Posts Tagged ‘people’

Summer in the city – although the summer feels like it’s only just begun!

A cyclist and his bike are sitting at the edge of Lake Ontario, behind the chain fence.  It is evening and the sky is strating to turn pink

Early evening rest at the waterfront

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Two food trucks are parked on the street.  People are buying food, or sitting on the conrete bench (low wall) that runs parallel to the sidewalk

Ice cream, slushies, hot dogs, chips, poutine….  food trucks on Queen Street in front of City Hall.

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Two people are standing behind a table that is covered with a red and white checkered table cloth.  The menu is written on a chalk board in front of them.  The last item on the menu is love, and it's cost is free.

Uncle Smoke gives away free love! Pulled pork with beans, corn bread and veg will cost you $10 though!  Pedestrian Sunday, Kensington Market.

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A man is sitting beside a stroller in the foreground.  Behind him is a pool of water and then a large glass building.   On the wall of the building are black and white images of some famous people including Andy Warhol, JFK, and Albert Einstein

Under the watchful eye of a few famous people – Ryerson Image Centre building.

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Some people are walking towards the camera as the cross a street including a couple who are holding hands.  He is wearing an orange Tshirt that says Cool story babe, Now Make me a Sandwich.

“Cool Story Babe, Now make me a sandwich.” Any replies ladies?

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A girl is standing very close to one of the tanks at the aquarium, she has her hands open and on the glass.

hands on at the aquarium

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Dundas Square with many people sitting on chairs, under red umbrellas, watching a band play on stage

‘Sweet Alibi’ plays at Dundas Square

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A large group of people, inlcuding many kids, are walking towards Rogers Stadium for a Blue Jays baseball game.  Most of them are wearing blue Blue Jays shirts.

game day, Jays fans

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Shooting the pride parade was a lot different from shooting the dyke march!  The pride parade is much bigger and by necessity much more tightly controlled.  I was able to walk alongside the women in the dyke march but the streets were barricaded and non-participants kept off the route for the pride parade.

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crowds are behind barricades along the streets, policemen on motorcycles are waiting at the end of the street. parade hasn't started yet

looking west on Bloor towards Yonge.

I walked the first part of the route, along Bloor Street, just before the parade started.  Lots of crowds were behind the metal bars; a few police were watching/ignoring me.  When I turned the corner at Yonge St., I realized just how controlled the crowds were!  I chose not to continue walking south on Yonge.  A policeman opened the barricade enough to let me out.  After that I walked amongst the crowds….. and saw nothing of the parade!  Too many people!  But they were interesting people and I enjoyed walking amongst them. …. until Dundas when there were so many people and no one could move.   That’s was my cue to exit stage right.

So here’s a salute to all those who joined the fun.  A little raunchy and a little over the top at times but all good.

Two women in banana costumes posing for the camera.

Kudos to these two ladies who showed up in banana costumes! I asked them if they were part of a group, but no, they’re just fruity they said. I hope they joined the parade had fun (and didn’t get too hot!… unless they peeled…. )

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Two women, or men dressed as women, one in black and one in white.  The one in white has a large black & white clockface behind her

timeless

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A group of people are standing behind metal barricades waiting for the parade to start,  some are waving and some are smiling.  A group of three girls are wearing pink boas.

pink, with smiles, waiting for the parade to begin

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A group of policemen and policewomen pose for a group shot before the pride parade

Before the parade started – They were actually posing for someone else… but I suggested that they look a little livelier, wave their hands or something…. thanks for obliging!

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viewable & captured from all angles

viewable, & captured, from all angles

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One guy in red underpants (with Christmas bells attached to the front) is pointing to the bare bottoms of his two male friends.  He is making an exaggerated facial expression of surprise and shock.

boys just wanna have fun

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Two older men dressed in white are under a rainbow striped umbrella.  One has a white boa, the other has a red boa.

keeping the sun away. These umbrellas were great – very photogenic!

