Posts Tagged ‘posters’

of wisdom, patience, and other things…..

Posted: April 27, 2025 in events
Tags: , ,
5

This past week there were some intriguing posters on a few utility poles around the St. George campus of U of T, all to promote this year’s Philosothon.  This is/was a two day event (April 26 & 27) to promote critical thinking as well as creative thinking.

below: “What wisdom hides in what you’ve allowed yourself to forget?”

poster on a utility pole on university of Toronto campus, asking a philosophical question. source - philosothon U of T.

below: “Where does you body truly end?”

below:  top: “What worlds exist in your peripheral vision?” bottom: “What have your eyes forgotten to see without help?”

below: “When did patience stop feeling like a virtue?”

below: top: Where in your body do you feel time passing? bottom: “When was the last time you felt truly irreplaceable?”

abandoned site, Baldwin & Spadina

Posted: January 18, 2025 in graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

There once was a building on the southwest corner of Spadina Ave and Baldwin.  That building is long gone but the hoardings around the vacant lot have become a home for graffiti.  Although advertising posters sometimes take over some of the space, there is often new graffiti too.

This is what was there in January 2025.

below: The Last Laugh by Nigel Smith.

graffiti on old hoardings at baldwin and spadina, a sign that says the last laugh, words written in red capital letters on black background

below: Paste-ups on plywood.   On the left – a City Kitty character in big pink frame glasses (and what’s that on his head?!).   Small black and white pasteups include Visual Noise with Urban Ninja Squadron.

pasteups on plywood hoardings

below: WOW! He is not dead yet.  Live!  Let Live!

three drawings on a fence, one red, one white, one blue, lines, face, and words, he is not dead yet, ugly, beauty

below: Two pieces by Bao aka (Bao Pham) who seems to like to mix cultural icons that aren’t usually associated with each other.

graffiti by Bao Pham, Trans Quebec, Beatles as storm troopers in a shield shape

below: “Fab Four Troopers” Quebec highway sign

graffiti by Bao Pham, Trans Quebec, Beatles as storm troopers in a shield shape

below: “Return of the Boom Bap Trooper”

graffiti street art by Bao Pham, storm trooper from Star Wars movies holding a ghetto blaster on his shoulder, wearing rapper jewellery

below: A woman’s portrait among the advertisements.

posters on hoardings, some advertising television programs, some HIV education website and in the middle is a graffiti street art picture of a woman with flowers in her hair

below: “Frida Moss”, A Frida Kahlo and Kate Moss mash-up, also by Bao

graffiti picture of a woman (photograph) with flowers in her hair and a cigarette in her hand

below: A green catchoo looking atch youcatchoo green rectangular face paste up

below: Ouch!  Another Urban Ninja Squadron paste-up, this one in collaboration with Dio Tha Dog.

visual noise, and urban ninja squadron black and white paste up on a pole

This post also appears in Eyes on the Streets blog

Dr. Adams was here

Posted: December 7, 2024 in graffiti and street art, history
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1

Dr. John Gennings Curtis Adams left a small mark on the city just over a hundred years ago.

a Heritage Toronto plaque on the sidewalk outside an old three storey brick building that is boarded up and covered with graffiti. Plaque tells about Dr. Adams who was a dentist in the late 1800s.

Dr. John G.C. Adams (1839-1922)  Dr. John G.C. Adams is regarded as the father of public health dentistry in Canada.  His Methodist faith inspired him to become Canada’s first resident dental missionary.  He funded and operated the first free dental hospital on the continent in 1872, primarily treating poverty-stricken children and their mothers.  Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children opened three years later and, in 1883, Dr. Adams became its first dentist of record. 
In the building here, Dr. Adams operated Christ’s Mission Hall and Dental Institute from 1897 until 1899 when the City closed it for non-payment of taxes.  A champion of preventative health through education, Dr. Adams advocated for dental check-ups in public schools and dental treatment for underprivileged children.  His recommendations were finally realized in 1911 with the beginning of dental check-ups in Toronto schools.  Canada’s first publicly funded free dental clinic opened two years later.

