People Walking 2006

Location: 333 Bloor Street East

Date photo taken: 10 July 2019

Mirroring the hustle and bustle of a weekday late afternoon, figures of light traverse this large black screen positioned just steps away from the sidewalk on Bloor Street East. There are nine figures in total although I only know this from reading about the piece - their appearances are randomized so while watching from the sidewalk, the impression is of a much greater multitude. Commissioned by Rogers, and billed as Toronto's first LED-based piece of public art, it was created by British artist Julian Opie. On his website, I found it interesting to see what other cities feature "walking" pieces like ours. Spoiler alert - they include Shanghai and Taipei.

 

Two Circles

Location: Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower

Date photo taken: 11 July 2023

While grand in scale, Two Circles is a seemingly simple installation at the Bay Adelaide Centre. As the name implies, it is comprised of two circles, identical in size and placement on the wall. The circle at the south end of the lobby is solid black, the one on the north, just an outline. Interesting enough, but it's when you get close to the work that you realize there is so much more to it. Which is where this photo comes in. The walls, which look smooth and unremarkable from a distance, are actually comprised of over 800,000 small ceramic sticks, each of which has been broken near the mid-point. That break line is visible and forms "a line drawing that is reminiscent of heartbeats, stock market graphs and sound waves", all very apt for the location of this piece, in the heart of the city's financial core.

Thing's End

 

Location: John Street, north of King

Date photo taken: 20 June 2019

This sinuous blue sculpture sitting outside the doors of the Festival Tower on John Street was installed in 2012 and is the work of Canadian artist James Carl. If you think it looks like a rubber band, you're spot on. Carl seems fascinated by the subject matter. For an earlier exhibition at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at the University of Toronto, he created a mass of more life-sized elastics out of polymer clay, and since this work has created at least three more large scale installations - a red one and a yellow one for another tower in Calgary, and a massive version installed in 2018 at the Airport Industrial Complex in Wuhan, China.

Immigrant Family

 

Location: 18 Yonge Street

Date photo taken: 12 May 2021

American artist Tom Otterness is known for creating installations that bring humour and joy to public spaces. I myself can still remember the wonder I felt when I discovered his cartoonish characters festooning the New York subway. For his Toronto-based work, commissioned by Lanterra Developments for its property at 18 Yonge Street, the theme is a little less whimsical but heart-warming all the same. First envisioned as a group of tourists visiting the city, the sculpture morphed into this immigrant family grouping after a nudge from the developer. Toronto is, after all, a city of immigrants and the condo sits between Union Station and the port, both of which have been gateways for countless  newcomers. 

Eagle V.1

 

Location: The Esplanade at Yonge

Date photo taken: 12 May 2021

Through the Percent for Public Art Program, the City of Toronto encourages the inclusion of art in new developments across the city. Sometimes these art works are placed inside or add subtle interest to courtyards or passageways. That can be nice but I really love it when a work makes its presence felt. Eagle V.1 by sculptor Dean Drever definitely falls into this latter category. It's huge and it graces a thin portion of wall adjacent to Yonge Street. That means that there are great sightlines, but it also means that you can appreciate this piece from a variety of angles and distances (here it is seen from further away). I find that its character, or the effect on the viewer, changes depending on where you are. The eagle may be a protector of peace but it's also a mighty predator and standing this close, you can't help but feel a bit like prey.

Fabricated by Lafontaine Iron Werks Inc. from designs by Drever, the giant bird is made of aluminum, fibreglass, polyurea/polyurethane hybrid and lacquer, and painted to match the stonework of the building. It was installed in 2018. The artist's statement can be read here.

Water Guardians

 

Location: Front St. E., between Rolling Mills and Tannery Roads

Date photo taken: 1 June 2019

The West Don Lands community is a still developing neighbourhood at the eastern edge of the downtown core. Home to the Pan Am Games athletes in 2015, all aspects of this community were carefully planned to create a vibrant, livable neighbourhood. A gorgeous park anchors one end, transit options abound and sidewalks are wide enough to be called promenades. Waterfront Toronto, the body responsible for the redevelopment, even incorporated a Public Art Strategy into the early stages of the work. The result is a collection of pretty amazing new works and the seamless integration of an older piece. Water Guardians, created by Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins with James Khamsi is one of the new pieces. It sits adjacent to the splash pad and is, for the most part, endearing. I'll admit though that there have been times at night when its glowing eyes and lumbering attitude evoke a classic monster-movie vibe.

Bike Plants - Part 2

Location: Gatineau Hydro Corridor, Bellamy Rd. N. south of Brimorton
Date photo taken: 18 February 2017

Sprouting from the snow, three more bike plants (two were featured in an earlier post). Like all good design, these bike racks are both beautiful and functional. The divided segments provide multiple locking points which accommodate various heights, angles and types of locks. The flat profile also provides stability for bikes leaned against them. These were installed along the cycle path through the Gatineau Hydro Corridor in Scarborough in 2012.

Shoreline Beacon

Location: Lower Church Street

Date photo taken: 8 February 2016

This new art installation is tucked into a nook on Lower Church Street, just north of the Esplanade. Once upon a time, the natural shoreline of Lake Ontario would have been in approximately this location, before the City extended itself about a kilometer through the use of landfill. This piece, by artist Paul Raff, helps passersby rediscover this part of Toronto's history. The limestone base evokes the natural shoreline, and the projection on the wall explains the rest:

"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." 

Bike Racks - Finch Hydro Corridor

Location: Finch Hydro Corridor, McNicoll Ave. and McCowan Rd.
Date photo taken: 5 September 2013

Back in July 2009 the city received national and provincial funding to develop multi-use trails within hydro and rail corridors across Toronto. Seven projects were identified, including this one, along the Finch Hydro Corridor. As part of the ongoing infrastructure improvements, a public art competition was held to design new bike stands. Marianne Lovink and Scott Eunson won with these organically inspired Bike Plants.

Across Time and Space

Location: Pedestrian walkway running west from Bay St., just south of Dundas

Date photo taken: 17 Nov 2013

This composite image brings together two ends of a public art piece which adorns a pedestrian link between Bay Street and the relatively new Motion by Concert rental apartments. It beautifully fits the space, providing interest at both ends of this narrow lane. Two children sit and gaze at each other down the length of the alley. On the wall between them, the name of the piece: "Across time and space, two children of Toronto meet..."  The piece is the work of Canadian artist Ken Lum and it speaks to Toronto's identity as a city of immigrants, to the ways in which we interact and accept each other as fellow urban citizens, and to the passage of time. The work was commissioned as part of the City of Toronto's Percent for Public Art Program, and was completed in 2013.