Posts Tagged ‘Toronto’

Some of the art installations from Nuit Blanche remain available for viewing this week.
Two of them are near Jarvis and Gerrard.

below: As you travel south on Jarvis Street, just before Gerrard, you can see a billboard art installation, ‘Refugees run the seas’ by Francisco Fernandos Granados.  The accompanying sign says:  “‘Refugees run the seas’ draws and diverts from pop culture as a way to invite the viewer to imagine a future where justice for migrants exists.  The work evokes past and present scenes of harrowing escape while allowing the possibility of a time to come when those seeking refuge will be agents of movement, rather than victims.”

“Refugees run the seas ’cause we own our own boats” is a line from Wyclef Jean’s rap in Shakira’s song ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ in case you were wondering how this billboard “draws and diverts from” pop culture.

a billboard on a city street. it is blue with just the words on it that say Refugees run the seas cause we own our own votes

below: In the Children’s Conservatory at Allan Gardens is another installation.  This one is titled “Sphinx” and it is by Luis Jacob of Toronto.   According to the Nuit Blanche sign: “Toronto is changing before our eyes.  Neighbourhoods and skylines are transformed seemingly overnight while the social fabric of the city is altered in ways that are difficult to discern.  Come in and see the ‘Sphinx’, who poses questions that we want ardently to ask.”

The hands and fingers of this tall and imposing headless man are forming a frame that is apparently supposed to capture our attention.  When you walk into the conservatory it’s definitely not the hands that you notice. The hands are way above the line of sight.   Of course, one could ask why he has no clothes and does having no head enhance the artwork.  Can you ask questions if you have no mouth, no voice?  And are the questions ardently wanted or ardently asked?  hmmm….

There are books and pamphlets in display cases around the room.  These publications are all about Toronto and they date back as far as 50 years ago.  No, you can’t access the books, you can’t open or read them.  I’m not sure what information they are supposed to add to the exhibit.

In a glass walled and glass roofed conservatory, a white statue of a headless naked man stands on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Two men are looking at a display on a table in the left of the picture.

 

#snbTO

below: Coke, Dole juice, Diet Coke, Fanta orange, cans, cans, and more cans.

Three women check out bundles of crushed pop cans that are bundled for recycling. They are stacked two bundles high making a low wall beside the sidewalk.

below: Coors beer, Canada Dry, Nestea, more Fanta, more Coke, all crushed and ready to be recycled.

Crushed alumiium cans ready to be recycled

The City of Toronto collected about 200,000 tonnes of blue bin recyclables in 2014.   Since a tonne equals 1,000 kilograms, that’s 200,000,000 kilos of recyclable plastic bottles, pop cans, tin cans etc.

Crushed plastic bottles ready to be recycled

Crushed plastic bottles ready to be recycled

Piles of crushed recyclables collected from Toronto’s blue bins are stacked along Bay Street beside City Hall.  They will be part of an installation entitled ‘There is No Away’ for Nuit Blanche this coming weekend.  This work was sponsored by the city’s Solid Waste Management committee and put together by artist Sean Martindale.    This installation hopes to raise awareness of just how much garbage we produce and throw “away”.

A bundle of old rusty tin cans that have been crushed and pack into large bundles ready to be recycled.

 

 

 

 

 

Renfrew Place, near Queen Street West and University Avenue.

Another alley, another collection of graffiti and street art.

below: Lovebot strides over speed bump warnings.

A yellow sign warning of speed bumps in the lane has a big lovebot sticker in the middle of it. Buildings in the background.

Street art on an alley garage that covers the whole of the front including garage door and entranceway. On the entrance door is a greenish horned three eyed, big teeth monster

rasr tag on the upper story of a building in an alley . another tag under it that also covers a door.

door in an alley is covered with a street art piece in golds, reds and white

back of a building in an alley, beside a parked car, is covered with swirls of pink, orange and yellow street art. There are a couple of abstract faces in the swirls.

back of a building in an alley is covered with swirls of pink, orange and yellow street art. There are a couple of abstract faces in the swirls.

Two signs on a wall covered in street art in pinks, yellows and oranges. One sign is a Tow Zone sign, i.e. no parking. The other sign has an arrow pointing to Queen mother bar garden.

below: The Korean Grill House restaurant is at the corner of Queen West and McCaul.