Although Adams  had a mission here, it was only for a few years and he lost possession because he didn’t pay his taxes.  So I am not sure why the plaque is here (to bolster the heritage designation of the building?).  It’s earlier history is just as interesting, if not more so. Before Adams, it had been a coffee shop run by The Toronto Coffee Association Coffee House – off on a tangent for a moment. the Coffee Houses of the 1880s and 1890s were in response to Prohibition laws and many were run by the Temperance League.   I found a thorough, well-written history of these coffee houses as well as Bay Street at the time at Scenes from Toronto

If you have passed by the intersection of Bay and Elm (just north of Dundas), you may have noticed the building on the southwest corner.  It’s been derelict for quite a few years now.  It has become a small canvas for some graffiti artists; although it gets ‘cleaned up’ every once in awhile, traces remain.  Dr. Adams wouldn’t recognize it… nor would he approve of it!

below: Two faced

bits and pieces of posters that have been put up on boarded up window on abandoned building, layers, including partial faces of two men

an old arched window in a building that is now boarded up, graffiti and posters on the plywood

below: Like a repeating pattern on wallpaper or fabric, columns of men with the same hair cut and facial features.  An army of clones.

graffiti paste up poster, repeating black heads in columns and rows, torn bottom

black ink drawing of a man's face and hand on white, drawn on old posters on a graffiti covered wall

below: Mexican Jesus

on a wall with remnants of posters and graffiti, black drawing portrait of a man with long shaggy hair

below: 33wallflower33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

black and white paste up graffiti, grey tones, images of women, by 33 wallflower 33

graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

abandoned building with windows boarded up, graffiti

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building , someone has written free gaza and someone else has added from hamas

collage made with layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building at 55 Elm street

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building, including a braid and a small heart

layers of ripped graffiti paste ups and posters on wall of an abandoned building with graffiti text written across the top that says Jesus is God

This building, 55 Elm, is at the east end of a row of bay & gable houses from the late 1800s.  All of them are empty and boarded up, awaiting the usual fate of such properties in this city.  The image below is a screenshot of the row of houses that was included in the 2021 City of Toronto report (pdf) that designated the row as heritage properties.  The study was prompted by the possible tear down of one of the houses in 2019.  In other words, these have been empty for a long time.

bay and gable houses on elm street, 57 to 71 Elm

  These houses back onto a large parking lot.  The last few photos are a quick look at remains behind.

graffiti on the back of a brick building, pink, large 3 letters,

graffiti text tags on the back of empty houses

exterior stairs at back of house, two storeys, leading to turquoise doors

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

graffiti on back of abandoned houses

back of building, looking up to rooftop and metal vents, tall skyscraper condos in the background, used to be matagali restaurant, sign still there

an evening out

Posted: August 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, people, stores, transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

This used to be Yonge Dundas Square (photo below) – soon it will be Sankofa Square. Or at least I think that’s what’s happening as there was some controversy over the name change. Although the name Yonge Dundas is very dull and unimaginative, that is what we’ve become accustomed to calling it. Some of us still claim that the Leafs play at the ACC or that the Blue Jays call the SkyDome home – yeah, we can be rather slow!

Whatever its name, that intersection is usually a colourful place on a summer evening.

musician, yonge dundas square, people watching red umbrellas

So that is where I started walking late in the afternoon the other day.  The walk was rather meandering, and did include a quick hop on a streetcar or two.  The weather was perfect and the streets were alive.  It was nice to see so many people out enjoying the evening.  Many (all?) of the curbside patios were busy too.

two men and a women talking and walking together

a man waits by bus shelter on dundas outside of H and M store

women walking, summer evening, two are talking, one is carrying a drink

below: Spiderman sits on a chair waiting for someone to hang out with.

spiderman sits in a chair

man sitting on bench inside bus shelter, people getting on and off streetcar, reflections,

reflections in a window, two levels of interior, with drug store and pharmacy on the lower level

a man sitting on sidewalk in blue t shirt, pan handling, two people on bike waiting for green light to cross Bay street

young man, topless, on skateboard, on street

a topless young man wearing a hat and jeans, and carrying a bag over his shoulder, in middle street, police car passes by, people on sidewalk turn to look because police car has short blast of the siren

below: Garfield is not amused (but he is shiny… or is that why he’s grumpy?)

clothing for sale, on sidewalk, at dundas and spadina, flatbed towtruck on street

two motorcycles parked, a pigeon on the sidewalk, and a couple at a table outside seven lives restaurant in kensington

a young couple on a pink motor scooter

below: On a balcony in Kensington, a war protest or at least a pro-Ukraine and anti-Russian statement.   Lots of sunflowers fill the space and Putin (presumably) is hung in effigy.

on a balcony in Kensington, many sunflowers, both real and fake, plants in blue and yellow pots, an effigy of putin, and a sign that says putin murdered over 200,000 men women and children

below: August is tomato season in Ontario!

boxes and baskets of tomatoes for sale outside of fruit and vegetable market

below:Buddha prays (meditates?)

fabric hanging outside a store, one with buddha, praying

below: A rare species spotted in Kensington – a rainbow tree

patio in front of a restaurant with a blue translucent fence, and a tree with trunk wrapped in stripes of yarn knitted

below: Shadow play on a Kensington graffiti wall.

