urban | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘urban’

carpets and ice

Posted: December 8, 2016 in galleries
Tags: blue, carpets, false guide, faucets, faux guide, Geological Time, Harbourfront, ice, Morocco, museum, natural history, people, pipes, Plumbers Assemblage, plumbing, prints, red, rink, shower heads, skating, skyline, taps, the power plant, urban, Yto Barrada

Yesterday afternoon I wandered into The Power Plant Art Gallery. It was late enough in the day that the sun was already low in the sky. It shone through the large windows in the main gallery and cast a warm glow on the current exhibit, works by Yto Barrada titled ‘Faux Guide’ .

The first thing you see when you enter the rooms is a collection of carpets. This is ‘Geological Time Scale’ and it consists of bright and bold red, blue, and green carpets – Beni Mguild, Marmoucha and Ait Sgougou pile rugs from Western Central, Middle Atlas, Morocco. It’s definitely eye catching and it definitely draws the viewer into the exhibit.

A series of small exhibits are arranged around the room and most of them are the result of the artist’s research on Moroccan dinosaurs, fossils, and the industry that has built up around them including the trade in fake fossils sold to tourists and museums. I have not shown most of these exhibits – I will leave it up to you to discover them.

below: “I am not exotic I am exhausted”. I suspect that this comes as Barrada’s response to living in a place (Tangiers Morroco) where tourists come to see “exotic things”. But it is also the lament of anyone trying to live and work in a place that is also a “tourist attraction”.

below: The whole of ‘A Modest Proposal’ and ‘Faux Guide’, 2015. A set of 48 posters loosely tacked to the wall. A mix of humorous and poignant. One is an alphabetical listing of all the types of dinosaurs found in Morocco. One says “Miss Colorado and Miss Finland are Moroccan” – which did happen in 2012.

below: ‘Plumber Assemblage’ by the window, with skaters outside in the fading light.

There are many, many things that you can take from this exhibit. Many things to think about.

An article in the Toronto Star claims that Barrada “explores the cultural heritage of her homeland through a colonial lens” and how that heritage has been used to make money from tourists. But…. Is this the making of money by exploiting one’s culture and history? Or the exploiting of Moroccan culture and history by the tourists?

Tourists go searching for the foreign and the exotic. Many of them are souvenir hunters – Sometimes it’s a selfie in front of every “famous” place (or interesting building or whatever) and sometimes it’s a “find”. But we live in a world that is full of ‘made in China’ souvenirs and we are a people that don’t care to distinguish between the real and the fake. We just want a story to tell the folks back home.

There were once dinosaurs living in a tropical land in what is now Morocco…. how the world has changed, and is changing. Insert your opinions on climate change here.

Because it is a collection of exhibits under one umbrella, it has been compared to a museum. Very trendy. One description of the exhibit claims that it is “Meant to make us question the ways in which museums confer value on things”. Can I take that one step further by asking, how do art galleries confer status on art and artists? Museums make curatorial choices and so do art galleries. Barrada too has surely made choices as have I.

You are probably wondering what carpets on the floor have to do with all those words that I just wrote. Good question. I think that Yto Barrada is on to something – an exhibit that has visual appeal, offends no one, and is flexible in its interpretation (i.e. it says something different to everyone and fits nicely into most people’s narratives). You can agree with me, or disagree. Best to go and see it for yourself and form your own opinions…. mine just might be fake.

below: People skating on the frozen Natrel Pond beside The Power Plant.

Yto Barrada’s exhibit will be on at The Power Plant until the 2nd of January.

back to Wilson station

Posted: December 7, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: abstract, Allen Expressway, brunosmoky, colours, concrete, face, fingers, hands, patterns, pillars, shalak, sidewalk, smoky, street, subway, TTC, urban, Wilson Ave., Wilson subway station

Back in mid October I blogged about the new murals on the south side Wilson Ave as it passes under the Allen Expressway (where Wilson subway station is).

below: Looking across Wilson Avenue to part of the mural on the south side.

