photography | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘photography’

downtown with no particular plan

Posted: June 14, 2017 in construction, general Toronto, reflections, transportation, windows and walls
Tags: 3D signs, Artport, Bobbie Rosenfeld, Canada 150, Canada Square, CN Tower, Coastal, condos, construction, Dai Skuse, Fastwurms, Gardiner Expressway, glass, Harbourfront, images, Johan Hallberg-Campbell, Kim Kossi, metal, photography, pictures, ramps, rust, skywalk, Union station

Monday’s walk was a meandering route downtown, once again going where my feet and eyes take me. No particular plan in mind and no set destination… just trying to explore where I haven’t been recently. No theme jumped out and tapped me on the shoulder but a few “stories” emerged.

below: There is now a 3D sign between the CN Tower and the Aquarium that says Canada 150.

below: …and another 3D sign by the CN Tower (you can see part of the back of the Canada 150 sign through the tree). I wonder how many there are in this city now? Another bit of information (trivia?) – this area is called Bobbie Rosenfeld Park and has been since 1991. Fanny (“Bobbie”) Rosenfeld was a Canadian athlete who won two track medals in the 1928 Olympics. She also played softball and hockey in the 1920s and 30s. When arthritis force her to stop playing she turned to sports journalism, working for the ‘Globe and Mail’ until her retirement in 1955.

One of the routes from the CN Tower into the downtown core of the city is via the Skywalk, a glass enclosed elevated walkway over the railway tracks. The next few photos were taken as I walked that route.

below: A Toronto species of woodpecker in its native habitat – a forest of glass and steel. This artwork was completed in 1997 and is the creation of Dai Skuse and Kim Kozzi who together are known as Fastwurms.

below: The above photo was taken from a quiet little terrace that I accessed from the Skywalk. Now you can see just how big the woodpecker is! The ‘tree trunk’ pole is 30m high. What you can’t see is the second woodpecker who is on the other side of the pole and slightly farther down it.

below: The glass of the Skywalk creates some interesting reflections and shadows. The glass was fairly clean the other day when I walked through it. I have seen it when it’s been quite dirty and it’s not a pretty sight.

below: Union Station, looking east from the Skywalk. The new roof over the station platforms is taking shape. Someday soon I’m going to have to take a look at the insides of the station; I can’t wait for all the renovations to be completed.

below: Part of the south “wall” along the railway tracks.

below: Looking east from lower Simcoe along the south edge of the Gardiner Expressway. The podium of the new condo under construction at 10 York Street is quite the wedge!

below: I played a bit on google maps street view and this is what I found for the above scene (taken Nov 2016). If you compare the photos (above & below), it’s obvious that one of the ramps for the Gardiner Expressway has been demolished. The eastbound exit to Yonge/York/Bay was removed a couple of months ago. If you are a regular user of the Gardiner, I’m sure you have already experienced the consequences of this!

below: Standing on the same spot, but turning around 180 degrees – looking west from Lower Simcoe. An old ramp in the foreground…. and what looks like new construction in the background. Those are new bents (the structures that hold up the road).

below: To get a closer look at what was happening here, I ventured around to the other side . This is the view from closer to Rees Street. There is car on the old ramp so it must still be open (onramps still functional, just the offramp was removed).

below: The trees are growing at Canada Square (Harbourfront), but so are the condos. Yes, this new building is the same one with the wedge shaped lower floors.

below: Also at Canada Square, there are three large photographs by Johan Hallberg-Campbell, a series called “Coastal”. This one of them:

below: More of Hallberg-Campbell’s work can be seen inside in the Artport Gallery (Harbourfront building) – here, many photographs with simple wood frames are mounted on a wall that is covered with large images. “Coastal” is the product of the artist’s travels to coastal areas of Canada, from Newfoundland to northern Manitoba to British Columbia and many places in between. Life on the edge, so to speak. (Note: gallery show ends 18th June)

below: It’s not art but sometimes the line between public art and advertising campaigns is fuzzy.