man on sidewalk in front of graffiti in Kensington

below: Laundry time

man with red bag outside a coin laundry in kensington

below: This young man still watches over College Street (mural by Jarus).

mural on upper storeys, an image of a young man seated on ground, by jarus, above fast food restaurant of gyros, shwarma, poutine, souvlaki, felafal, and fries, and more, with new condo in background, people on sidewalk

below: Lord of the Fries!

sign on sidewalk for hogtown, lord of the fries

people walking on College Street

below: A creative use of a few chairs.

three turquoise plastic chairs in front of a store, written in red paint on chairs is the word open and a red heart

reflections in the window of an uncle tetsu cheesecake store

below: Mural by roam_t.o

mural by roam t o

below: Where danger lurks around the corner, unseen and unexpected!  (mural by Tensoe2 and Nick Sweetman)

mural on the side of a dominos pizza, animal with open mouth and big teeth, looks like it is after the people walking by on the sidewalk

below: Nazare Snack Bar

two stores on Dundas West, Nazare Snack Bar, and a convenience store, evening, people on the sidewalk talking

below: Taking a rest from riding on the broom?! Hallowe’en shopping done early!

mother and daughter sitting on streetcar, mother with shopping bag from halloween store and daughter holding a black witch's broom

below: A sign that claims that Ossington is the coolest neighbourhood. Any opinions?

sign on sidewalk on dundas, at ossington, claiming ossington to be the coolest neighbourhood, streetcar and street life in the background

below: Don’t text me!

don't text me

below: “Freedom is a state of mind” (not just another brick?)

graffiti, in white, on red brick, says freedom is a state of mind

below: Graffiti, text on a poster, by Kleeshay, “All the fun things we did when we were kids never stopped being fun we just stopped doing them”

text, black on white, by kleeshay on a wall at spadina and dundas

below: “We are taught to put emphasis on our differences because it would be too dangerous if we ever realized how much we have in common “

graffiti on a garbage bin, text, black on white, by kleeshay

below: A third Kleeshay poster – “You might forget who you are if you’re surrounded by people who act like you aren’t who you are. “

poster on an exterior wall, lots of text that says

below: Turtle Island, bald eagle

bicycle parked beside a metal utility pole, graffiti on pole, bald eagle with turtle island symbol inside it

 

below: Locked up; behind bars

black and white small graffiti of a mans face, behind metal bars of a gate

below: “Respect the Space”, an urban collage on a door in Keningston. “Baby’s first pistol” – yikes!
on a white door in Kensington, mailboxes and graffiti, text saying respect this space, stickers,

below: Another collage, sort of – I find it hard to believe that someone actually taped a coffee cup to a pole… but seeing is believing?
bits of old posters on a utility pole, an A and W coffee cup taped to the pole as well

below: Nothing fancy here, but I was fascinated by the old concrete posts that are keeping this fence up. She walked in front of me as I slowed down for a closer look…..

woman walking on sidewalk, walking past a fence made of concrete posts and metal bar, metal gate

below: This final picture is for the person who mentioned that they once thought of collecting images of all the shopping carts they saw abandoned around the city. Ever since reading that comment, I see shopping carts everywhere!!

a house with small frontyard, an old metal shopping cart in the yard

below: What do you see when you walk around Toronto?

Danforth – Woodbine – Gerrard

Posted: April 7, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, history, locations, reflections, stores, transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

or thereabouts…

below: Starting point, Woodbine and Danforth

below: Small Mediah painting in the doorway, Danforth

small street art mural by mediah in the entrance to a store, people on the sidewalk, Danforth

below: Another Mediah mural, on the railway underpass on Woodbine just south of Danforth

mural by mediah, geometric shapes and colours, on an underpass

below: And again, in an alley south of Gerrard.

below: East End Love

tall narrow mural beside sidewalk on the Danforth, East End Love

below: “Humming on Woodbine”  – A hummingird and a young woman with daffodils in yellow and purple, a mural by Blazeworks at Woodbine and Danforth.

mural painted by Blazeworks in 2023, called humming on woodbine

below: Closer-up version  –  an old streetcar (when did they stop running on Danforth?  The TTC operated streetcars on Danforth from 1923 until the subway opened in the 1960s.)

below: Two storey brick stores with square facades in front.  Rows like this can be found all over the city although in many places they are being replaced. This row has probably been here for a hundred years; this section of Danforth was developed between 1910 and 1930.  The streetcar provided a commuter route and facilitated growth to the east.  The opening of the Prince Edward Viaduct (Bloor Viaduct) over the Don River in 1918 made access to downtown and the rest of the city even easier.