The back of the Korean Grill House restaurant, and the alley that its in. There is lots of street art on it. Two red garbage bins are also in the picture and they too have graffiti on them.

below:  This mural by elicsr is on the corner of Renfrew Place and John Street.

a mural by artist elicsr on the side of a convenience store. The side of the building faces an alley. A large man and woman are in the mural and they are wearing red crowns. The woman has a young girl sitting in her arms. There is another man in the mural, he covers the back entrance to the building.

two pictures, both part of a mural by elicsr. On the left is a man in a brown and olive green adidas jacket. He is wearing a brown baseball cap with the letters ELX on it. On the right is a picture of a woman with her arm wrapped around a young girl. She is writing a letter.

A painting of Frida Kahlo on a wall. Larger than life size. She has a purple shawl around her shoulders.

line drawing of a dinosaur on a wall beside a door.

A street art piece in grey tones with some black and white, by gino.graffiti (that is how he has signed it). Done in 2015. In an alley beside a black metal door.

The back of a couple of buildings in an alley, covered with graffit, mostly tags. One says Herbs and another says Near. A beige car is parked there too.

A street art painting is wearing away revealing the red brick underneath. A pink bunny is still partly visible. The word gwap is written above the rabbit's ears.

the demolition of a building has made it easier to see some street art and signs on the upper part of the side of a building. One is the word Alveno (or maybe Alvend) written in large block letters. Another is a colourful geometric design.

Toronto’s newest street sign

A blue and white Toronto street sign that says Reggae Lane. Some stores and a tree are in the background.

Reggae Lane is a small lane on the south side of Eglinton West, between Marlee and Oakwood.
It is home to a new mural that celebrates the many reggae musicians from Toronto.

below: A Heritage Toronto plaque marks the spot.  It tells the story of Jamaican immigration and the reggae music they brought to Canada with them.   A transcription of the plaque appears at the bottom of this post.

plaque with the title "Toronto's Reggae Roots" with three photos as well as a story of Jamaican immigrants to Toronto and the story of reggae music in Toronto

 

The mural was painted over the course of three weeks by Adrian Hayles with the help of some young painters.

below:  Appearing in the mural: Reggae musicians from Toronto – Pluggy Satchmo, Bernie Pitters, Leroy Sibbles, Lord Tanamo, Jay Douglas, Stranger Cole, Johnny Osbourne, Jojo Bennett, Nana McLean, Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Brown, Otis Gayle, Joe Isaacs, and Carol Brown.   Bob Marley is also in the mural as are the Skatalites, one of the groups that started it all; they began recording ska music in the mid 1960s.

View of a 1200 square foot mural by Adrian Hayles that depicts many different reggae musicians. This photo was taken from the second floor of the building next door so the camera is looking down across the parking lot towards the mural. Eglinton Avenue is seen behind the mural.

below: “Reggae, The King’s Music” is a reference to Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia (1930-1974) who was born Tafari Makonnen.   Before becoming emperor, he was known as Ras Tafari where Ras means Duke or Prince (depending on the translation).  Hence the name Rastafari.   The Rastafari movement began in Jamaica after the coronation of Haile Selassie.  To them, Selassie was not just a black king, he was the messiah.

Part of a very colourful mural depicting various reggae musicians -

Although it didn’t become a musical genre until the 1960s, reggae also has it’s roots in Jamaica. Reggae and Rasta have become closely linked.   Reggae has spread the Rasta message and Rastafari musicians like Bob Marley have popularized reggae music.

below: The radio station CFRB once had a Sunday evening reggae program.

Part of a very colourful mural depicting various reggae musicians - A large hand with a finger pointing to the right with the letters C F R B above it. Two musicians are also in the picture.

below: The Lion of Juda is a Rastafarian symbol.  It comes from the fact that as Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Sealssie’s full title was “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah”.  The lion also appears in the middle of the Ethiopian flag.