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A woman with very large and almost bare breasts.  Her face is decorated

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Two men are standing beind, and leaning on, the barricade.  They are wearing multicoloured beads, incuding some very big beads that look more like balls for a Christmas tree

big grins! The one in blue was more game than his partner…. you could almost say that one in grey is grimacing more than grinning. Thanks guys!

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A group of men are standing behind barricades.

He had such a wonderful smile and he seemed so happy that I couldn’t resist taking his picture.

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four girls, each with a different coloured mask, like the ninja turtles TV characters wear.

ninjas, mostly unmasked

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a boy is sitting on his father's shoulders

a better view!

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many people lining the route of the pride parade on Yonge St.

The crowds at Yonge and Wellesley just as the parade reached that part of the route.

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A row of people wearing hats in the foreground, looking across an empty street to a very large crowd behind barricades

How does one even start to calculate how many people were there?

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A quick shot - he saw my camera, turned and quickly posed, and I got the shot.  It wasn't until I downloaded the photos that I saw the marvellous juxtaposition!

A quick shot – he saw my camera, turned and quickly posed, and I got the shot. It wasn’t until I downloaded the photos that I saw the marvellous juxtaposition!

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a group of four girls wearing rainbow curly wigs, frilly short skirts and rainbow striped socks are walking up the street between two rows of parade watchers

almost their own little parade!

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streetcars at the intersection of Yonge & College, all corners are packed with people

stopping the parade to let the College/Carlton streetcar through

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Two people are standing on the window sill of a large window.  The woman is wearing a striped dress.  She is texting.  The guy beside her is topless, wearing grey shorts

She doesn’t seem to be having fun – standing in the window of Starbucks at College & Yonge.

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Wall to wall people at the intersection of Yonge and Dundas.  All you can see in the photo are people's heads.

I walked the parade route at about the same speed that the parade went. An hour and a half later, I reached Yonge & Dundas where the crowds were so thick no one could move.

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Two boys are standing on a window ledge so they are above a crowd of people.  The small boy doesn't look too happy.

At the corner of Yonge & Dundas – by the time I made it to this intersection, I was beginning to agree with the boy in green!

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Two topless women are painted in big rainbow colours.  Two clothed women are posing for a photo with them.

posing with the body painters – Body Art by Tania was the booth on Church St., near the start of the parade.

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Getting ready, or waiting, for the Dyke March.  Saturday 28th June, from Allan Gardens west to Yonge St then north to Charles St.  It was a very warm and sunny day.

 

two lone photographers stand in a street that has no traffic.  Crowds are on the sidewalks on either side.  They are sitting, waiting for a parade to come past

Carlton street awaits the start of the march.

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Reflection in the round side view mirror of an old school bus that has been painted pink by CUPE.

reflecting on the CUPE bus, painted in pink and flying a pink flag.

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A man is wearing a rainbow flag like a cape, and he has one wrapped around his head like a headband.  He is selling large and small sized rainbow flags.  He is topless otherwise

I bought a flag.
Him: Oh, this is going to be put online?
Me: If it works.

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Two guys are sitting on the sidewalk.  One has dyed his hair yellow and he's carrying a rainbow flag.  The other is resting his chin on his hands, and his elbows on his knees.  He has his rainbow flag draped over his head and he looks very bored.

It was a hot day and the parade was late getting started…….

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A multicoloured bracelet on a wrist.  The bracelet says, Oy Vey I'm Gay.

I spoke briefly to a woman who was wearing this bracelet. One of the women she was with was wearing a sticker that said, “Eat Me, I’m Kosher” but I didn’t take a picture of it.

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detail of a crocheted banner that was made for the duke march

something about gender, details of a crocheted banner that was made to be carried in the march

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A good looking, very fit, man wearing just a pair of pink shorts and a pair of sandals is walking down the street.

pretty in pink

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A lacy umbrella decorated with crocheted 3D breasts in different colours, probably life sized.

custom crocheted umbrella to keep the sun off…. sitting on the grass before the parade

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A black helmet has two lines of pink fringe glued on the top it that make it look like a Mohawk hair cut.  The helmet is sitting on the seat of a black motorcycle.

waiting to ride

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From a vantage point over Nathan Phillips Square, we looked down on the people as they passed by.   It was late in the afternoon so the shadows were long.    Although we were looking for interesting characters, we were also creating compositions with people, concrete lines,  and shadows as elements.