When I was there last, the murals on the north side were not completed. The other day I remembered that I hadn’t seen the finished work, so I took the subway back to Wilson station to see what the pillars on the north side look like. There is more light on the north side as there are entrances to the subway along the sidewalk here. There is also more pedestrian traffic.

This side was also painted by shalak and smoky (as was the south side).

below: In the center by one of the well-lit subway entrances.

below: Looking east along Wilson Avenue.

below: A little street artist with his can of spray paint has been left in a corner.
He’s not easily spotted.

down to Coronation Park

Posted: November 16, 2016 in history, locations, memorials, nature
Tags: autumn, bad grammar, bathurst st., city, CN Tower, condos, construction, Coronation Park, Douglas Copeland, G20, graffiti, history, Inuksuk, Lake Ontario, memorial, park, Queens wharf lighthouse, sculpture, sign, soldiers, street art, street scene, streetcars, Tommy Hobbs, trees, TTC, urban, VIA Rail, Victory Peace monument, waterfront, WW2

This is another meandering blog post… a post about being out and about on yet another wonderful autumn day, going wherever my feet and eyes take me.

below: The first picture of my day was this intriguing wall made of old wooden doors. Bathurst Street.

below: A small elicser mural tucked away at the end of a parking lot. The man has his back to the viewer but I can’t figure out what’s behind him or what he might be doing.

below: The leaves have fallen off the vines to reveal a yellowish creature with his baseball cap askew.

below: Toronto’s tallest icon framed by a construction crane.

below: And on a similar note, a vacant lot cleared and ready for the next stage of its life.

below: No more cranes here (and not many vacant lots either for that matter). A view showing how much development there has been on the south side of the railway tracks. Fort York is between the tracks and the condo towers.

below: And what’s this? An old blue canoe beached on the tracks?

below: Standing guard over Bathurst Street, Fleet street and the Lakeshore, is one larger than life gold replica of a Royal Newfoundland Regiment and his fallen silver American foe. A sculpture by Douglas Copeland entitled “A Monument to the War of 1812”, a nod to nearby Fort York and the history of Toronto.

below: My favorite example of bad grammar still exists! Off-leash dog area at Coronation Park.

A beautiful day in the park. A slight November nip was in the air but it was sunny and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. Coronation Park is named in honour of the coronation of King George VI who was crowned on 12 May 1937. At that time nearly 150 trees were planted here.

Apparently, an oak tree was planted to honour the king. Surrounding it, a ring of silver maples was planted. This was to symbolize the countries of the British Empire. I wish I had known that bit of trivia before I walked through the park because now I am curious if these trees are still there. Some of the trees are quite substantial.

below: Long shadows for the morning sun, low in the sky.

below: Looking back towards the city center, past the empty docks of the National Yacht Club to the residences on Stadium Road. A small group of people were making a video in the dog park.

below: This Victory Peace Monument was unveiled on 14 November 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War 2 and honour those who died in that war. It was designed by John McEwen; the bronze pieces resemble the bow of a ship.

below: On the inside of one of the bronze pieces is a map of eastern Canada and the Atlantic Ocean. Each boat on the map represents a ship or U-boat that was sunk during the war. The Canadian ships are located on the map at “their last known position”. I hadn’t realized that so many ships were lost so close to North America.

Trees were also planted to represent the four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (WW1) and its units as well as those who fought in the Fenian Raids of 1866-1870, the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, and the Boer War (1899-1902). Once upon a time, brass plaques were placed at the foot of each tree to indicate the units the tree stood for. If any plaques remain, I didn’t see them.

below: Another memorial is close by, a “Memorial to Lieut. Tommy Hobbs gallant British Canadian soldier in the Great War 1914 – 1918. Died on active service November 10, 1940. Beloved and remembered by his comrades.” Tommy Hobbs was involved in the creation of this park.