Part of a very colourful mural depicting various reggae musicians - a black man in a green hat, a lion's face and the words, Adrian Hayles production

Part of a very colourful mural depicting various reggae musicians - A man wearing headphones and a baseball cap is playing a guitar.

plaque: “Toronto’s Reggae Roots

In the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated 100,000 Jamaicans immigrated to Canada. Many settled in Toronto on Eglinton Avenue West, between Oakwood Avenue and Allen Road, in “Little Jamaica”, which became the centre of one of the largest Jamaican expatriate communities in the world.
Among these immigrants were popular reggae artists who brought their music to Toronto. Reggae record stores and recording studios began opening up in this neighbourhood. Leroy Sibbles (the influential bass guitar player and lead vocalist of The Heptones), Jackie Mittoo, The Cougars, Ernie Smith, Johnny Osborne, and Stranger Cole all performed and recorded in Toronto during this period. Despite the rich talent in and around Little Jamaica, early Canadian reggae struggled to find mass appeal. However, later generations of Toronto reggae artists achieved mainstream success, including Juno Award winners Lillian Allen, Messenjah, and the Sattalites.”

 

The project was funded by the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto program, with support from Metrolinx, Councillor Josh Colle’s office, the Macaulay Centre for Child and Youth Development, the Toronto Parking Authority and the York-Eglinton BIA.  It was also supported by the STEPS Initiative.

 Waterfront Outdoor Photo Exhibit

For the past four years, the Waterfront BIA has organized a photography contest.  East year fifty finalists are chosen.  This year they have organized a photo exhibit of a different kind.  One hundred and fourteen images were chosen from the 200 finalists from their previous photo contests.  These images were used (and cropped!) to make vertical banners, 5 ft x 2 ft in size.   The banners are made of vinyl and the same image is on both sides.

below: You can see many of the banners on Queen’s Quay between Yonge and Bathurst.

Looking west on Queens Quay towards Bathurst street. New TTC streetcar is in the photo as well as a number of condos and other buildings on the north side of the street

Picture of round orange life ring on the edge of the waterfront in Toronto.

Three pictures in one. Each of the pictures is of a banner hanging from a pole outside. On the left is a picture of seagull, in the middle is a picture of two houses and on the right is a winter waterfront scene

A pole with a vinyl banner with a colourful picture of boats. Also on the pole is a street sign that says Yo Yo Ma Lane

looking towards the waterfront. A banner with a picture of the Canadian flag is on a post by a tree in the foreground. The old silos for Canada Malting Company are in the background as is a boat moored beside the silos.

A banner with a picture of a seagull on it. In the background of the banner picture is the CN Tower. In the background of this photo, there is also the CN Tower.

 

below: Sometimes it’s difficult to see the banners amongst all the other things along Queen’s Quay

TTC streetcar on Queens Quay

below: There are also some banners on Lakeshore Blvd between Bathurst and Spadina.

A woman is walking on a sidewalk, away from the camera, beside the Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto. There are a few cars on the road. There are skyscrapers in the background. The elevated highway, the Gardiner Expressway, is also in the picture.

A composite of three pictures, each of a vertical banner hanging from a pole outdoors along a street. One banner is a kayaker in the harbour in front of the Toronto skyline. Another is a sunset over Toronto skyline on a cloudy day

Today was the first day of TIFF.

A middle aged Asian woman poses in front of the orange tiff 3D sign on King Street. A girl is sitting on the corner of it, looking off the picture to the right.

Happy 40th birthday to TIFF!

Three people walking past a bright poster for TIFF's 40th year. A burst of pink and orange colour around the number 40, all on a black background.

King Street is closed between University and Spadina for a few days so I thought I’d wander through the TIFF party to see what was happening.   I played ‘follow the crowd’.

below:  Who are we looking for?  I wasn’t sure, but hey, why not wait and see?

A crowd of people is waiting by the side entrance to the TIFF Lightbox theater.

Close up of a policeman's face. He is wearing reflective sunglasses and the crowd is reflected in them.

below: Widmer Street was closed to traffic

line of people waiting by a barricade at the end of a street. Queen Street west stores are in the background.

…. except for a few black Cadillac Escalades.

two lines of black Cadillac Escalades, looking down the lines to a group of people behind a barricade with a policeman standing with them.

below: I’m not sure who he was but he seems to be taking pictures of the crowd
(or is he taking a selfie?)