 

Three photographs are shooting from behind a low concrete wall.  One has his camera aimed downwards towards the people walking below.  The others have their cameras aimed farther out.

hunting shadows

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A group of people walking across Nathan Phillips square.  They are walking on crete and the afternoon shadows are long.

caught some!

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A group of three people walking across Nathan Phillips square.  They are walking on crete and the afternoon shadows are long.

on the diagonal

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Most of the picture is of shadows on the concrete below.  There are partial shadows of the arches over the fountain at nathan phillips square.  There are also 4 people (or parts of the people) and the long shadows that they cast.

walking over the shadow arches

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A group of young people walking across Nathan Phillips square.  They are walking on concrete.  Five guys and two girls.  Both girls are in short black dresses with black sandals.

with matching little black dresses

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A man is sitting at a table outside, on Nathan Phillips Square, late afternoon, with long shadows making patterns on the concrete

Some shadows kept still so they were easier to capture.

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photo of the railing that is made of many vertical white bars.  The railing is not straight.  There are many shadows in the picture, and many patterns, linear and diagonal, made by the white bars and the shadows.

a multitude of lines and their linear shadows

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Not all involved shadows.  Sometimes, just people in the shadow.

A group of people are either sitting on a bench, or standing beside it, in Nathan Phillips Square, beside the fountain pool

Resting by the fountain.

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Two women are walking on the concrete squares

walking between the lines

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The first Pedestrian Sunday of 2014, Kensington Market, 25th May.

What follows is a collection of sights from that afternoon.

 

A group of young people are walking down the street, away from the camera. Some are walking their bikes and some of the men are topless.

It was a warm day, the warmest day of the year so far. Time to shed the remains of winter and enjoy the sun and the city.

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art and music…..

A young woman is sitting on the sidewalk.  She is creating a picture of one of the characters from the TV show Futurama.

‘chalk chick’ – see more of her work at chalkchick.com

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A man sitting on a stool on the sidewalk, playing a musical instrument

I am not sure what his name is or what kind of instrument he plays.  If anyone knows, please give me a shout!

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Two men on the sidewalk outside Sancis store.  One man is standing and the other is sitting.

guitar players

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food and drink…..

Three women are lined up waiting to be served at a street vendor who is selling food.

one of the many street vendors selling food and drink – BBQ chicken, burgers, fries, sandwiches and coconut sorbet included

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The front of Wandas Pie in the Sky restaurant.  People are sitting at tables and chairs set up outside the restaurant.

enjoying Wanda’s patio

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A number of people are having lunch on a patio.

lunch on the patio!

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A group of young people are sitting onthe curb eating food out of stryofoam containers

street food

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people watching ……

Some people sitting on steps, three women standing in front of a large graffiti face that is wearing large star shaped sun glasses.

In front of big red starry sunglasses.

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People are walking towards the camera, down the street, but between them and the camera is a giant scrabble game that is now finished

giant scrabble!

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A couple with a small dog on a leash are standing by one of the barricades used to keep cars off the street

People with animals ….

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A woman has a large fake red nose and large white frames sunglasses.  She is carrying a green umbrella with a froggie face on it

keeping cool under the froggie

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A woman is sitting at a table, under a patio umbrella.  Behind her is a large graffiti piece of a young woman's face

two women, one larger than life

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A woman is looking at her phone as she waits behind a table where she is selling denim shorts (on the sidewalk).  In the background a man is buying something at another vendor's table.

‘This Way’ to browsing, buying and selling.

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A pile of large wood blocks are in the middle of the street and a family is building small towers with them - a small girl and boy and their parents.

playing with blocks

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Two women, each with an umbrella open above their heads are standing in the street.

