Spatial Arrangements

The Rocks of Killarney

The town of Killarney is situated on the North Channel of Georgian Bay and was previously known as Shebahonaning, an Ojibwe name meaning “canoe passage”. Fur trading, logging, commercial fishing, mining and tourism have all played a major role in Killarney’s economy. Canada’s most famous painters, The Group of Seven, are said to have been responsible for the creation of Killarney Provincial Park through the conservation efforts of  A.Y. Jackson who was so alarmed by the prospect that one of the lakes in the area was about to be logged that he petitioned the government  to have it preserved.

The Changing Angle of Light

Glass has been used in architecture since the Roman era when clear class was discovered in Alexandria around AD 100. Over time, architects continued incorporating glass into their building designs as the technical limitations of glass were solved. By the nineteenth century, with the introduction of the skeletal structural frame building, glass gained a significant importance in a building’s construction to the point where by the early twentieth century, buildings made entirely from glass were being erected in Europe. This glass evolution, from simply allowing light into buildings had gained sophistication  with advent of specialty coatings that allowed the control of light transmission to better regulate the internal environment of the building. Now, it is evident in every major city, how prominent glass has become as the material of choice for the exterior covering of our buildings. Clear and coated glass buildings now interact with the surrounding environment creating interesting shapes, objects and artefacts due to these highly reflective surfaces.

As I continue exploring architecture, I now seek to study specific elements of the building’s DNA to draw out a cohesive body of work. Here, in this folio, the reflections of Toronto buildings are examined.

Graffiti Alley

The word graffiti is derived from the Greek word graphein meaning to write and the ancient Italian word graffito meaning scratched which describes a process used to create difference of colour by scratching a painted surface. Its’ origins, some people argue, can be traced back to the cave paintings and pictographs of 30,000 BCE; but, the term evolved in Roman times referring to inscriptions and figure drawings found in Pompeii and other areas that were associated with vandalism. In modern times, graffiti has had a long history with rail and subway cars dating back to the 1920′s. Every generation thereafter has used graffiti to expressed their viewpoints, but it wasn’t until the 1960′s that we see direct linkages to the today’s graffiti movement which originated from political activism and gang activity.

As in all urban areas, graffiti is evident in certain areas of my city that our mayor created “The Graffiti Abatement Program” as part of the Clean and Beautiful City Initiative.  The program proactively identifies graffiti hot spots and then works with the affected communities to develop strategies to remove the graffiti. One of the strategies is to create murals as a means of deterring graffiti from appearing on structures. This program allows graffiti artists to legally paint murals in these hot spots, which is believed to promote positive artistic expression, and the murals tends to be left untouched by graffiti vandals.

In downtown Toronto, each summer for the past few years, Graffiti Alley is taken over by local artists and fans for a 24-hour period of legal painting. After discovering this event, I decided to explore the area in order to develop an abstract body of work focusing on the graffiti art of this area.

Scarborough Bluffs

The Scarborough Bluffs are an escarpment along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. They run 14 kilometers from the foot of Victoria Park Avenue in the west to the mouth of Highland Creek in the east, reaching as high as 65 meters. The escarpment continues westward inland, running between Kingston Road and Queen Street East, pausing over the Don Valley, and continuing on the north side of Davenport Road.

The layers of sand and clay exposed in these cliffs display a remarkable geological record of the last stages of the Great Ice Age. Unique in North America, they have attracted worldwide scientific interest. The first 46 metres of sediments contain fossil plants and animals that were deposited in a large river delta during the first advance of the Wisconsinan glacier some 70,000 years ago. They are covered by 61 metres of boulder clay and sand in alternating layers left by four subsequent advances and retreats of ice. The final withdrawal of the glacier occurred some 12,000 years ago.

The bluffs were given their name in 1793 by Lady Elizabeth Simcoe, wife of the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. They reminded her of the limestone cliffs in Scarborough, England

About 15 years ago, I became aware of the Scarborough Bluffs’ photographic possibilities after viewing some images taken by a work colleague. Although I have lived in Toronto all my life, this area was alien to me until seeing these photographs. I attribute this myopic view due to being a west end resident and not making the effort to discover other parts of my city. After my initial visit, I continued returning to the Bluffs in all seasons to photograph this unique geological area.