A short man is taking pictures of a crowd (directly towards the camera) or else he is taking a selfie with a lot of black Cadillac Escalades behind him.

 below: Sean Bean (aka Ned Stark in Game of Thrones – thanks to the woman beside me who knew who he was) in the burgundy coloured vest.   As it turns out, the movie ‘The Martian’ had just finished playing at the TIFF Lightbox and many of the cast members had been in attendance.

The actor Sean Bean (Ned Stark in Game of Thrones) is walked to a car with a security guy in the lead and a couple of other people with them.

below:  I think it’s Danny Glover; I could be wrong

actor Danny Glover being directed towards a car.

below:  Jessica Chastain, also in ‘The Martian’ worked the crowd.  She was generous and let many people take selfies with her.   Not in the picture, the three security guards who stayed close to her the whole time.   Also not in the picture, any selfie with me!

A group of fans in a crowd. One man is taking a selfie with the actress Jessica Chastain. Other people are taking photos of them.

Once Jessica passed by me, I moved away from the crowd and headed back along King Street.
I didn’t far when I spotted another, smaller, crowd.

below:  Can’t be a badass security guy with a shaved head and dark glasses!

Two security guards stand on steps outside a building. One has a dark suit on, the other is wearing jeans and a grey vest. Both have shaved heads and dark sunglasses.

 I struck up a conversation with one of the Escalade drivers.   He told me that Matt Damon was due to come out in about 20 minutes after some sort of press event.  That’s when I clued in to the fact that the people who got into the big black SUVs two blocks back had only been chauffeured to this place!  Since I missed Matt Damon the first time around, I decided to stay.   Besides, the crowd was friendly and chatty and I was having a good time.

blog_groupies_straining

below: Sebastien Stan walks to a car after signing a few autographs.   When he first came out the door, there were a few, “Who’s that?”.  The answers were almost all, “Captain America”.

blog_groupies_sebastien_captain_america

blog_groupies_window

blog_groupies_policeman_crowd

  below: Naomi Watt made an appearance too.
Hey, she’s not in “The Martian”, but I didn’t know that at the time!

Actress Naomi Watts signs autographs while a security guard looks on.

Okay, okay, you all just want to know if Matt Damon let me take his picture.

below: One burly security guard stepped in front of me and almost destroyed the moment.
Note the shaved head. No sunglasses though.

The back of the head of a security guy. His head is shaved except for the top part. He is wearing a wire. Matt Damon and another security guy are out of focus in the background.

Matt Damon is directed towards a vehicle by a driver and a security guard.

Apparently George Clooney, Sandra Bullock and Helen Mirren, were at TIFF today.
I missed them; they’ll have to wait until next time.

#TIFF15

And the point of the game is this:

blog_CN_Tower_arrow

How many views of the CN Tower do you think there are?
I suspect the answer is something like “bazillions” but I am willing to try to see how many I can find.

below: From far away. Looking eastward across Lake Ontario from Humber Bay park.

looking across a hazy Lake Ontario to the TOronto skyline

Some of these views you have probably seen before…  and perhaps many times before.
But, I  hope that some of these views are new to you.

below: Zipline at Canada Square, part of EpicIsOn event

blog_CN_Tower_zipline

below: From the east, across Sherbourne Common, late afternoon

Sherbourne Common looking towards downtown and the CN tower. Splash pad with fountains in the foreground with late afternoon sun shining on the water

below:  And from the west

blog_cn_tower_night

  below: Behind a busy intersection, King and Spadina

the intersection of King and Spadina in Toronto with a wide angle lens. People are crossing the street, there is a streetcar and lots of streetcar wires. THe LCBO and Winners are in the background as well as the CN Tower
The CN tower between two skyscrapers

blog_CN_Tower_rigging

below: behind Queen St. West

Looking towards shops on Queen Street West with the CN Tower behind.

Musicians play on the rood of the Fairland grocery store in Kensington. The CN Tower is a bit hazy but it is visible in the background.

below: The CN Tower peaks out from between the pencil supports at OCAD

Looking through the pencil like supports to the black and white upper lever addition to OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design). The CN TOwer and other tall toronto buildings are in the background.

This post is a continuation of another CN Tower post, Always in the way, from last year.