Not all is shiny and new. And that’s the way it should be.

more CONTACT, King Street West

Posted: June 14, 2017 in events, galleries
Tags: black lives matter, Canada on Screen, cones, CONTACT, crews, exhibits, film, Jalani Morgan, King St. West, lightbox, movie, photography, Sam Cotter, TIFF

As I’ve mentioned before, I tried to see as many of the CONTACT Photography exhibits as I could in the last few days of May. I blogged about two weeks ago about the ‘blocks’ at Brookfield Place. I have been meaning to finish posting about the other exhibits I saw but there’s so much happening in the city. I’ve been spending a lot of time walking with my camera instead of sitting in front of my computer.

Two of the exhibits that I saw were on King St West, one by Metro Hall and the other on the corner of the TIFF Lightbox building. I haven’t been able to figure out what to say about the photos so they have sat in a folder on my hard drive. Unfortunately they are not alone. Yesterday I went back to take another look at the exhibits and think through a few thoughts, but the photos are gone. Procrastination has its pitfalls. TIFF Lightbox is now promoting their “Canada on Screen” program – all year, all free – as part of the Canada 150 celebrations.

I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

below: The corner of Widmer and King back in May. The photos are “On Location” by Sam Cotter.

below: A similar viewpoint, taken yesterday. Different pictures.. and different bikes.

The other exhibit was “The Sum of All Parts” by Jalani Morgan.

Not heroes, black and white.

Posted: May 28, 2017 in galleries, public art
Tags: Allen Lambert Gallery, art, black and white, Brookfield Place, Contact photography festival, feet, gallery, glass, indoor, people, photography, photos, pubilc art, Valerie Blass

I was away for most of the month of May so I missed a lot of the annual Contact Photography Festival. In the few days that I had to catch up, I visited a few of the exhibits. One of these was ‘Nous ne somme pas des heros’ (We are not heroes) by Valerie Blass at the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place.

Blass arranged people in sculpture-like poses and then photographed them from different angles. The photographs were then cut into sections, glued on blocks, and then the ‘sculptures’ were re-assembled.

The subjects of the sculptures are anonymous. Their “bodies fold inward, their differences intertwine and merge into single entities” (source).

Cosmopolis, Myseum Intersections

Posted: March 7, 2017 in events, galleries
Tags: #myseumTO, #myseumX, Colin Boyd Shafer, Cosmopolis, countries, diverse, exhibit, festival, global, immigrants, Myseum, Myseum Intersections, people, photography, photos, portraits, stories, world

Myseum of Toronto is a fairly new addition to the cultural fabric of the city. It is a museum without walls. It is an organization that helps deliver programming to different locations in the GTA. Last night, March 6, at City Hall, Myseum of Toronto launched its second annual festival of events and exhibitions. This festival, Myseum Intersections, consists of 36 different events and exhibits spread around the city throughout the month of March. “One Toronto. Infinite Perspectives” is the motto of this year’s festival.

In keeping with that motto is an exhibit called ‘Cosmopolis Toronto: The World in One City’. It was showcased at the Myseum Intersections launch party. A few months ago it was on display at 18 libraries around the city but it has been brought together in one exhibit for the festival. At the moment it can be seen on the ground floor of City Hall but it will also spend some time at Metro Hall and then end the month at the North York Civic Center. (schedule at the bottom of the post).

“Cosmopolis” consists of a series of portraits and interviews by Colin Boyd Shafer. The goal was to find a person from every country in the world who now calls Toronto home, hence its tagline “Photographing the world, one Torontonian at a time”. I am not sure if that goal was attained, but the series is a fascinating look at a very diverse group of people.

Two photos were taken of each person. The first was a portrait taken in a Toronto location where they felt “at home”. The second was of an object that they felt connected them to their country of birth.

The Cosmopolis website has more information as well as the portraits and stories of many more new Torontonians.