row of two story brick stores on danforth

below: Some stores have added features such as this little peaked facade at the front and the fancy brick work around the windows.

two storey brick store front on danforth, with small peak in roof on on side

below: Window reflections

reflections in a window of a store on Danforth, cars and stores across the street can be seen.

below: Tims stands alone

two story building with a Tim Hortons, pale pink building, no buildings on either side of it, a woman in a pink coat walks past

below: Ghost sign on Danforth, Burnett Brothers Butchers, The House of Quality.  That would be Alfred and Horace Burnett.

ghost sign for Burnett Brothers Butchers of high quality, on old brick building on the Danforth

below: Remnants of streetcar tracks can also be found on Strathmore Blvd (behind Woodbine station) that abruptly end at Cedarvale

old streetcar tracks in a street, Strathmore Blvd., that come to an end.

below:  Drink Coca-Cola – an iconic red disc. As for the rest of the sign, the font and the style of sign is still seen in many places in Toronto.

old store, now a gallery, with red round drink coca cola sign, also old sign saying confectionery

below: Soaking up the sun in front of Atop Appliances

two people in a bus shelter, one standing, one sitting, in front of store called Atop Appliances which is an old grey building with a black shingle roof

below: Spring blossoms, pretty even if they aren’t real!

mural on the side of Value village, spring scene with blossom tree and green grass, bike share bikes in a row in front of the mural

below: A line of stars

painted along the side of a red brick building, beside driveway, two stripes, a narrow white stripe on top and a wider blue stripe below. On the blue, are eight pale orange stars

below: And stars on fences in an alley

2 large stars as decorations, on old fence in an alley, crooked fence, car parked in alley, dead leaves on the ground, mossy roof on garage next door

below: Aren’t doors fascinating?  Final Notice and 2nd Final Notice.  If a door is a title to the story that lies within, what is the story that would unfold here?

old black door, with yellow spray paint, three times, that says final notice, mailbox beside the door, number 2138, crooked concrete step

below: Many little pots in a sun-filled window, looks like an attempt to jump start spring planting.

row of old store fronts on gerrard, some now home, one has large window with greenish curtains, also a lot of little pots in the sunlight, perhaps growing seeds for spring planting

below: My favorite kind of Canada Geese.  They are quiet and don’t leave little messes behind.

front yard with decorations - in the shape of canada geese with red scarves around their necks

below: Lakeside campfire at sunset on a garage door

painting on a garage door, campfire on a granite outcropping beside a lake with pine trees around it, at sunset, sky in reds, oranges, and purples

below:  Poser bunnies in a mural on Gerrard

poser bunny mural on the side of a two storey structure on gerrard street

below:  I saw a lot of these posters that day – How to fold a fitted sheet.  Once upon a time such posters had a phone number written on little flaps that you could tear off.  Now we have the dreaded QR code.  Apparently there is now something called “quishing” which is QR code phishing (I am not calling this poster fake, I am just ranting about QR codes in general – like how annoying they are on menus because now everyone has to get their phones out).

poster on wood utility pole with the title How to fold a fitted sheet

below: Secret Park  …. sshhhhh  I can’t tell you where it is.

below: Empowerment by the wading pool (this is not the Secret Park!)

below: Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church (formerly Rogers Presbyterian Church), Woodbine

front of brick building, toronto chinese mennonite church

below: Crossing the street, towards Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church, Gerrard St.

woman crossing stret with a dog on a leash dog has a purple coat on, in front of old brick church, grant african

below: Plaque of Dedication for Grant Church

Plaque outside Grant Church

Plaque of Dedication commemorating the relocation of Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church from 23 Soho Street to 2029 Gerrard Street, November 17th, 1991. 
  Grant Church Journey
In 1833 in Toronto, worship began in each other’s homes.  The meetings were held on a site on Chestnut Street.  Later, a church was built on Richmond Street.  In 1856 we moved to a hall at Queen and McCaul Streets.  In 1912 we celebrated the grand opening at University and Elm Streets, and moved to 23 Soho Street in 1929.

grant african methodist episcopal church, brick building, on gerrard,

below: St. Francis National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith, Archdiocese of Canada.

below: Semis on a slope

semi divided houses in a row on gerrard, two stories, with front porches,

below: A newer three storey residential building. I wonder how many units it has? Three at least?

new three story residence beside an older house

below: Layers

car parked in a driveway beside an older house, with a taller glass and brick condo building behind

semi houses, large trees between sidewalk and street

below: Pink house with a lot of stairs to the front door, Woodbine

below: Housing on the hill

below: A bus shelter, unfortunately it seems to be acting as housing as well.

below: May Peace Prevail on Earth in two languages (and more on the back)