Toronto Labour Day Parade 
Monday 7th September
from Queen & University to the CNE

A group walks in a labour day parade, they are carrying a red banner that says A union for everyone. THey are also carrying red unifor flags.

Two people in a labour day parade. The man is wearing wonder woman sunglasses.

A man holds a banner in the Labour day parade, only part of the banner can be seen but it is for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

A group walking in a lbaour day parade, they are carrying a large banner that says I am ready for change, the Union of hospitality workers

Two women in black caps and T-shirts are walking in a labour day parade. One of them is carrying a Canadian flag

A large group from OPSEU SEFPO union walk in a labour day parade behind a large banner stating Standing Up For Workers Rights and good jobs for all. they are wearing blue t-shirts.

Four women in purple t-shirts from SEIU healthcare union walk in a labour day parade. One woman is wearing sunglasses with agents of change written on them. Another woman has the words The Social Picketer written on the front.

Two people walking in a Labour Day parade. One of them has a small circular sign covering her face with a picture of a pair of glasses on it, and the words library worker on it.

A group of people walk in a labour day parade

I man from the shoulders up. He is wearing a camo like t-shirt and hat with the ironworkers union label, and he is standing in front of a blue ironworkers flag.

An IATSE union group walks in a parade, Stagehands according to the banner that they are carrying.

A girl in a blue hat and holding a unifor union flag sits on a flatbed truck in a labour day parade. An Asian woman sits beside her.

A group of people walks in a labour day parade wearing orange t-shirts and carrying small flags that say Vote for Historic Change

A young man waves a pennant for the ONA, Ontario Nursing Association, as he walks in labour day parade

A t-shirt hanging in the window of a car. It has a picture of Stephen Harper wearing a crown and the words No More Democracy. There is a button on the t-shirt that says Harper's last day, 19th October 2015.

Four kids with flags walking in a labour day parade with their parents.

A black woman wearing a brightly coloured hat is waving a small sign that says I am not alone. She is walking in a labour day parade with a group from local 75

workers from local 183 union walk in a labour day parade while carrying union flags

Three people stand on the sidewalk by La Abuela, a Peruvian restaurant. A young girl is holding a CBC sign above her head while her father stands beside her. A woman in black burka and white head scarf is also on the sidewalk.

A young woman is holding up a sign about youth cares about and then it lists a few things like employment, tuition fees, unions, climate and the environment, at a Labour day parade

A woman carries a purple parasol as she walks in a labor day parade. She is wearing purple sunglasses that say Agent of Change on them

A couple look at his phone while they walk down Dufferin Ave. in front of a parade. Walkers in the parade are in ornage t-shirts in the background.

A labour day parade, people in red t-shirts walk behind a red banner for Toronto ACORN, Social Justice, Economic Justice. ACORN stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

The backs of a group walking in a labour day parade, they are wearing purple t-shirts with the words The Society of Energy Professionals, IFPTE local 160. One of the women is wearing a red hat with a Canadian flag on it.

Two women walk in a Labour day parade in support of the CBC

Labour day parade - ACTRA group walking behind a banner that says respect the artist

Men walking in a labour day parade. They are wearing baseball caps. One of them has a small union flag tucked into the back of his cap. transit workers local 113

Two kids in the back of a pick up truck in a lbaour day parade. The truck is pulling a trailer with a picture of a circle of hands

men and women from IBEW (electrical workers) walk in a labour day parade

A man carried a purple flag and wears a placard on his front with a picture of man on it. Missing person, Bernardo Flores Alcazar.  The person behind him is holding a picture of Jose A. Navarrete Gonzalez

A man who is walking in a labour day parade is carrying three signs, first Pwer work union, second Settlements based on perjury is wrong and third supressing evidence is wrong

A group walks in a parade beside a large truck that is carrying more people on the back of it. They are carrying placards and banners in support of Canada Post. There is also a yellow banner that says Smash Capitalist Austerity

Two people in a labour day parade are carrying round signs, one says national health care program and the other says a fair minimum wage.