***

EXHIBITION DATES & TIMES:
MARCH 5 – 8 & 13 – 19
MONDAY – FRIDAY, 8:30AM – 4:30PM
City Hall
100 Queen St W, Toronto

MARCH 9 – 12
MONDAY – FRIDAY, 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 8AM – 6PM
Metro Hall
55 John St, Toronto

MARCH 20 – APRIL 2
MONDAY – FRIDAY, 7:30AM – 9:30PM
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 8AM – 6PM
North York Civic Centre
5100 Yonge St, Toronto

#myseumTO | #myseumX

gallery hopping

Posted: July 25, 2016 in galleries
Tags: art, atomic bomb, Bau Xi, galleries, Gardiner museum, head, kaneko, lead, map, Matthew Day Jackson, Michael Wolf, painting, photography, public art, Robert Motherwell, sculpture, Thomas Ruff, Toronto, vertical crevice garden

This post is subtitled ‘Staying Cool on a Hot Hot Day’. When the temperatures are into the 90’s (old style) and the humidity makes the air thick, walking streets and alleys is not very comfortable. Instead I took refuge in air conditioned arty places. With the help of the (mostly) air conditioned TTC I only needed to take a few steps outside.

below: At one point I walked through an air conditioned building rather than going outside. This is what I found there. ‘August 6, 1945’ by Matthew Day Jackson. Moments after I pulled my camera out of my backpack, a security guard appeared. I was sure that once again I was going to get the “this is private property” talk but instead we ended up discussing the work and how it is displayed.

It is constructed of four panels and it’s very heavy. The base is made of lead; you can see the lead where Lake Ontario is. It is attached to the wall with 18 very long bolts and each bolt is wired to an alarm.

below: Looking a bit more closely at it you can see that it is a map of Toronto. As you might have surmised, the title is a reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima by the USA during WW2. This isn’t just any map of Toronto, it’s an aerial view of a burnt out city after a nuclear explosion. It is one in a series of cities given similar treatment, all with the same title.

From the effects of man made death to the life enhancing effects of nature….

below: A few steps outside took me past the Gardiner Museum where I noticed that the front garden was redone about a year ago. ‘Vertical Crevice Garden’ was designed and donated by landscape artist Neil Turnbull. From the Gardiner museum website, a quote by the artist: “When the massive forces of continental drift push against layers of sedimentary rock, they cause it to crack, break, and rise. Over centuries, through exposure to wind, sun, and the freeze-thaw cycle, the layers split open. These fissures and crevices collect rain, dust, and an array of windblown bits like seeds and spores; plants take root, and life takes hold.”

below: When walking past the Gardiner Museum, one can’t help but notice the striped head. It’s actually called ‘Untitled’ (why do artists do that?) and it’s by Jun Kaneko, 2002. It’s made of glazed ceramic and galvanized steel. Before heading underground at Museum subway station I took a few minutes to try to take a ‘pretty’ picture of the head. The plants in the garden next door haven’t quite grown up enough to hide that ghastly table that the head sits on. I have always wondered why the museum chose such a mundane bland platform for the sculpture but now that I look at it again I wonder if it’s possible that the table is actually part of the artwork. Could it be?

below: A photograph in the doorway of a gallery caught my eye. The picture below is not the one in the doorway, but one that was hanging on a wall inside that I liked even more. ‘Paris Rooftops 4’ by Michael Wolf. It is 48″ x 68″ and is a chromogenic print (full-colour silver-based photograph), edition of 9. To buy it will set you back $22,000 but looking is free – check out more of Michael Wolf’s work on the Bau-Xi gallery website.

below: A man with a camera stares at a painting on a gallery wall. ‘Watching’ 2010, (26 inches high) by Tom Campbell on the left and ‘Brown Trail #7’ 2016 by Shi Le, a Toronto based landscape artist. These are at the other Bau-Xi gallery (the non-photography one)

below: Three paintings by NUBARR Gallery, a collection of the works of Armenian-Canadian painter Noubar Sabag (Noubar Sabbaghian) 1920-2006. These, and others by the same artist, are on show at the Art Square Cafe & Gallery but unfortunately I just learned that today is the last day.

