On October 27 Mayor John Tory officially launched the ArtworxTO Hub at Union Station, located at 61 Front St. W. Click here to view online. Some of the pieces have been around for a few years.
The Hub’s inaugural exhibition “I am land”, is curated by Maya Wilson-Sanchez. “I am land” is a three-part exhibition; the first part is called “I am land that feels”.
I've posted some of these earlier this month.
The City of Toronto has partnered with Union Station to deliver this ArtworxTO hub. “I am land that feels” offers a public space for mourning, where death is tied to systemic violence and issues of injustice. This first part of “I am land” examines how artists document loss. It proposes art-making as a method for working through grief and examines how collective conversations about loss in public space can lead to healing. The exhibition explores grief through myriad themes and forms, from Glenna Cardinal’s and Carolina Caycedo’s mourning of land, to Anique Jordan’s work on Black grief and remembrance, Amber Webb’s memorial to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and a participatory and community-based altar by the Day of the Dead Collective. The exhibition is open to the public and can be viewed in person or online.
Created by the Día de los Muertos Collective, this community-based and participatory ofrenda, or altar, fosters a space for public mourning in the midst of a global pandemic. Bearing witness to all of the injustices that have impacted various communities, this sculpture carves spaces for collective loss and care—where feelings of celebration, grief, anger, and reflection can co-exist in remembrance. Beyond showcasing the tradition and art of the Day of the Dead, this altar weaves together the longstanding celebration hosted by the Día De Los Muertos Collective in Wychwood Barns for over 12 years, gathering community through ritual, performance, music, visual arts, vending, and food. The Día de Los Muertos Collective is a non-profit that coordinates the efforts of communities in T’karonto to create a celebration that honors the dead, delights the living, promotes artistic creation, and fosters community development through tradition.
Not a busy week as thirsty and miserable would describe this week's weather other than Wednesday which was absolutely gorgeous.
I pass this wall when I take the bus downtown (if the driver takes the Gardiner), but it is unlikely that I will ever be able to get a photo of this mural. Click on the link to get a great view of it.
Motion in Air (MA) a stunning piece of public art by Jennifer Macklem, will be displayed over 500 recyclable and high quality aluminium panels, inspired by the concept of environmental awareness and the location's connection to the water, sky and plant life.
I mentioned last week that I didn't get to see any of the costumes Fan Expo Canada 2021 so here is a link to some of the best.
Sunday a friend in the building called and asked if I would come and help her with her new computer. It is the first time in 19 months that I have been in her place.
I read a gluten free FB page, and a woman is bragging about cooking a gluten free breakfast and says "even the bacon is gluten-free"?!?!?!
Had plans to go out Monday (some errands) but it was a rainy rainy foggy day, so didn't step outside. Made me glad not to have to go to work!
Tuesday was an even rainier day so no venturing out either. Instead John suggested a movie afternoon with popcorn.
Wednesday was a stunning fall day and was too warm for a jacket. I finally picked up my pants from the tailor and shopped around Bay and Bloor.
Thursday was a little chilly as we got the 9:35 bus downtown. We had 11 AM tickets for Immersive Klimt at 1 Yonge St.
As we walked to 1 Yonge we had a different view of the CIBC construction. The almost completed new CIBC Square serving as their new international headquarters consolidating their employees currently located in several CIBC-tenanted buildings in the GTA. The complex also includes the Union Station Bus Terminal constructed on behalf of Metrolinx for GO Transit and other inter-city bus services, connected directly to Union Station. The complex will also include a one acre park elevated over the rail corridor. The park will have live music events and skating in the winter.
Although our tickets were for 11 once we showed our proof of vaccination and ID we were let in at 10:30 so there were few people around. There were designated socially distanced circles on the floor, although that concept seemed to be alien to some people.
From there we took the PATH, the mainly underground pedestrian pathway that protects you from the elements and worse, drivers. We headed to Commerce Court to KOHA my new favourite find.