An Asian woman holds two small NDP flags as she stands on a sidewalk on Queen St. West by the Rex bar as she watches a labour day parade

Labour day parade - two marchers, one with a sign that protests agains the WSIB and the other person's sign says This person wants justice for injured workers

Group shot of union IATSE local 873, Toronto Motion Picture Technicians, prior to walking a labour day parade

Labour Day parade - hand written signs on the side of a truck that say, My work place is safe thanks to my union, and, I retired with dignity thanks to my union

A dog has a pink bandana around his neck. He is with a group walking in a labour day parade although only their legs and feet show in the picture

An Asian woman rides her bike in a labour day parade. She is wearing a CUPE 2484 shirt. Her bike has two baskets, one in front and one behind. Both are covered with artificial flowers and buttons. She has a small NDP flag in the back basket.

A man is wearing an orange T-shirt with round green stickers and buttons on it. They all say Go Vote

Nassau Street that is, just south of College and just west of Spadina.  There is an alley that runs north from Nassau directly behind Spadina.  A dead end lane runs perpendicular to it, behind the houses on Nassau Street.  Like most alleys in Toronto, there is street art there.  Some old, some new, and unfortunately some scribbled over.  All in all, this lane is looking a little worn.

Buildings in an alley with lots of graffiti on them.

a wall with a painting of a woman's head on the left (in grey tones), a door with metal bar gate in the middle, and part of a tag like graffiti piece on the right.

large geometric street art piece on a brick wall in an alley

Black and white street art painting on a reddish brick wall, signed Jaroe

Two large poser bunnies on a wall in an alley

buildings in an alley with lots of street art on them

A lovebot and a pair of anser eyes on a wall in an alley. Lots of empty cardboard boxes on the ground by the wall.

A wall with a small window with a metal grille over it, covered in street art, with weeds and goldenrod growing up in front of it

view down an alley late in summer when there are leaves on the trees and lots of weeds growing at the edges of the pavement

An old wood door on an alley building has been painted with a large yellowish green face with big pink lips and brown teeth

graffiti on a garage door

Two black lovebot robot stickers on a yellow protective sleeve around a cable that is helping to hold up a pole.

In an alley, the back of a house is being renovated, all the windows are boarded up and some of the exterior brick has been removed. There is a metal gate across the back of the property. The garage to the left is covered with graffiti.

Newer garage in an alley with a crooked metal wire gate beside it. The garage has graffiti on the side wall and on both of its garage doors.

looking towards the end of an alley that has a large wheatpaste 3D lovebot high up on it. Beside lovebot is another wheatpaste

Wheatpaste high up on a wall, a large face like thing. The words 'dying inside' are part of the picture

below: Only the eye remains from a previous painting

Just an eye from a previous street art painting hasn't been covered by a white tag

below:  Two photos from the south side of Nassau street

Two women pushing a stroller walk past some street art on Nassau St. in Toronto, a large orange piece ta

The front and side of a garage are covered with street art. The front is not very very visible in this picture but the side is. A man from the waist up with his finger pointing upwards is beside a picture of city buidings and a poser bunny.

A summer in Toronto is a summer of small festivals all over the city.  This past weekend, a part of Spadina was closed to traffic to make way for the Chinatown Festival.

looking north from Dundas, up Spadina. Part of the street is closed to traffic to make room for the Chinatown festival. Many people are waiting at the red light.

There were dragons,

Two women under a white Chinese dragon costume and they are walking beside a black dragon, They are following a girl who is holding a white flag with red Chinese characters on it

blog_chinatown_festival_black_dragon

food,

Fried squid on sticks being barbecued at a street festival

deep fried twisted potatos for sale at an outdoor festival

demonstrations and shows,

Four kids, two girls and two boys, practice kicking as part of a muay thai demonstration on an outdoor stage at a festival

Muay thai demonstration

.

Two girls wearing shiny red dresses and gold and silver boots perform a dance on an outdoor stage. The audiencee is in the background

dancers from M. Dance school

.

magician Stephen Cheung shows a deck of cards at an outdoor show

Stephen Cheung, magician

.

A chinese woman sings on an outdoor stage at the Chinatown festival on Spadina Ave

Angel Cheng, singer

.

as well as vendors and booths

members of the Toronto Chinese Baptist church making music, singers, accordian, and guitar player

music by members of the Toronto Chinese Baptist Church

.
A girl tends a table full of cold drinks that are for sale, on the sidewalk

A young Asian boy sits on his father's shoulders