below: How many people try to paint pictures like this? How many people sell such paintings, not to mention have them hang in the Art Galley of Ontario? But they aren’t Robert Motherwell. So I ponder on the age old question of what makes a piece of art valuable or collectable? Is the AGO (and other galleries) collecting paintings or names? Motherwell painted this in numerous variations – a few changes in colour, a slight change in the lines. Cheating? Or brilliant marketing? One for every gallery of note? This is Motherwell’s ‘Untitled (In Orange with Charcoal Lines)’ c1970. There’s that “untitled” again, the most popular name for an artwork.

My last stop of the afternoon was at the photography exhibit by Thomas Ruff at the AGO. Part of the exhibit was a few large photographs of stars, ‘Sterne’. Large pictures of stars in the night sky were made from negatives that Ruff bought from the European Southern Observatory in Chile in 1989.

below: They are difficult to look at, or rather it is difficult to what is the picture because the blackness of the photograph creates a mirror when placed behind glass. This is me taking a picture of the picture – me plus the picture on the opposite wall plus the lights and light fixtures in the ceiling plus a table plus another person in the room plus a few white spots that are stars.

below: ‘Walking Away, Walking Through the Universe’ a manipulation of a manipulation.

below: One last photo. Let’s end this on a positive note and give Thomas Ruff credit for some interesting work. These two pictures are part of his press++ series where he has taken old photos used in print medium and merged the front (picture) and back (words and markings) of the print into one.

Thomas Ruff, Object Relations, at the AGO until 1 August 2016

inked at the ROM

Posted: July 22, 2016 in events, galleries
Tags: arm, backs, body parts, CONTACT, exhibit, faces, ink, inked, men, patterns, photography, photos, pictures, ROM, Royal Ontario Museum, symbols, tattoos, women, words

There are seven or eight large photographs, portraits of older women, on University Avenue. They were actually part of the CONTACT Photography Festival and they have been on display outside the Royal Ontario Museum since early May. The photos are the ‘The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga”, portraits by Jake Verzosa.

In the villages of the Cordillera mountains of northern Philippines the women have been tattooed with lace-like patterns for centuries. The tattoos are symbols of stature, beauty, wealth and fortitude and are traditionally applied during rituals. The tradition is dying out as standards of beauty change and as the old ways are replaced with more modern methods.

Each village once had their own tattooist, or mambabatok, but today only one remains. Born in 1918, Whang-od (or Fhang-od), is the last person to practice the centuries old technique called batok. The ink is made of charcoal and water and it is applied by tapping the skin with a thorn.

Once the men were also tattooed. The Kalinga tattoo has evolved from their ancient tradition as warriors and headhunters. Heads were taken from fights and battles as a trophy; each time a man brought home a head he would receive another tattoo as a reward. Tattoos were a mark of social status.

Indigenous groups throughout the Philippines practiced tattooing for centuries. When the Spanish arrived in the 1500’s they called the people ‘pintados’ or ‘painted people’ as it was not uncommon for people to have tattoos covering their whole body. While some tribes used tattoos to mark status, other tribes believed that tattoos possessed special spiritual or magical powers which gave the individuals strength and protection. The use of tattoos as protective symbols is an idea that occurs in many cultures.

In conjunction with the Kalinga portraits, the ROM is featuring an exhibit that examines the beliefs surrounding tattoos, and the role that they and other forms of body art play in different cultures over the years. “Tattoos: Ritual, Identity, Obsession, Art” is on view until September 5th. It is a global tour of tattoos past and present.