below: A little farther on I noticed another rock, one that was painted red. The bronze plaque on the rock says that 20 trees have been planted here in commemoration of the G20 Summit held in Toronto in 2010.

below: A 30 foot tall Inukshuk stands looking out over Lake Ontario. Approximately 50 tonnes of mountain rose granite was used to create the Inukshuk, which was made by Inuit artist Kellypalik Qimirpik from Cape Dorset, Nunavut.

below: Streetcars across the baseball outfield.

below: A closer look at that brown octagonal structure in the middle of the streetcar loop for the 509 and 511 cars. Apparently it’s the Queens Wharf lighthouse, one of a pair built in 1861.

The lighthouses marked the entrance to the Toronto Harbour from 1861 until the Western Channel was built in the early 1900’s. This one stood on Queen’s Wharf which used to be at the foot of Bathurst Street, adjoining Fort York. The wharf was built by the military; in 1833 it was a pier 42 feet long. The pier no longer exists; a hundred years ago it was buried under what is now Bathurst Quay.

below: A picture of an historical map (1886 or 1887) of the area showing Toronto Harbour, Fort York and the railway lands. Queen’s Wharf is the pier on the left. At that time, Front Street was the southern most street in this part of the city. All the present day development south of the train tracks is on reclaimed land.

below: Taken from google maps, what the layout of the city looks like now. As you can see, there have been many changes!

strength in numbers

Posted: August 3, 2016 in graffiti and street art, public art
Tags: Art Starts, bicycles, bikes, bridge, city, concrete, cyclists, Dupont, future, industrial, Junction, locomotive, mural, public art, railway, road, sidewalk, stop, Toronto, urban, walls, worker

Just before Dupont Street ends at Dundas West, it passes under a set of railway tracks…
and of course another underpass means another mural.

It is an Art Starts project “honouring the Junction and paying homage to its industrial past rooted in the railway and celebrating its development as a diverse neighbourhood oriented community. ” Lead artists Joshua Barndt and Jamie Bradbury along with 5 youth artists took 4 weeks to complete the mural.

The mural was funded by the City of Toronto’s Graffiti Transformation Program.

Cycling is used as a theme and as a way of traveling from the past to the future in the mural.

below: The final panel in the mural, a future friendly city.

The Bentway

Posted: July 25, 2016 in locations, nature, transportation
Tags: bathurst, Bentway, canoe landing park, city, condos, construction, core, demolition, development, downtown, fences, fort york, Gardiner Expressway, Lakeshore Blvd., Loblaws, public space, railway, Spadina, strachan, urban, waterfront, western Gardiner

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly just called the Gardiner, has been in the news a lot lately. This 18 km stretch of road between the city and the lake was completed in 1965 after years of planning and building. At the time that it was built, Toronto’s waterfront was largely industrial and there wasn’t much objection to having a 4 to 6 lane expressway, with many sections elevated, built there. The railway had begun the process of dividing the city from its waterfront a hundred years previously.

As the city changes and grows, more and more people live in the downtown core. Industry has moved out and residents have moved in. For so long the land south of the Gardiner as well as under the Gardiner was neglected, especially from a city planning point of view. But now, the city is looking differently at that swath of land. The far east elevated section between the Don Valley Parkway and Leslie Street was demolished in 2001 and there have been calls for the next section (Jarvis to the DVP) to be demolished as well. There has been some controversy as to whether to demolish it or move it… and if move it, where to? I am not even sure what the plans are at the moment. On the other hand, the western section of the elevated expressway (Strachan to Spadina) will remain standing. Work is underway to refurbish the structure – the city doesn’t want any more stories of pieces of concrete dropping onto cars beneath! Plans are being implemented to use the land under the Gardiner much more efficiently. To make it work for the public.