Some people bared their skin to bask in the sun while others wanted more protection

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a man is getting his hair cut outside

under the blade

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….. and the sights of Kensington

 

Detail of messages attached to a telephone pole.  They are written on strips of yellow and blue heavy paper.  In the background is a painting of a large eye, part of the sign above the door of Orbital Arts on Augusta Ave.

A watchful eye from Orbital Arts looks over Augusta Ave.

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At an intersection, lots of people are walking on the street.  Across the intersection is a three story burgundy colored brick building with a shop, and awning, on the ground floor.   There are murals of faces on the upper level of the outside wall along with the words 'Welcome to Kensington, Romeos'

crowded streets mid-afternoon outside Romeo’s

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a man stands in the doorway of a shop that has towels in the window and a lot of things for sale on a table outside the shop

Captain America and the Hulk lurk outside a store.

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street scene of the intersection of Kensington and Dundas West.  There are people walking on the sidewalk past a boarded up shop.

the corner of Kensington and Dundas West

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A man is sitting on a fence reading a book.  There are books on the ground in front of him that are for sale.  There are also some shirts on hangers that are for sale.

a quiet corner to read on

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little people stuck to the wall, sticker street art on Kensington

little people stuck to the wall, sticker street art on Kensington

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A little dead end alley in Kensington and the graffiti I found there.

Looking through a chain link fence towards a short laneway.  There is graffiti on the walls of the buildings that back onto the alley

A chain link fence at the end of the alley.

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Street art piece of a semi clad woman and a male nude, reaching for each other.  They are larger than life, and higher up on a wall.

I love the way that the faces are incomplete compared to rest of the anatomy.

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A graffiti piece of a black hooded figure.  Someone has tagged over part of it in large white letters.  The next person has put an orange line through the white tags and then added the words  Fuck You learn some respect

The seemingly endless battle between graffiti artists and those who wantonly tag over their work.

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A collection of small tiles that have been painted over by a larger piece of street art

squares pieced together

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Multicoloured graffiti that covers a door as well as the wall.

hidden doorway

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black outline picture of a tea cup and saucer, with steam rising from it, on top of green and purple graffiti

steaming

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Doorway covered with stickers and scribbles

chaos with stickers and scribbles

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Graffiti of a pinkish face with bared teeth.  CHainlink fence on the left of the photo.

grimacing skull by the fence

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Anti Rob Ford protest

A cold but clear November afternoon at Nathan Phillips Square.

people, signs, cameras, writing, chanting, speeches, media.

Protesters at a rally, from behind.  Two people are holding signs.  One sign says Step Down and the the other sign says Or Fall Over

Step down or fall over.

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A man is writing with chalk on a grey concrete wall.

The city’s budget has gone up! Every year Rob has been in office.

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Nathan Phillips Square from the upper walkway, looking down at the crowd that has gathered for the protest

Nathan Phillips Square about 1:00 p.m.

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A couple is holding an orange sign that says Councillors fix this mess now.  P.S. I vote.

There was a good mix of people there, young and old.

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A large group of protesters

View of the crowd from part way up the steps just before they moved towards the front door of City Hall.

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A woman is holding a sign that says Sh*!show RoFo has got to GO.  In the background there is a man who has a sign with a picture of the man from the Monopoly game showing that his pockets are empty.

Many creative signs.  RoFo, the man from Monopoly, gravy train…..

A protester is holding a sign that says It's not about the drugs, it's about the lies.  In the distance, a security guard watches from above

It’s not about the drugs, it’s about the lies.

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Two people are writing words in chalk on a concrete wall.  A woman is standing on a garbage bin so that she can reach higher up on the wall.

Writing on the wall, about 12:40. I am not sure when the writing started, but when I first got to Nathan Phillips Square there wasn’t too much on the wall yet.

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A man is walking past holding up a sign that says Gravy Train? What about Leadership?  In the background people are writing on the wall.

Of chalk and signs

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A man is writing words on the concrete wall beside the ramp at Nathan Phillips Square.

A little bit later, a few more words on the wall as well as on the ground.   Sashay away!  Fraud Nation.  No to Drugs.  Harper + Ford = Corruption.  Help yourself & help Toronto, Step Down.