4 sided pole about 8 feet high, with words written on it, may peace, also written in another language (different alphabet too)

888 Dupont

Posted: June 7, 2023 in construction, history, intersections
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

old numbers on a building, 888, removed but traces left behind, on a teal coloured wall

below:  888 Dupont Street is at the northeast corner of Dupont and Ossington.  The building was designed by Canadian architect William George Hunt and was built in 1921.  The first owner was Thomas Oswald Aked whose company Aked & Co (or Aked Worsted) was in the yarn spinning business.

old industrial warehouse building on the northeast corner of Dupont and Ossington, teal cloured cladding with lots of small square window panes, graffiti tags all over the windows, posters along the wall at street level

After World War I, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind established a broom, brush, and mop-making business to provide employment for servicemen who had lost their vision in combat.  In 1952 this business, Blindcraft, moved into 888 Dupont.

below:  The entrance to 888 Dupont is now behind a construction fence.

double grey metal doors, entrance to 888 Dupont, now behind construction fence, on three storey industrial building, first built for a yarn company, Aked and Company

In recent years the building became home to many artist studios.  Although the building was never deemed residential, some artists used it as a place to live.  They have now been evicted to make way for condo development by TAS Design.

below:  Through a gap in the window…

interior of an abandoned building with old furniture and furnishings still in the building, a shopping cart, gas pipe, trash,

outdoor sidewalk space, narrow, between old building and construction fence

side of a an empty building at 888 Dupont waiting for demolition, small space beside building with old chairs and other junk under a steel beam overhang

The building has also become a canvas for some graffiti including some protesting redevelopment in general and condos in particular.

below: Toronto vs Condos

two stickers on a city development notice that instead of saying toronto vs everybody, say toronto vs condos

below: “I told you that… with guns get what they want”.  Some of the words are covered but the meaning is still clear.

poster protesting condo development, picture of a gun, text that says I told you that those with the gun wins

below: Poster – Who can afford to live here?  Which one of you can afford this?

graffiti poster with lots of text, weathered and difficult to read

below: Large one-eyed daisy by Life© (life in the streets)

large one eyed daisy. blue eye, graffiti on an abandoned building

a poster on a construction site for Tilley clothing, graffiti too

posters, advertising grapefruit gin cocktail drink by Muskoka brewery, on a wall at a construction site with graffiti

posters on the wall of a construction site including a large map of the world with pairs of baby shoes around it (large photo)

below: Liars – Doug Ford (Ontario Premier) and John Tory (ex-Toronto mayor).

sticker on a city blue and white development notice sign, faces of Doug Ford and John Tory with the word Liars

below: Happy little family? Pasteup by 33wallflower33

pasteups on a piece of plywood on a wall, car, three members of a family, mother, father, and daughter in a line, just their faces

southeast corner of building, 888 Dupont, now empty and covered with graffiti

graffiti on a wall

orange construction sign, pedestrians use other sidewalk, with stickers and pasteups on it, an old car in black and white

Moving Toronto

Posted: May 12, 2023 in history, public art, transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

…for 100 years.  At the moment there is a selection of old TTC photos on display at Pape subway station in celebration of 100 years of Toronto Transit.

below: Already  lining the walls at Pape Station are images of Pape station itself and the surrounding neighbourhood. This is ‘Sources/Derivations’ by Allan Harding MacKay.   You can see the reflections of one of the old TTC photos in this section of MacKay’s artwork.

reflections of pape station sign, from the artwork on the walls of that station

The TTC posters are at platform level between the westbound and eastbound trains so you can look at them while waiting for a train.

below: First Pride bus, 2008

photo on display at pape subway station, from 2008, first Pride bus at Pride parade in Toronto, a woman in colourful clothes is walking in front of the bus

below: People waiting for the North Yonge bus at Eglinton station, 1950s

old photos of the TTC on display at Pape subway station, black and white photo old North Yonge bus at Eglinton station 1950s with people waiting to get on the bus. A stopped TTC subway car is behind the poster, a man in red is standing by the window

below: Waiting for the subway. “Line 1 customers ride the higher capacity Toronto Rocket (TR) subway train on its 2011 launch. By 2017, Line 1 had grown by 8.6 km.”

