Winged fairy

 

Location: Noise barrier along the rail corridor, viewed from Sudbury just south of Queen St. W.

Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

The jagged edge on the right side of this mural is explained by the fact that it forms the final E in the name Parkdale. It's part of a lengthy mural that adorns the sound barrier along the railway lines south of Sudbury Street. Each letter is blocked out against black and features its own mural. Further murals spell out Liberty Village and West Queen West. Another mural in this set was featured in 2022 and you can read more about the project in that post. 

This mural was contributed by EGRart. According to their statement, "In a metaphorical framework, her art delves into the notion of finding our place in the world by depicting archetypes within wondrous urban and natural settings; fantastical characters blessed and at times burdened by our modern day ways of living. Figures convey strength, vitality and power; winged characters and fairies represent angels among us."

Laughter Solves Depression

 

Location: Noise barrier along the rail corridor, viewed from Sudbury just south of Queen St. W.

Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

This mural, encapsulated within a large letter S, is one small part of the gigantic mural that stretches along the sound barrier adjacent to the railway lines running through West Queen West and Liberty Village. While not that noticeable at street level, the wall is highly visible from the adjacent condos, and Urbancorp, developers in the neighbourhood, were responsible for keeping the space from becoming an eyesore. Attempts to cover the barrier in ivy met with little success and the wall was repeatedly and extensively tagged. The eventual solution was to accept that the wall was the perfect canvas and offer it up to street artists. Large blocky letters marked out in white primer, spelling out Toronto, Parkdale, West Queen West, and so on, provided over 50 street artists with individual canvases on which to contribute their own visions. If you want to learn more, a short documentary was created detailing the project. 

Just Chilling with the Cat

Location: Atlantic Avenue, south of Liberty

Date photo taken: 11 November 2020

I feel like this is what many of us have been doing this February. Sitting around, enjoying way too much coffee, talking to the cat. 

This mural is by Jason Pinney and Jarus and it was commissioned back in 2016 by Liberty Street Cyclery which occupied the building at the time. It was sponsored by the City's StreetArt program. 

 

Space Age Television

Location: MZTV Museum of Television, 64 Jefferson Ave.
Date photo taken: 13 October 2018

This is a deluxe spherical colour tv manufactured in 1969 by Keracolor. It is one of my favourite pieces on display at Toronto’s MZTV Museum of Television. The combined museum and archive contains more than 10,000 objects related to the early years of television, with a specific focus on the technology behind the medium, including television receivers. It includes some extremely rare pieces, as well as a few with celebrity connections. The displays are limited to one large room but there’s plenty to see. The sections of floor to ceiling racking filled with vintage tv cabinets, all carefully labelled, are visually impressive, and the exhibits are well thought out and nicely presented. The museum is located in the Zoomer Complex in Liberty Village and is open Tuesday to Friday from 2 to 5 pm, with guided tours at 4 pm. Admission is $10, or $5 for students, seniors and those booking group tours. If you can’t visit the museum in person, you can tour it virtually by downloading the free app, MZTV Museum of Television from Google Play, the Apple App Store, or the MZTV website.

Bike Rack - Live

Location: Mowat Avenue and Liberty Street, Liberty Village

Date photo taken: 22 August 2015

Here's another decorative bike rack, this one from Liberty Village. It's courtesy of Bike Here!, a program launched in 2011 by the Liberty Village BIA to promote cycling in the neighbourhood. As part of the program, a competition was held to create bike racks that would double as public art. Twelve designs were selected for their artistic merit, their link to the community and their functionality. This is one of three winning racks designed by Karen Lau.