Faces in the alley, Graffiti Alley
As March turns into April and winter sort of turns into spring.
below: Looks like someone has already started his spring cleaning.
below: He says, “See you in hell”.
She thinks, “I’m already there. You should try living beside this smelly thing.”
below: Jarus has painted a young man
below: It seems that even Lovebot needs to eat… Not sure about the purple hamburger bun though!
Rob Ford
City councillor and former Mayor of Toronto
May 1969 – March 2016,
Funeral procession from City Hall to St. James Cathedral, 30 March
below: For two days Rob Ford lay in repose at City Hall where people could pay their respects. And many did. Yesterday, the line up wound around the corner of City Hall as people waited their turn. Some people loved him; some people hated him. Possibly there were those who were indifferent.
This morning there was a short procession from City Hall to the noontime funeral at St. James Cathedral.
below: After arriving at City Hall, Doug Ford greets the crowd.
Although the procession was scheduled to begin at 10:30, it didn’t start until close to 11:30. A group of people waited at Nathan Phillips Square including some of Rob Ford’s supporters. I overheard a conversation between two men who were discussing what they thought of politics and politicians, most of it negative. At one point they declared that all career politicians should be kicked out of office. I thought to myself, you mean guys like Rob Ford? Wasn’t he a career politician?
About 20 or so people were holding a large flag made of a couple of Canadian flags and all the provincial flags stitched together. It was a very diverse group of people, diverse in age as well as in ethnic background. They were joking about whether or not they were going to be on the front page of the ‘Sun’. We shall see!
below: A woman finds a quiet place to sit and wait.
below: The police were in position, ready to start, long before the procession began. So was the media and it was a very large media presence indeed.
below: The Toronto Fire Department had a large Canadian flag on display at Queen and Bay streets, near the beginning of the procession route.
below: Trying to keep the people, most with cameras, off the streets.
below: This guy may have been filming the crowd (and me) but he didn’t look away from his phone.
below: The crowd in front of St. James cathedral
As I was walking away from the cathedral, a woman approached me.
She pointed towards the church asked me if I knew what was going on there.
added later: I was going to discard this photo but then I noticed the man in the mask.
Who wears a mask to a funeral procession?
Graffiti and street art on walls and garage doors in the alleys surrounding Sorauren Park.
below: If you are walking eastward along Dundas West, this is the first mural that you see.
below: A friendly fuzzy blackburn animal playing in the park
below: Dog (wolf?) by Aaron Li-Hill
below: The guy in the blue shorts is saying: “You don’t need a mirror to look good, you’re beautiful on the inside, like you’re brain and stuff.”
below: Spudbomb mural
below: by elicser, I was on cloud nine for a long time.
below: by elicser, It’s almost dark. One more wave, then we go in.
Recipe for Community
Amnesty International Toronto Organization is a group that works in the to raise public awareness of human rights issues. One of the projects that it supports is Urban Canvas. Thirty murals were planned, each based on one of the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The mural for Article 26 is on Sherbourne Street at St. James Town West Park.
It is on the wall of a Shoppers Drug Mart.
Article 26 pertains to education.
“Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages…. and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and it shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups” is written on the accompanying poster. That is a condensed version of article 26.
Project partners: Toronto Culture, Toronto Community Foundation, Amnesty International, UforChange, Art City in St. James Town, and the City of Toronto.
Previous blog posts with other murals from this project:
Today’s blog post comes from slightly farther afield than I usually venture. I went northwest to the Jane and Finch area. As I drove north on Jane street, I spotted some eye-catching paintings on the walls of the Driftwood Community and Recreation Centre.
below: ‘Unique’, a vibrant heart painted by Girls Club
below: ‘Rooted’ trees by Lil Bruxas and part of ‘United Freedom’ on the back wall
below: ‘United Freedom’ by Essencia
below: A blackburn traffic signal box sits on that corner. Straight from the jungle.
A little father south there are a couple of high rise apartment buildings on the northeast corner of Jane and Finch. Each has a mural painted around one of the entrances to the building.
below: ‘Be Inspired, Love Yourself, Educate Others’ by the BeLovEd movement,
painted by Shalak Attack and Fiya Bruxas, 2011.
***
below: ‘Strong Women, Strong Community’ also by the BeLovEd Movement surrounds a doorway. Although there is a sidewalk that leads directly to the corner of Jane and Finch, no one was using this entrance. I was alone when I walked around this building from the parking lot by the main door.
If you are driving or walking west on Sheppard Avenue, just past Midland Avenue, you will notice a new mural on one corner of a railway underpass. This mural was recently painted by street artist Elicser.
Nathan Phillips Square, 14 Nov 2015
A quiet gathering in support of Paris
The event started with a few speeches. French Consul General Mr. Marc Trouyet spoke first, followed by Carolyn Bennett, Liberal MP and then Toronto mayor John Tory.
The official part of the event ended with two minutes of silence.
#parisisaboutlife
There is a new collection of street art in Little India. It can be found if you go behind the stores on the south side of Gerrard Street between Rhodes Avenue and Craven Road. The art is easily seen because there is not only an alley behind the stores but also a parking lot.
below: Udlaakut Alysia. Udlaakut is Inuit for good morning.
below: Above the stairs painted by timmydrift and below the stairs by thepasystem
below: A marine creature (alligator) by Nick Sweetman and a woman’s face by Kairo.
below: The metal fittings on the back of the building were spray painted shiny gold and incorporated into the design of the mural.
below: behind 1465 Gerrard Street East
below: Lean back!
below: behind Siddhartha vegetarian restaurant
below: On the back of the Flying Pony cafe is this colourful mural painted by Tim Skynz, lead artist of the group Eskape Reality
below: tropical paradise?!
below: Side of the Flying Pony cafe
Diagonally across the corner (of Gerrard and Rhodes) from the Flying Pony is another store that has been covered with street art recently. This mural was painted by Runt. 1600 Gerrard East is the home of Lenswork, a photo and art studio gallery.
If you go back to Craven Road there are two murals.
First, there is the one by Monica on the Moon on a small building behind the Gujran Wala Tikka House restaurant.
Beside it, on the side of the Gujran Wala Tikka House, is a larger mural titled “The Rickshaw” by Monica Wickeler
(note: Monica Wickeler is Monica on the Moon)
below: And last, seen on a pole in the parking lot:
The alley project was coordinated by Tammy Rogers
with assistance from Monica Wickeler and the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA.
Another month, another walk through Graffiti Alley.
As usual, there were some new things that I noticed and here is a sample.
below: This big guy sits where Batman was just a few weeks ago.
below: Little town scene by Peru with a poser bunny beside.
below: The flu hating rapper
below: Shanghai Toronto 2015
below: Lovebot is on the move
below: Stikman in green and grey
below: Any idea what she might be holding in her hands?
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.
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.
below: Getting ready for Nuit Blanche at Nathan Phillips Square
below: Nathan Phillips Square at Nuit Blanche
below: The side of the ramp to the upper level was also covered with photos.
below: … as was the south side of the 3D Toronto sign.
below: The Inside Out Project remained after Nuit Blanche.
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.
below: There was also a wall on the southwest side of Coxwell subway station that was covered.
#IOPToronto | #snb2015 | #snbTO | #share3DTO
Lots more info about Inside Out can be found here.
as I walk Toronto 