A subway train is stopped behind a poster at the station. on the poster is the back of a woman in a black parka with fur lined hood as she in turn is standing by a ttc subway train

below: Two posters, two eras. On the left: “A chartered TTC bus circles outside Rosedale station in 1961 as it awaits passengers.  Only one other station, Davisville, from the original 12 was a surface station.”  On the right: “Rushing to catch a Peter Witt streetcar along its Yonge Street route on a summer day in 1930.

people waiting on the platform of pape station, with posters of history of ttc on display

below: “A TTC car picks up scholars with disabilities outside their school in the 1920s.”  A couple with their COVID masks on sit in front of more images from ‘Sources/Derivations’ by artist Allan Harding MacKay.

an older Asian couple in covid masks sit on a bench at pape station platform, waiting for a train, posters of black and white old ttc photos on display between the tracks

below: “On a warm day in 1994, customers eagerly wait to board an Articulated Light Rail Vehicle streetcar along Queen Street at University Avenue.

platform level of pape subway station, woman on phone, artwork on walls by MacKay, poster of old TTC streetcar

reflections of building on Danforth ear Pape, tower with green domed roof, from the artwork on the walls of that station

way up Yonge Street

Posted: April 14, 2022 in construction, history, intersections, locations, stores
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

between Steeles and Drewry/Cummer.

Once it was the hinterland but now it feels like the city just goes on and on and on….

below: In 1955 this was the view looking south on Yonge from just north of Cummer/Drewry. This was the center of the community of Newtonbrook, named after the Newton Brook Wesleyan Church founded in 1857.  A general store and post office were opened here in 1863 on the northeast corner of Yonge & Drewry (possibly the buildings on the right side of this photo).

black and white photo of yonge street looking south from Cummer

photo credit: James Victor Salmon, found on Toronto Public Library website (public domain).

below: It’s not taken from exactly the same viewpoint (traffic!) but this is what you see looking south on Yonge Street now.

yonge street, looking south from drewry and cummer, large new condo development with 3 cranes, some traffic,

below: Looking north up Yonge Street from just south of Cummer/Drewry.  The large house is on the southeast corner of Cummer and Yonge.

old black and white photo of yonge street,

photo credit: Tim Chirnside, found on Toronto Public Library website (public domain)

below: The intersection of Yonge and Cummer (to the east) and Drewry (to the west) today.   The large house in the black and white photo above would be on the far right of this picture.

northeast corner of cummer and yonge, large red brick apartment building, small strip malls

below: Yonge Street is also Provincial Highway 11.

toronto street signs, cummer ave., yonge street, as well as provincial highway 11 sign for yonge street

below: It is a major transportation/transit route.

GO bus stop and Viva bus stop markers on yonge street

below: Happy Nowruz! or in other words, Happy New Year!  It is the Iranian New Year; the beginning of spring; a new day!  The banners were by sponsored by Tirgan, an organization that “promotes cross-cultural dialogue between Iranian-Canadians and the global community at large.”

red banner on utility pole on yonge street that says happy nowruz

below: There are many other cultures that are well represented in this part of the city.

signs for stores, restaurants and businesses on yonge street, popeyes louisiana kitchn, legal services, accountant, mary's cosmetic clinic, etc

small hand written sign that says big parking lot

cleaning up in front of a new building on yonge street

below: Like so many parts of Toronto, there is a lot of redevelopment taking place. Blue and white development notice signs are everywhere.

blue and white development notice sign on vacant lot on yonge street, houses, and newer highrises in the background, residential area, Newtonbrook

crooked metal fence around a vacantlot that has been paved over, yonge street, about to be redeveloped

man adjusting signs on hoardings around a construction site

view southward on yonge street, behind chainlink fence

below: To be (possibly) replaced by 25 storeys, 347 residences and a daycare.

sign print shop storefront with development notice sign in front

below: Seoul Plaza with it’s Korean BBQ restaurant and other businesses (not all Korean) – also with a development notice sign in front.  I’m not sure of the size of the development but it looks like your average  20ish storeys on podium condo.

Seoul Plaza on Yonge street, restaurant and businesss, with blue and white development notice sign in front

strip mall on Yonge street with cars parked in front, Arzon Super Market, Papa Cafe, nanaz Salon, plus other businesses

billboard that says bigger and better, on yonge street, pedestrians on sidewalk

below: Looking south from Moore Park Ave

looking south on the west side of yonge from Moore Park Ave., people walking on sidewalk, stores and restaurants

below: Looking north to the intersection of Yonge and Steeles.  Steeles Ave has been the northern boundary of the City of Toronto since 1953.  All of the tall buildings in this picture are north of Steeles and are in Thornhill (York Region).

looking north up yonge street to the intersection of yonge and steeles with many highrises north of steeles

looking down a short alley to a pale grey side of a house, same grey as building on north side of alley

below: Pro Ukraine stencil graffiti.

spray paint stencil graffiti, black trident on blue and yellow map of ukraine

below: I’m not sure what the spring will do but someone has been putting up a lot of posters for the Communist Party.