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A man is writing in orange and blue chalk.  Old City Hall is in the background.

You smoked your own pipe.  More writing on the upper wall.

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A woman is writing Get Help in purple and yellow chalk, on the ground

I assume that it became “Get Help”

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A man is writing on the concrete ground as part of the crowd watches him.

Etobicoke, Ford Co. most wanted.

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Protesters holding signs.

another view of the crowd

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Two woman are holding bright orange signs.

…finally!

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A man and a woman are holding a very large sign with a picture of Rob Ford's face on it.

Resting on the Archer

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Two people are writing on the wall, a woman has stopped to watch them and a man is taking their picture.

Protesters, spectators and photographers.  There were a lot of photographers!  A lot of media, print, radio  and television, were there too.  Newstalk 1010 (where the Ford brothers had their radio show) had at least one person walking around with a microphone.

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A man holds a megaphone in one hand and a sign that says Say No To Corruption in the other hand.

Leading the chants

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A picture of the cafe that is beside Nathan Phillips Square.  There are people sitting inside who are looking at the protest.  The protest can also be seen reflected in the glass.

Looking at the ones inside while the ones outside are reflected back

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A man with a sign with lots of words on it is talking to a woman wearing a grey scarf.

wanted, A new Mayor!  asap

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A woman is writing Pathetic Leave Toronto in coloured chalk on the concrete ground in the middle of the square.

Writing in the square.

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A man in a bright orange hat and holding a protest sign, is taking a photo with his phone.

I got him and he got me (I probably got the better photo!)

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#savetoronto  #topoli  #robford

With thanks to the Starbucks at Queen and Victoria where I was able to park myself and my laptop while I put this blog together.   Wifi and an electrical outlet for the price of a tall coffee, can’t beat it.

Toronto Zombie Walk, Nathan Phillips Square,

26 October, 2013

The rain stopped just before the Zombie walk started but there was a very chilly wind blowing.  The weather didn’t stop the zombies!  It didn’t stop the fun either.

close up of a girl's face.  She has a fake mouth tied together with red embroidery thread

I met a zombie, and it was fun.

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a mother and daughter dressed up as zombies.  Frizzy hair, grey skin and lots of fake blood dripping from their mouths.

keeping it in the family – like mother, like daughter

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A woman with make up on her face to make her look like a zombie.

zombie repose, by the archer

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A man with white makeup on his face, a chain around his neck and a plastic rat on his shoulder.

A rat’s best friend.

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two girls with big bows around their necks, fake teeth and lots of blood

cute but bloodied

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Two men.  The one on the right is wearing a hoodie that says smoke meth and hail satan.

They humoured me.

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A zombie holding a large yellow Pokemon zombie.  He is screaming at a photographer

even Pokemon was not spared.

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two woman dressed up like zombies.  The woman in the foreground has blood dripping off her chin and down her neck.  The woman in the background has a large ugly facial wound

dripping blood, and the eyes…….great zombie eyes!

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a man made up to look like he has a pencil shoved into his eye

an eye for an eye, oh wait, a pencil for an eye

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a girl with red frizzy hair who has white makeup on her face and a bloody mouth

bulletproof

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A man with very long hair, a moustache and a beard with blood running down his face.  A fake leg is attached to his shoulder.  and he has chains around his neck

screaming, blood curdling screams……

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Three people - two grey zombies and a young Asian woman who is pretending to be scared of the zombies

one of the many great interactions between the zombies and their audience

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Two girls wearing woolly hats and very ugly fake teeth.  THey have lots of blood on their chinslots of b

so much for the orthodontics

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three zombies dressed in white coveralls, sitting by The Archer sculpture in Nathan Phillips Square

even zombies need a break

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Mayor Rob Ford poses for a photo op with a zombie

Rob Ford meets zombie

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a woman with lots of fake blood on her chin and down her front

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paper people of Graffiti Alley

a paper graffiti of Bill Gates, Bill Murray and Bill Clinton on a graffiti covered door

Three Bills
This is now a recurring theme in stencil/paper graffiti. Originally, the Bills were used in response to ‘post no bills’ signs on fences surrounding construction sites.
The Bills here, from left to right, are Bill Gates, Bill Murray and Bill Clinton

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paper graffiti of ROb Ford, from the shoulders up, giving the finger.