One of the cultures that is featured is the Chinese. For centuries, tattoos were forbidden, or at least taboo, in China. To be tattooed was to be discriminated against as they were associated with prisoners or vagrants. Recently that has begun to change.

below: Three large modern picture tattoos by Taiwanese tattoo artist Gao Bin featuring traditional Chinese images, Buddha, lion and dragon. Tattoos as a cultural expression. In some countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand images of Buddha are considered sacred objects of worship. While it’s not illegal to have such a tattoo, wearing one could get you into trouble.

below: Here is another example of why people get the tattoos that they do. This is a picture of one photograph in a series by Isabel Munoz. Munoz spent three weeks inside several prisons in El Salvador and photographed mara gangs. Gang members wear offensive tattoos to assert their antisocial behaviour and express their loyalty to the gangs. Tattoos as statement; tattoos as a mark of membership and belonging. Tribal.

below: A silicone arm with a tattoo by Montreal artist Yann Black on display. This is one of 13 commissioned tattoos on silicone body parts – arms, legs and torsos both male and female that are part of the exhibit. Tattoos as artwork. Individuality.

The oldest known tattoos were found on Otzi the Iceman, a natural mummy who was found in the Otzal alps near the Austria – Italy border in 1991. His tattoos were 61 lines ranging in length between 7 and 40 mm. The lines were arranged in groups. Most of his tattoos were on his legs where there were 12 groups of lines. Otzi is estimated to have died between 3239 BC and 3105 BC.

Tattooed mummies have also been found in other places – Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines, and the Andes in South America. We will probably never know what significance the tattoos had. Theories abound of course and they often involve reasons like protection, spiritual, status, tribal, or just for decoration. Reasons that probably ring true today too. The methods have changed and some of the images have changed, but human nature remains just that, human nature.

Frank Kovac lane

Posted: June 8, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, alleyway, animals, bear, bees, blue jay, blueberries, camera, community, doors, faces, fences, figures, fox, garage doors, graffiti, ivy, lane, monsters, mural, Nick Sweetman, painting, photography, photos, raccoon, street art, urban wildlife

Frank Kovac Lane is a short alley just south of Christie subway station. Some of the garage doors were painted with murals in past years and, as usual, there were plenty of tags. Recently, the lane was the scene of a community mural painting session thanks to the 4th Toronto Rangers (Girl Guides), StreetARToronto, artist Nick Sweetman, and some local residents. Now some of the tags are gone and more importantly, some more garage doors are home to bright and cheerful murals. A few of them are included here.

below: At the north end of the lane is this large, colourful mural by Nick Sweetman.
Two large blue bears have found a plethora of honey. Will the bees share?

below: The new murals continue the animal theme, “Urban Wildlife”, starting with this fox.

below: A common Toronto animal, a raccoon, beside a red fire hydrant.

below: A blue jay eyes some blueberries.

below: Several monster faces have lived in this alley for a while and they still remain.
This one looks like he needs a hair cut.

below: This graffiti is actually on Harbord Street but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of it
– a camera and an “oh snap”

a flock of birdos

Posted: May 17, 2016 in graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, animals, bird, birdo, cactus, cat, city, coyote, dog, door, Dovercourt, egg, elephant, flag, garage, graffiti, howling, lane, laneway, lovebot, moon, mouse, nest, painting, parrot, photography, photos, pineapple, scorpion, street art, tasha, urban, wall

This blog post is about a flock of birdos, meaning that I found a lot of alley garages decorated with paintings by street artist birdo. Or maybe ‘a menagerie of birdos’ would be a more accurate description as most of the pictures were of different animals such as elephant, cat, dog, coyote, and mouse along with a number of different birds.

