TO Cityscapes

Toronto Through My Lens

Month: June 2023 (Page 1 of 2)

“Untitled (Toronto Lamp Posts)”

June 30, 2023 / / 1 Comment

In the Canary District on Front Street East there resides a chaotic sculpture by artist Tadashi Kawamata.

Untitled (Toronto Lamp Posts) is a twelve-metre-high tower that contrasts with the geometry of the condos, street lines and organized public space of Front Street in the West Don Lands.

To make this piece, a selection of lamp posts was sourced from various yards and depots and the artist worked in an organic way, selecting on the spot which post would go where, to create the effect he intended.

The sculpture, which invites pedestrians into its centre, is an accumulation of lampposts that appear to hold themselves together as Mikado sticks just before they fall. At night, the lamps are lit with energy-efficient bulbs, creating a bright internal volume.

The sculpture was commissioned by Waterfront Toronto and installed in 2015.

Toronto Pride 2023

June 27, 2023 / / 1 Comment

Well, the streets have been swept, the tourists have (mostly) gone and the village has settled back down to its everyday rhythm. Toronto Pride is over for another year but it left in its wake a lot of memories. For today’s TOcityscapes, I give you a small sampling of this past weekend’s mayhem (each image is clickable for a larger view).

There were…

Merchants & Vendors…

Dancing In The Street…

Pride Pups…

Lots of Love, Colour & Messages…

Random Oddities & Mayhem…

If I could put a thought bubble above this woman, it would say: “What the f…?!” I thought the same when I first saw this tree taking a cigarette break.

And Of Course, Drag Queens!…

– That’s about it… see you next year! –

Pride Is Bustin’ Out All Over

June 22, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I went for a little spin around the ‘hood this evening to find that, yes, Pride is indeed bustin’ out all over…

… At Turning Point:

… At TD Canada Trust (Church & Wellesley branch, natch):

… At RBC:

… At Wellesley subway station:

… At Scotia Bank:

… On rooftops:

… At the LCBO:

… Even at the Green P!:

… At the Fox & Fiddle:

… At the OPSEU office:

… At Rexall:

… At The Wine Rack:

… At Dudley’s Hardware store:

… And not to forget Dudley’s always-entertaining Barbie window:

… and lastly, good old Out On The Street:

See you this weekend!

“Cloaked Presence”

June 18, 2023 / / 2 Comments

In front of the condo The Gloucester on Yonge at 3 Gloucester Street (corner of Yonge Street and Gloucester Street), there is a fairly new sculpture entitled Cloaked Presence.

Created by American artist Albert Paley in 2021, the piece was commissioned by the developer Concord Adex as part of its Percent for Public Art Program for Private Development. In Toronto, this “percent for public art policy” states that 1% of capital project costs on private development projects go towards public art. A fantastic concept, I think, and it really gets new art and sculpture out front of most of the new condos.

Here’s a short video showing how the piece was assembled in front of its new home at The Gloucester on Yonge condo:

A Protest in Black & White

June 16, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I’m not exactly sure what the issue was that day, but I happened to catch this Algerian protest as I passed through Yonge-Dundas Square, April 6, 2019.

This shot always amuses me – the chic model in the upper right is completely at odds with the rest of the demonstration. The model seems to be almost mocking the crowd.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

June 11, 2023 / / 1 Comment

St. Andrew’s is located at 73 Simcoe Street, on the southeast corner of King Street West and Simcoe Street. The church was built in the Romanesque Revival style and opened for worship in 1876. At that time, its location at King and Simcoe Streets was a busy place and most of the congregation lived within easy walking distance of the church. Across the street stood Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Upper Canada College stood on a second corner and on a third was a popular tavern. With St. Andrew’s, the four corners were known locally as Legislation, Education, Damnation and Salvation!!

“Recipe For Community”

June 8, 2023 / / 2 Comments

On the side of the Shoppers Drug Mart at 565 Sherbourne Street, there exists a mural entitled Article 26: A Mural Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages…. and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups.

Amnesty International Toronto Organization is a group working in the city to raise public awareness of human rights issues. Thirty murals exist throughout the city, each based on one of the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Megaptera”

June 4, 2023 / / 1 Comment

Located at 121 King Street West, this sculpture is entitled Megaptera, and was created by Transylvanian-born artist George Schmerholz. Megaptera novaeangliae is the scientific name of humpback whales, the name translating to Great Wings.

The humpback whale here is depicted with her calf. The sculpture was carved from a single block of granite, called “Prairie Green”, which was sourced from Riviere à Pierre, Quebec. The sculpture, dedicated on May 18, 1993, weighs 43,000 pounds and took 1.5 years to create.

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