The Bentway is the name that has been given to this new park, or public space, beneath the Gardiner Expressway from Strachan 1.4 kilometres east to Spadina. The first phase is due to open Canada Day 2017 and it involves the stretch between Strachan and Bathurst. Many of you have probably driven on the Gardiner but do any of you know what is under it now? Let’s take a look.

below: The Gardiner passes over Strachan Avenue which in turn passes over the railway tracks.

below: On Strachan Ave looking west. Condo development in this area has extended right to the railway line. The Exhibition GO train station is in the distance. You can also see the Gardiner to the left of the tracks. Here the north side of the under part of the expressway is walled in and the enclosed space is used by Exhibition Place. At this time there is no plan for the Bentway to extend this far; I have used this photo to provide more context as to the location of the park.

below: A closer look at the Gardiner on the west side of Strachan Avenue. Maybe there is potential to expand the park westward? to Exhibition GO station? And by the way, those concrete structures holding up the expressway – those are called ‘bents’ and that is why the park is called what it is.

below: This photo was taken as I stood on Garrison Common and looking towards Strachan Avenue. This will be the western end of the new park. You can see the underside of the Gardiner as it passes over Strachan Ave which in turn is also a bridge. This bridge once crossed the Grand Trunk Railway tracks that were built in the 1850s. New entrances to the park are planned that incorporate the present sloped embankment of the bridge.

below: A quick aside: It’s a slightly different angle, but here is a photo of the Strachan Avenue bridge from 1959, before the Gardiner was built. I suspect that there has been upgrades made to the bridge since then. Photo credit: R.L. Kennedy, found online (also a good source for the history of the Grand Trunk Railway in Toronto). Garrison Common is to the right.

Garrison Common is the green space surrounding Fort York. It will abut (be continuous with?) the new Bentway. Fort York is a National Historic Site and on its 43 acre site are original buildings from the War of 1812 as well as an 1813 battle site. Did you know that the Americans beat us here in 1813 and controlled the city of York (as Toronto was known then) for a few days?

below: The new Fort York Visitors Centre is now open. There is still being work done both inside and outside, but it is open to visitors. For so long the fort was hidden away and difficult to get to; it is nice to see it receiving more attention.

below: Jake from Park People, one of the groups helping to design the new park, stands under the Gardiner as he talks to a group of us on a tour. Here, by Fort York, the Gardiner is the equivalent of 5 storeys from ground level, the highest it reaches as it crosses the city.

below: Standing on the grounds of Fort York. The Bentway will be beyond the stone wall. You can get a good idea of the spacing between the bents. These spaces are being referred to as ‘rooms’ and there are 55 of them between Strachan and Spadina.

below: One obstacle is the fact that Fort York Blvd passes under the Gardiner on a diagonal. Plans are to build a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the street. Also in the photo, note the TTC bus – Fort York and vicinity are finally on a bus route. Route 121 runs between the Portlands and Fort York via Union Station.

below: The section under the Gardiner Expressway between Bathurst Street and Fort York Blvd is not city owned. It is owned, and has already been developed, by the Onni Group who built the Garrison at Fort York condominiums on either side of it. This is the eastern end of phase 1.

below: Northbound traffic on Bathurst passes under the Gardiner.

Phase 2 of the park’s development involves land between Bathurst and Spadina. This is an area that is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment, i.e. a lot of construction.

below: Immediately south of the Gardiner on the northeast corner of Bathurst and Lakeshore is a construction site. Demolition of the old 1928 Loblaws warehouse building is now complete. The facade of the old building was disassembled rather than demolished; after cleaning and refurbishing of the bricks, it will be rebuilt in its original location. Two condo towers are planned for the space between Loblaws and the Gardiner. Yes, more condo towers to face the Gardiner and add to the tunnel effect that you get when you drive on the expressway.

below: The development of this site is a collaboration between a number of developers. I found a photo of one rendition (source) of what the space under the Gardiner will look like here in the future. Public space including a cafe are part of the plans. Check back in a couple of years to see what really happens here!

below: Standing on Bathurst Street, looking east along what will be Housey Street. This is just north of where the Loblaws development (above) will be. As you can see, you can’t walk there yet.

below: Southeast corner of Bathurst and Fort York Blvd. This is the section of land just north of Housey Street. Construction hoardings and cranes – familiar sights in this area. It also means that taking photos of under the Gardiner here are difficult!

below: Development north of the Gardiner between Bathurst and Dan Leckie Way.

