second,  an installation by Jordan Soderberg Mills features three interesting and entertaining mirrors.

‘One Thousand Speculations’ is the name of the giant ball that is suspended from the ceiling. At 7.9m in diameter, it is the world’s largest mirror ball.   It is the creation of Canadian artist Michel de Broin and was commissioned for the 2013 Luminato festival where it hung from a crane over David Pecaut Square.  One thousand mirrors reflect the light from a spotlight on the floor and as the ball slowly turns, the lights move around the ceiling, walls, and floor of the Hearn.

below: As seen from the ground floor level.

One thousand specualtions, a mirror ball with 1000 mirrors, inside the hearn generating station as part of luminato festival
below: Close up. The top level is quite close to the ball.

reflections seen in the mirror ball, hearn

below: Someone, somewhere, has a picture of his friend ‘holding up’ the giant ball!

one man is taking another man's picture from an angle that it makes it look like the second one is holding up a giant disco ball, reflecting globe with 1000 mirrors on it, inside the Hearn generating station

below: And the reverse angle, from the top looking down.
Lots of irregular shapes of light moving around the space.

mirror ball suspended from the ceiling of the hearn generating station, the bottom of it in the foreground, with the ground floor level of the hearn below. lights reflecting. people looking up

The Luminato website describes the mirrors involved in the installation by Jordan Soderberg-Mills as “anaglyphic mirrors that play with physics, perception and colour”.   Now you’re probably wondering what anaglyphic means.  It’s a word that comes from the science of 3D pictures.  There is no concise definition!  It is a picture that consists of two slightly different perspectives of the same subject in contrasting colours that are superimposed on each other, producing a three-dimensional effect when viewed through two correspondingly coloured filters.  Phew.   In practice, it makes for a mirror that is fun to play with…. and people did play!

below: As seen from the upper level, three vertical mirrors and four circular mirrors.

looking down onto the ground floor of the hearn generating station at luminato festival, three large vertical mirrors and some round mirrors on two tables. A few people looking at the mirrors, some other people standing around.

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

people interacting with an anaglyphic mirror at the 10th luminato festival, hearn generating station

6th Annual Yorkville Exotic Car Show

Posted: June 20, 2016 in events
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The 6th Annual Yorkville Exotic Car Show was on Bloor Street yesterday, Fathers Day.  There were 11 different groups, or corrals, of cars…. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, Maserati, and many other car makers were represented.  There was lots of sun and lots of people!

Men looking a black car. All you can see of the car in the picture is the roof.

below: A line of Lamborghinis parked on Bloor Street.
The cars were behind ropes and the spectators had a red carpet to walk on.

Several lamborghinis parked beside each other on Bloor Street as part of the Yorkville exotic car show. Lots of people are looking at them.

a man with grey hair and black glasses is pointing to the front of a black sports car with its hood up. He is pointing out something to the woman beside him who is dressed in black with black hat and holding an umbrella over her head. They are behind a barrier at an outdoor exotic car show

below: A cute little 1959 BMW Isetta 300.
There are no side doors; the front of the car swings open with the steering wheel attached.

a yellow 1959 BMW Isetta 300 with its front door open - the front of the car opens up, parked on Bloor street for the Yorkville exotic car show.

below: A black BMW i8 electric car with its front scissor doors open.

A black BMW i8 electric car with its front scissor doors open.

Four men are looking at a turquoise 1960 Corvette at an outdoor car show. it has its front hood open and a sign by its front bumper says that it belongs to Corvettes of Durham

reflections of a crowd at an exotic car show in the side panel of a bright blue car. The people are standing on a red carpet which comes out a magenta colour in the reflection.

A young man holding his bike stands behind a metal fence while looking at a grey sports car at an outdoor car show in Yorkville

below: Porsche, with German plates

A dark grey Porsche with German licence plates is parked on Bloor Street, beside an older white Porsche, for the 6th annual Yorkville exotic car show.

people looking at, and taking pictures of, a black and orange Lamborghini at a car show, outdoors, Yorkville

parts of two cars parked beside each other in a car show, one is blue and the other is silver. The front wheel of the blue car is reflected in the side panel of the silver car which has G Reddy painted by the rear window.

below: Mercedes GTS

silver mercedes gts car, viewed from behind the back passenger side wheel, parked on Bloor St. for a car show. Some people in the background.

below: Chevrolet Belair convertible, with matching fuzzy dice

an old convertible car, Chevrolet Belair, with top down, turquoise car with matching white and turquoise interior

below: A Porsche from the 1960’s with its engine in the back.
Not much trunk room in this car!

two older classic Porsches, both white, parked in a car show, the one in the foreground has its trunk open to show the engine in the back of the car. Lots of people looking at the cars

below: Another Porsche, a 1961 Roadster

front end of a white 1961 Porsche Roadster

close up of the front grille of a Lexus car showing the L Lexus symbol and the diamond pattern of the metal work.

below: Pink and pink.  Standing in front of a pink Bousoughini from BGarage Ltd.

A little girl in white skirt, pink T-shirt, blue hat and big sunglasses stands in front of a fancy pink car at an outdoor car show

the side of a pink lambourghini, bousoughini, with a reddish car behind it.

below:  Morgan in two shades of blue, from the front.

front end of a two toned blue Morgan car in a car show outside on Bloor Stree, with a rally car in different colours beside it.

below: Same Morgan, but from the back.

back view of a Morgan car, California plates, shiny metallic blue colour, people looking at the cars in the background, car show

below: Shelby, from the 1960’s

man sitting in a folding chair beside a classic grey sports car at a car show

a man in a black short sleeve shirt and a yellow baseball cap is cleaning and polishing the rear window of a yellow Corvette at a car show, lots of onlookers in the background.

below: Tuscan Speed Six by TVR (British)

a purplish green shiny sports car, a Tuscan, by TVR motors, parked on Bloor St. for the Yorkville exotic car show.

below: Pininfarina is an Italian car design company.

close up shot of the front side panel of a white Maserati Pininfarina car, reflections of a red carpet make the bottom part of the car look pink

a boy walks past an orange lamborghini

dark green convertible in the foreground, people looking at in the background

A father is taking a selfie of himself with his son in front of a yellowish green sports car at a car show.

below: Photos of reflections in the front of a Rolls Royce.
It seems I’m not the only one who takes reflection shots.

a person using a GoPro to take a picture of reflections in the chrome on the front of a Rolls Royce

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

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