In the fall of 2011, many of these Rob Ford stencils appeared in Graffiti Alley, amongst other places. They were the work of Toronto street artist, Deadboy. This might be the only one that remains in this alley.

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a poster with a black and white line drawing of a man's head.  He has a beard.  Beside him are words.

Leonard Cohen: “only one thing made him happy and now that it was gone everything made him happy”

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a black and white paper poster/stencil of a woman throwing her arms in the air and walking away.  It is on a grey door in a lane.  There is a broom beside the door.

“I don’t do floors”
“Clean it up yourself”

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A green and white sticker of a woman's head, stylized..

a brown and black set of posters/stencils of three heads.  Two are the same - they look like heads with big ears and they are wearing very big sunglasses.  The third looks like a woman in a helmet like the kind an astronaut might wear.

big ears and the astronaut

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I have not included all the stencils in Graffiti Alley as some have appeared in prior posts.  See https://mcfcrandall.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/walking-graffiti-alley-again/

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a stencil of large headed, no armed, creature.

alien in the alley

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With thanks to:

Georgette for her help with the three Bills

and Sally who recognized Leonard Cohen.

Saturday, 5th October

downtown Toronto

This is only a small selection of the art installations and exhibitions that were on display that night.

part of an art installation where there are small bones hanging from the ceiling,  A man's leg is in the background

Bones, leg bones? Part of the ‘Indicator’ installation at Gareth Bate Art Projects, 401 Richmond St.
“Birds, bats, bees. Indicator species tell us when ecosystems are in peril. Bones, sugar, dripping honey – a meditation on catastrophe and connection.” The bones hung from the ceiling and the honey dripped down the walls.
Artists: Karen Abel, Jessica Marion Barr, Gareth Bate

A man looking at a series of small black & white prints in an art gallery

A timeline of the life of Conrad Black in black & white woodcut prints as shown at a gallery at 401 Richmond Street. Artist, George Walker

 

silhouettes of some people, on glowing pink and blue spheres

silhouettes
at Much Music, Queen Street West

 

The CN tower, with pink and blue lights, is in the background.  In the foreground are people taking pictures with their phones.  In the middle ground are a number of pink and blue lit spheres

phones lifted skyward

 

A woman is taking a picture of an art installation that is flat on a table.  Twelve black & white framed prints are on the wall behind her.

Black & white art made using electric currents & little wires that spun in circles.
401 Richmond Street

 

An art installation featuring pictures of bicylces.  Multicoloured.

bkies, bikes, bikes

 

A man is spray painting a piece of street art using aerosol cans of paint

spraying in the spotlight
On Dundas West near Beverley Street

 

Crowds, at night.  Light is provided by fluorescent lights that spell out a short poem.

‘The rose is without why’ by Boris Achour.
This is a short poem written by Johannes Scheffler aka Angelus Silesius, in the 17th century. The words are written with fluorescent lights and is more than 300 feet long. It was bright enough to light up the square.

 

crowds at Nathan Phillips Square on the night of Nuit Blanche.  Some people are standing on the upper level watching the crowds below.

upper level, Nathan Phillips Square

 

crowds and lights at Nathan Phillips Square.  Toronto city hall is lit with purple lights.

Nathan Phillips Square

 

Two of the art installations at Nathan Phillips Square

Nathan Phillips Square
On the left – ‘Forever Bicycles’ sculpture by Ai Weiwei lit in pink and purple. There are 3144 bicycles.
On the right – ‘Crash Cars’ by Alain Declercq consists of two driverless cars.

 

posing

posing
These metallic figures were not part of Nuit Blanche. They are part of a sculpture close to the Court House on University Ave., just north of Queen St. West.

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