graffiti text sprayed on map and wall of bus shelter says the spring will (illegible), partially removed posters below that for communist party

communist party posters on a grey metal street boxcommunist party posters on a red box on the sidewalk

old Christmas decorations and empty buckets behind a restaurant

man sitting in a bus shelter, brick apartment building behind him

graffiti of a cartoon like young man with a big red nose

a touch of spring

Posted: March 12, 2022 in graffiti and street art, intersections, locations, public art, reflections
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

It seems like it’s been a long winter with more extended periods of colder temperatures as well as never ending snow.  Last weekend was the first sign that maybe spring would arrive this year …. before the snow came back!  Here are a few things that I saw on my walk last Sunday while out enjoying some warm sunshine.

below: A sign of the times; a sign for the coming spring.

wood letters on wood fence that say Outside We Will Live Again

CN Tower with Gardiner Expressway in front, signs for exit for Bay, York, and Yonge streets,

below:  There is still a large parking lot on the corner of Rees and Queens Quay.  It may be the last piece of undeveloped property along this part of the waterfront.

parking booth at parking lot on northwest corner of Rees and Queens Quay, tall condos and aprtments in the background, also the Gardiner Expressway

below: Clearing away the piles of snow.

a front end loader removes snow from the waterfront, with the Empire Sandy, boat, parked right beside

below: The skating rink beside the Power Plant is melting quickly.  The designs painted on the concrete below provide a bright contrast to the towers of glass and steel nearby.

ice melting on skating rink by power plant, pink and blue designs painted on the concrete below, highrises in the background, looking northeast from walkway by waterfront

below: Same spot as above but this time looking northwest.

melting ice on the skating rink, looking northwest

below: On the south wall of The Power Plant, a large image of the artist, Sasha Huber, on top of a Swiss mountain.

large picture on the outside, south, wall of the The Power Plant. A picture of the artist, Sasha Huber, planting a sign and plaque for Rentyhorn, renaming a Swiss mountain.

“Rentyhorn” (2008) is part of a campaign to rename Agassizhorn, a Swiss mountain peak. Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) was a Swiss glaciologist who became convinced that Blacks were an inferior species and that he could prove it. Renty was an enslaved woman who was one of a group forcibly photographed by Agassiz in his attempt to prove his theory. There is more of this story, and more of Huber’s work, on display in the gallery.

below: Reflections and distortions in the windows of The Power Plant.

reflections of Canada Square in the glass of the north wall of the Power PLant

below: Queens Quay

cyclists ride by on Queens Quay, past a box on the sidewalk painted in an abstract design

below: “Compartment Earth” in the lobby of RBC WaterPark Place building on Queens Quay.   It is 16,000 pounds of stainless steel; a sculpture by American artist Roxy Paine.

large metal spherical shaped sculpture in the glass surrounded lobby of rbc waterpark building on Queens Quay

below: Work continues on the park, Love Park, that replaces the old York Street exit ramp from the Gardiner Expressway.

waiting to cross Queens Quay at York, by black hoardings around redevelopment of Love Park,

large letters, L O V E spell love on black haordings, letters are decorated in abstract patterns in pink, yellow, and blue

below: Esmaa Mohamoud‘s large image titled: ” The Brotherhood FUBU (For Us, By Us)” covers 37 x 144 feet (or 11 x 44 metres).

a very large photo of two men high on a wall overlooking the street, Bay street, a group of three people with luggage is walking by

below: Looking up to the blue sky.

reflections and angles on large tall gkass buildings, lots of sky and cloud reflections

below: Part art, part health, this is “Visoleil” in the lobby of the new CIBC Square.  A glowing circle of light to lift the spirits during the grey of a Toronto winter.   I went on a Sunday and the doors were locked so I couldn’t get closer.  Unfortunately, it’s probably gone by now as it was scheduled to be removed on 11th March.

large round white light, lit, inside the entrance of an office building, behind glass, art exhibit, Glowing Orb

below: Also at CIBC Square, “Light Stolen from the Sun” by Steve Driscoll.   This new CIBC building on (by the new GO Station and across from Union Station) has been under construction for a few years now.  It isn’t quite finished.

behind construction fence, coloured glass ready to install inside a new office building

below: Looking through the front window you can catch a glimpse of this magnificent piece of backlit glass.  Apparently there are twelve.  This is something that I am definitely going to come back to see!

looking in the window of the new CIBC building in downtown Toronto, interior glass windows, very tall, of a scene with red leaves on tree and blue sky,

below: Street closed.  Construction.