These photographs were are all taken in alleys behind the south part of Dovercourt Road (between Queen and Sudbury streets). The majority of the paintings that I saw were result of birdo’s work but there were examples of and I have included them in this post too.

below: Two birdo birds with eggs, with a slice of mushroom and pepperoni pizza by Shalak.

below: Howling at the moon, with a cactus and a scorpion too.

below: Blue dog, pink lava lamp

below: A rooted turtle and cool owl with sparkly shades

below: “Just a robot that doesn’t like technology”

from The Esplanade to Union

Posted: May 13, 2016 in events, locations, public art
Tags: art, buildings, city, CN Tower, construction, construction Berczy Park, downtown, Front St., images, Market St., Paul Raff, photography, public art, railway, shoreline, Shoreline Commemorative, THe Esplanade, Toronto, train tracks, Union station, urban, workmen

On Friday morning, my original goal was to find ‘Residents of the Esplanade’, a CONTACT Photography Festival outdoor exhibit at David Crombie Park but it was such a beautiful morning that I didn’t stop there. I found more than just the ‘Residents’.

Forty years ago, May 1976, the site plan for The Esplanade neighbourhood was approved. Since then, it has become home to a very diverse group of people. And it is those people that this installation celebrates on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the neighbourhood.

Crombie Park runs along the south side of The Esplanade between Berkeley street and Lower Jarvis. The installation consists of a number of small white rectangular pillars with the picture and story of person on either side.

People were out enjoying the morning; school kids were playing basketball at recess.

Flowers were blooming.

below: Looking towards Lower Jarvis Street and downtown Toronto.

below: One street beyond Lower Jarvis is Market Street. It dead ends at the railway tracks. The long structure on the right is a parking garage.

below: After a small backtrack up Market Street, I went through Conger Coal Lane to Church Street. I don’t think I have walked this way before. The lane was named in commemoration of the Conger Coal Company whose yard and wharf was nearby. It was one of the many companies that provided Toronto with coal back in the day when coal fueled the city. It was started in 1870 by Mr. P.D. Conger. In 1913, Sterling Coal company bought Conger and the name was changed to Conger Lehigh Coal Co.

below: A very old photo of the Conger Coal Company dock at the foot of Church Street, back when Church street ended at Lake Ontario

below: Tucked into a corner on Church street immediately south of Front Street, is an art installation by Paul Raff called ‘Shoreline Commemorative’. A topography of limestone forms the base of the work. A glass ball representing the line between sky and water sits on top of a tripod that tries to evoke a land surveyor’s tripod. The words on the wall say “For 10,000 years this was the location of Lake Ontario’s shoreline. This brick wall stands where water and land met, with a vista horizon”

below: Continuing the lake theme, a little fish out of water, jumping over the entrance to a condo.

below: From the lake theme to another common theme in the city, construction. Spring is the beginning of construction season and here Berczy Park is being upgraded. In the background a new condo is being built but as we all know condo construction ‘season’ never ends. In fact, the challenge might be to find a place in this city where there isn’t a condo being built.

below: I walked past the never ending Front Street construction. Construction in front of Union station seems to be finished, but this stretch of Front Street just west of the station is still being worked on. There have been fences here so long that I can’t remember a time when they weren’t here.

tiff and the toilet paper

Posted: May 12, 2016 in events, public art
Tags: Bell Lightbox, CONTACT, downtown, french fries, globe, images, King St. West, Long Weekend, looking, passerby, people, photography, photography festival, razor blade, running shoes, Scotiabank CONTACT, sidewalk, smelling, TIFF, toilet paper, Toronto, typewriter, walking

It’s common to see posters pasted on walls so finding movie posters on the walls of the tiff Bell Lightbox didn’t strike me as unusual. I walked past this display until I noticed the sign that marked this as a CONTACT Photography Festival installation. Fake movie posters, many designed with a touch of humour, that look just like the real thing.

below: The installation, titled ‘Coming Attractions’ covers the corner windows and wall space. The posters were designed by ‘Long Weekend’ which is a collective of artists working out of Winnipeg. They were made from ads and illustrations from old books and magazines.

On the other side of King street, and just a but further east, is a series of eleven large images taken from past editions of ‘Toilet Paper’, a biannual magazine founded by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. They hint at advertising and they blur the line between fantasy and reality.

below: Muhle is a German company that makes shaving products and one of their blades looks identical to the one in this picture.

If you like these images, you might also like Toilet Paper’s website.

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