Dan Leckie Way is a north-south road that runs under the Gardiner just east of Bathurst. It is the western boundary of Canoe Landing Park. This park is north of the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: ‘Tom Thomson’s Canoe’, by Douglas Coupland sits at the highest point of land in the area; it’s almost at the same level as the Gardiner and is very visible as you drive by. This park extends down the hill.

below: Looking the other way from the same vantage point. The street running under the Gardiner here is Dan Leckie Way . Up until this point the Lakeshore is south of the Gardiner.

At Dan Leckie Way, the Lakeshore is still south of the Gardiner and the space under the expressway is wide open. By Spadina, one major block east, the situation changes. The Lakeshore splits and westbound traffic lanes go north of the Gardiner and eastbound lanes stay south. Shortly after Spadina, the Lakeshore runs under the Gardiner and there is no room for any further development under the road.

below: Standing on Spadina, just south of the Gardiner and looking west. Here there is a lot of road to cross for pedestrians on Spadina. Not only has the Lakeshore split to run on either side of the Gardiner, but there are also ramps between the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: Still on Spadina, and still looking west, but now under the Gardiner. The space under the road is not as high as it was previously. Its lower and darker and not as inviting. It will be interesting to see what phase 2 of the Bentway development will look like in this space. I am not sure when it will to be finished but I will keep an eye on it!

As for the eastern Gardiner, what does that look like? Well, that’s a whole other blog post!

Project: Under Gardiner On this site you’ll find detailed maps and diagrams of this area as well as information about the plans for the various sections of the space.

return to Scarfo Lane

Posted: June 9, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, bird houses, birdo, blue bird, city, colours, doors, fairy, garages, Insect Cabaret, lane, logs, marine, mural, murals, nature, octopus, red bird, turtle, urban

Graffiti and street art, sometimes it stays around a while and other times it disappears, hidden by someone else’s work. Tags and words also appear where they often shouldn’t. When I walk an alley that I’ve seen before, I never know what to expect but there is always something to discover to make it worth a repeat visit. So it was this morning when I found myself back at Scarfo Lane. Back in Nov 2014 (a year and a half ago! … time flies by!) I posted about some of the street art and murals that I saw there. Most of it is still there.

Today’s contributions follow – at least one is new and the others I’m not sure about, I might have omitted them last time. The whims of the day and of the photographer.

below: Blue cool nature meets red hot city, friends, joined together & working together. Mural by ‘Insect Cabaret’ which is the name that artists Aisha Ali and Andalah Ali have given to themselves and their work.

below: Swimming in the lane.

The next two are from the same garage door.

And in case you’re curious –

below: The blue bird and bird houses are still as bright as they were before…

below: … and the little red birds are still floating along on their logs

lazing on a sunny afternoon

Posted: May 19, 2016 in people, public art
Tags: bench, city, downtown, high heels, legs, love, nathan phillips square, outdoors, outside, reflections, resting, shadows, spring day, sun, The Archer, Toronto 3D sign, tulips, urban, warm, window

Spring is in the air.

I’ll be lazing on a sunny
lazing on a sunny
lazing on a sunny afternoon.
(with apologies to Queen)

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.

spring has sprung

Posted: May 12, 2016 in general Toronto, nature, waterfront
Tags: blossoms, CN Tower, fake flowers, garden, leaves, muskoka chairs, outdoor, outdoors, plastic flowers, red chairs, spring, trees, urban, waterfront, wave deck, weather

There is time between winter and spring that is a dreary time of greyness and dullness. It is a time when the the snow is gone but nature hasn’t come out of hibernation. It is also a time best forgotten.