Friday John had the golf simulator booked from 9:30 to 11:30 and I decided to head to St. Lawrence Market as we had decided we should try a Porterhouse steak now that we had a tomahawk.
The Porterhouse Steak. The Oxford English Dictionary listed the origin as Manhattan's Pearl Street around 1814 when the owner of a particular porter house, Martin Morrison, started serving rather large T-bones. A porter house was a bar and steak house that became popular back in the mid to late 1800's.
I had headed out early as rain was expected in the afternoon but for the moment I had blue skies.
Looking west from the corner of Yonge and Front.
The rain came as promised. Also looking west away from downtown.
WATCHING
I watched Belgravia, a historical series set in 18th century London on CBC Gem.
I also watched Ramsey's Best Restaurant on Prime, it is old, made in 2010 but is entertaining as I knit.
For our movie afternoon we finally watched The Father with Anthony Hopkins giving a stupendous terrifying performance as we watch his struggle with dementia.
Executor has Paul Sorvino as a ruthless priest running a group of assassins, sounds like a Catholic church kind of thing.
For fans of GBBO watch this clip of Paul and Mary on the Graham Norton show, hilarious. Innuendos by Hugh Jackman and Billy Crystal.
Saturday BBQ chicken quarters, roasted potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts.
Sunday there is stuff languishing in the bottom of the freezer and it is time to use it up. I thought I had enough tuna steak for both of us but didn't so tuna for John and I had salmon, served both with a lemon Dijon sauce and Caesar salad.
Monday the ground chicken was also stuck in the freezer so I made lettuce wraps.
Tuesday I had also found an older pack of ground veal so it became a meat sauce for spaghetti, making John happy.
Wednesday I made a slow cooker Korean beef, meh, tasted mainly of soy sauce.
Thursday leftover spaghetti (trying to be good, although leftovers are not a favourite of mine for dinner)
Friday Porterhouse steak with sauteed broccolini, onions, bean sprouts.
ZALIKA REID-BENTA is a Toronto-based writer. Her debut short story collection FRYING PLANTAIN won the 23rd annual Danuta Gleed Literary Award and won the 2020 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in literary fiction. It was shortlisted for the 2020 Toronto Book Awards, the 2020 Trillium Book Award, and longlisted for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize. FRYING PLANTAIN was nominated for the 2020 Forest of Reading Evergreen Award presented by the Ontario Library Association and the 2021 White Pine Award. Zalika is also the winner of the 2019 Byblacks People’s Choice Awards for Best Author.
Reading Evil Impulse the latest in the series. I don't know why she keeps dragging the twin sister storyline through the last three books, it is tiring.
We attended the Immersive Klimt this week. Other than The Kiss I didn't know much about Gustav Klimt so I watched some videos beforehand.
Here is a short (4 min) cute intro to him.
Immersive Klimt was created by the world-renowned master of digital art, Italy’s Massimiliano Siccardi, who for 30 years has been pioneering immersive exhibits in Europe. His Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit produced by Lighthouse Immersive has been seen by over 3 million visitors in North America.
This is the video I watched prior to seeing the exhibit.
From the streets of Imperial Vienna to the natural world of water lilies, vibrant blooms and mermaids, to his acclaimed Golden Phase, lose yourself in the vivid imagery and bold colours of Immersive Klimt!
Using 500,000 cubic feet of projections, 60,600 frames of video, and 90,000,000 pixels, Immersive Klimt brings the mesmerizing works of its namesake artist to life.
Our tickets were for the first showing at 11 but they opened the doors to us at 10:30 (after showing proof of vaccination and ID).
Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement.
Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. Amongst his figurative works, which include allegories and portraits, he painted landscapes. Among the artists of the Vienna Secession, Klimt was the most influenced by Japanese art and its methods.
Mäda Primavesi (1903–2000), 1912–1913 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Tree of Life
I made a video stringing together the videos John took.