Lower Simcoe street closed to traffic because of construction

below: More construction, King and John.

a man walks across intersection of John and King, with construction

below: Development notice on Crocodile Rock… yikes, 68 storeys proposed at Adelaide and Duncan.

blue and white city of toronto development notice on wall of Crocodile Rock

below: Northeast corner of Adelaide and Duncan

northeast corner of intersection of Adelaide and Duncan with Crocodile Rock bar on the corner

below: Hoardings on Lower Simcoe street – “A Stroll Through the City” by Camilla Teodoro

pictures painted on hoardings around building

below: Looking west on Front Street from Bay with Union Station, CN Tower, Royal Bank building, and the Royal York Hotel.

Front Street in front of Union station

below: In Simcoe Park (Front Street), there is an aluminium sculpture by British artist Anish Kapoor.  It was installed in 1995.

public art, mountains, amid the trees (real) in Simcoe Park

below: Outside Metro Hall, a banner promoting COVID-19 vaccination in kids.

city of Toronto banner promoting vaccination of kids against covid

below: Snarky graffiti – “It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.”

text graffiti on white paper pasteup

below: Signs on traffic construction cones

beside construction equipment, orange and black traffic cone with yellow poster that says At what cost?

on the sidewalk by a construction sign,orange and black traffic cone with yellow poster that says You're Not Alone

by painted curb between road and bike lane, orange and black traffic cone with yellow poster that asks Two Weeks?

below: Protest posters and graffiti. Anti condo development & corrupt landlords. Mercury contamination of water.

graffiti and posters on the side of a red metal newspaper box on the sidewalk. I'm feeling blue sticker, and an anti development poster saying greed is bad

posters and graffiti on a metal box

pasteup graffiti on metal box on sidewalk, eyes, text,

November paper

Posted: December 7, 2021 in graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

below: It’s Okay to forgive yourself, today, tomorrow, and every day after that

poster graffiti that says It's okay to forgive yourself, a white cloud is giving a pink blob a big hug and they are both sitting on top of a globe of the earth

below: A greeting from a bright and cheerful Prideosaur

sticker of a blue dinosaur with rainbow horns, striped tail and rainbow spots on its back, prideosaur

below: Sign at 4422 says “Get Out of Here”

poster graffiti, black and white drawing

below: Hoardings on Dundas West with bruho, urban ninja, sketchrat, life in the streets, las mujeres vampiro, and looney spoons.

below:  Eyes in collages large size pasteups at Trinity Bellwoods Park

2 green sheds at Trinty Bellwoods Park, with graffiti on them, a man walking past pushing a stroller

below: Names on a pole, left behind in Graffiti Alley by Max, Lily, James, Keira, Leah, The Gamer, and others (a class project?)

stickers on a pole, different people's names

below: Look.  Look at my cat.

poster on a concrete pole - picture of a cat's head and face with words, look, look at my cat

below: So many questions weighing heavy.

graffiti alley stickers including urban ninja squadron, t bonez on one knee while carrying a large yellow cube on his back. cube has white question mark on each face

below: Found behind bars

sticker of an abstracted man's face on glass behind metal grille

below: Hello! Happy to see you

black line drawing graffiti on red and white hello sticker, on a pole beside a black marker on white paint happy face

below: Devilish skateboarder

sticker of a togo wearing, sandal wearing, many with devil horns, on a skateboard

below: A plethora of stickers

many stickers on the back of a Toronto street sign

below: Stay safe!

sticker that says stay safe on a panel for button for pedestrian crossing

below: A face only a mother could love… maybe… He’s got one smiley face ear and another not so happy ear.

a woman walks past a box with graffiti on it including two stickers, an ugly man's face and a t bonez tropical shirt

below: ring around the pole by the same artist, OzoHOH? 0zohok?

stickers on a metal ring around a wood utility pole

below: zonr and more visual noise

stickers on a pole, zonr, urban ninja squadron in red

below: words, maybe girl dutch with something intense and ending with half woman.

poster graffiti on a wood pole, cursive writing, many words, black on white

below: I love you says a pink monkey

stickers on poles in graffiti alley

below: Now you know what’s in the Ninth Circle of Hell. In Dante’s “Inferno” the Ninth Circle was a frozen lake, a place devoid of love and warmth where Satan resided. The Ninth was also the innermost circle, reserved for those who have committed the worst sins which in Dante’s view were treachery and betrayal. Souls are frozen in the lake. Those whose treachery wasn’t quite so bad were frozen with their heads above the ice. Others were buried deeper. Lucifer, the archangel who betrayed God, is trapped waist-deep in the ice.

poster on a utility pole, lots of words with first line being climate change is the ninth circle of hell

below: A twist on blue Grumpy Care Bear – is he thinking about Climate Change?!

city crew sticker on a pole, also a blue care bear sticker, painted wall behind the pole

below: You’re welcome!

pink bordered sticker with three cheering women, words say thanks

Older Entries