June 2018 - Toronto ON
Click here for a first glimpse of this vibrant neighbourhood and here for some doors in the area.
The smell of bread is gone from Fraser Street - in 2010 Canada Bread announced that it would be building a new "super-bakery" in southwestern Ontario, and that the Liberty Village bakery, along with two others at Keele and St. Clair and in Etobicoke, would be closing.
Canada Bread's departure effectively closes a chapter in the neighbourhood's history - the last manufacturer to move away. "I would say they're the end of it. Barrymore (Furniture) moved out in 2000-2001, and Canada Bread is about it. Who's moved into the area now? Mostly small to mid-sized commercial operations, but mostly they're working on computers - more office-oriented, creative businesses."
Toronto-based solution provider and CDN Top 100 winner Softchoice recently added a new section to its existing 100,000 square-foot campus in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood – a 25,000 square-foot partition of a former Canada Bread Bakery designed to maximize collaboration between its 900 or so employees.
The smell of bread is gone from Fraser Street - in 2010 Canada Bread announced that it would be building a new "super-bakery" in southwestern Ontario, and that the Liberty Village bakery, along with two others at Keele and St. Clair and in Etobicoke, would be closing.
Canada Bread's departure effectively closes a chapter in the neighbourhood's history - the last manufacturer to move away. "I would say they're the end of it. Barrymore (Furniture) moved out in 2000-2001, and Canada Bread is about it. Who's moved into the area now? Mostly small to mid-sized commercial operations, but mostly they're working on computers - more office-oriented, creative businesses."
Toronto-based solution provider and CDN Top 100 winner Softchoice recently added a new section to its existing 100,000 square-foot campus in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood – a 25,000 square-foot partition of a former Canada Bread Bakery designed to maximize collaboration between its 900 or so employees.
Four industrial silos and two hoppers were left behind in the Canada Bread facility along the South Liberty Trail have been designated to serve as canvases for a large-scale public art initiative through the city's StreetARToronto Partnership Program.
Canadian mural artists Alex Bacon, birdO, Emmanuel Jarus and Troy Lovegates were chosen to work in consultation with Mural Routes, local architects and York Heritage Properties (which owns the structures) to create what organizers are calling "industrial artifacts."
This will be the first of two posts as we found three (3/4) silos and one (1/2) hoppers.
TRULY TWO - The silo’s cylindrical shape serves as the conceptual starting point for birdO’s message; the necessity of a greater synchronicity between the natural and anthropomorphic world. birdO employs the use of his signature iconography in the form of animals and three-dimensional cubes to create a surreal trompe l’oeil effect that gives the viewers an immersive experience. It speaks not only to the aesthetic considerations of the artwork, but entices the public to explore the conceptual underpinnings therein. Superficially, the mural is a light-hearted tale of mystery and intrigue, but looking deeper, the contradicting birds can be viewed as an allegory of our struggle with how we perceive our relationship with the environment. With growing concerns over pollution and climate change, it is important to incite public conversation about our responsibility as inhabitants of the earth and our role within society and nature.
THE PLAYERS - Both the silo and hopper by Alex Bacon include imagery that represents both the past and bright future of Liberty Village. The silo shows a curious cat, representing the feral cat population which was infamous for decades in the area, thought to be for keeping rodent populations down and living off of scraps from the Canada Bread factory and other local factories of the area. The silo’s blooming flower and robin represent the new changes and harboring of an era of ‘spring’ to come to the area.
RED FORK - Jarus’ approach to the South Liberty silo emphasizes the human gaze within an area of industrial buildings and residential towers, reminding the viewer that nature is there if we just take a look. Much work has been done to conserve our trees in Toronto and rejuvenate areas with native species of flora and fauna. The silo encourages us to go outside. There is great potential in harnessing the power of these highly visible public spaces to evolve the public attitudes and celebrate a more inclusive notion of ecological literacy. As a realist painter, the narrative Jarus depicts communicates a palpable sincerity, a feeling that the story of individual spirit, is fresh and relevant to the metabolism of the neighbourhood.
This will be the first of two posts as we found three (3/4) silos and one (1/2) hoppers.
TRULY TWO - The silo’s cylindrical shape serves as the conceptual starting point for birdO’s message; the necessity of a greater synchronicity between the natural and anthropomorphic world. birdO employs the use of his signature iconography in the form of animals and three-dimensional cubes to create a surreal trompe l’oeil effect that gives the viewers an immersive experience. It speaks not only to the aesthetic considerations of the artwork, but entices the public to explore the conceptual underpinnings therein. Superficially, the mural is a light-hearted tale of mystery and intrigue, but looking deeper, the contradicting birds can be viewed as an allegory of our struggle with how we perceive our relationship with the environment. With growing concerns over pollution and climate change, it is important to incite public conversation about our responsibility as inhabitants of the earth and our role within society and nature.
THE PLAYERS - Both the silo and hopper by Alex Bacon include imagery that represents both the past and bright future of Liberty Village. The silo shows a curious cat, representing the feral cat population which was infamous for decades in the area, thought to be for keeping rodent populations down and living off of scraps from the Canada Bread factory and other local factories of the area. The silo’s blooming flower and robin represent the new changes and harboring of an era of ‘spring’ to come to the area.
IN SIGHT OUT HOPPER - The hopper shows close up imagery inspired by the characters on its neighbouring silo. The cat eye represents the feral cat population infamous for decades in the area, and the robin’s eggs represent the new changes and ‘spring’ to come.
RED FORK - Jarus’ approach to the South Liberty silo emphasizes the human gaze within an area of industrial buildings and residential towers, reminding the viewer that nature is there if we just take a look. Much work has been done to conserve our trees in Toronto and rejuvenate areas with native species of flora and fauna. The silo encourages us to go outside. There is great potential in harnessing the power of these highly visible public spaces to evolve the public attitudes and celebrate a more inclusive notion of ecological literacy. As a realist painter, the narrative Jarus depicts communicates a palpable sincerity, a feeling that the story of individual spirit, is fresh and relevant to the metabolism of the neighbourhood.
Silo art is huge in the wheat growing area of our state, which attracts tourists, and their cash, to small country towns. I like the vividness of the colours on your silos.
ReplyDelete...things are looking up it this neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI love them all. they are all beautiful.
ReplyDeleteFabulous art and great artist Jackie. There's a trend of painting silos here in Australia too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for contributing.
Beautifully rendered!
ReplyDelete