The focus of this folio is primarily from the area around Bluffer’s Park.

Black & White Folio – Contents

Old Montreal

Old Montreal was founded on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in 1642 by a group of French settlers.  The 17th century French settlement, initially baptized Ville-Marie, would grow and change quickly. Through its’ evolution, Old Montreal would become a fortified town in the 18th century, the political and commercial hub of Upper and Lower Canada in the early 19th century, the heart of a metropolis in the early 20th century symbolized by the towering head offices of our Canadian banks and now a historic city centre.

In the spring of 2009, I travelled with my family from Toronto to visit an unwell relative. During this sombre sojourn, I found time one early Sunday morning to visit the historic city centre. The south shore is a short jaunt to Old Montreal; but, somehow I still managed to head in the wrong direction and ended in a maze of detours caused by the commencement of the road construction season. Eventually, I found my destination on a gloomy overcast day; the mood cast by the purpose of our family trip. Initially, the city streets were vacant except for the men and their large trucks responsible for removing the daily refuse from the previous day activities. Walking the quiet cobblestone roads, I acclimatized myself to the rich architectural history near the old port and set on documenting the passage of time.

The images in this folio were all taken during this Sunday morning tour of one North America’s oldest cities.

Along the Highway in Algoma Country

Algoma Country is nestled between two of Canada’s Great lakes framed by Lake Huron and Lake Superior consisting of 35,000 square kilometres of unspoiled wilderness. The area attracts many outside adventurers; such as, anglers, canoeists, kayakers, hunters, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers.   For individuals who take the time while travelling by car, Algoma Country gives a first-hand view of the spectacular scenery consisting of rugged landscape, geography and wildlife that gave birth to the rich history of this area.

The fall season is a favourite time of the year for me to go on photographic expeditions primarily because most northern highways are less travelled compared to the summer months, which allows me to stop my car along the road and explore an area of interest. Also, the cooler weather keeps the fierce Northern Ontario mosquitoes at bay; allowing me to keep my precious blood to myself.

During the fall of 2008 and 2009, I travelled the Grand Circle Tour; a popular driving tour in Northern Ontario that travels along highways 17, 101 and 129. The images in this folio were taken while travelling these highways; many, with my car parked on the gravel shoulder of the highway as I searched for an ideal location to rest my tripod.

Canadian National Exhibition

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) was founded in 1879 for the purpose of fostering the development of agriculture, industry and the arts. Originally called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, the name was officially changed to the Canadian National Exhibition in 1912 to better represent what the fair had become: “A Show Window of the Nation.”

Although, the CNE facility operates year round with numerous exhibition halls and a new soccer stadium; the attraction that draws the highest concentration of people is the summer fair, which runs 18 days in August and ending on Labour day.

As a lifelong Toronto resident, I have taken in these grounds on numerous occasions and I continued to find the unknown, which keeps me coming back. My early interests, as with many younger people, were centred around the Midway, where the throngs of people look for thrills of the prize or the ride.  As my interests, now, have a more photographic perspective, so do my visits. These trips usually coincided with the less chaotic periods of year, where I am able spend more time exploring the 192 acre facility.  During these occasions, again, I have turned my lens toward the architecture on the grounds. With a 131 year history, the CNE has gone through many periods of neglect or short sighted planning that has resulted in the loss of some important structures, such as, the Shell Oil Tower and Exhibition Stadium.

This project, over the last 10 years, has evolved from images of buildings within the environment to a focus towards the architectural elements; thereby, removing them from the surrounding in which they are situated. As can seen by the time line of this project, it was undertaken in a somewhat sporadic fashion; but, in the spring of 2009, I was able to provide a steady focus that allowed to me complete this work. This photographic folio is  my  “Show Window” of CNE Architecture.

Dawn of the Crystal Age – Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum, commonly known as the ROM, is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada’s largest museum of world culture and natural history. The ROM is the fifth largest museum in North America, containing more than six million items and over 40 galleries. It has notable collections of dinosaurs, Near Eastern and African art, East Asian art, European history, and Canadian history. It contains the world’s largest collection of fossils from the Burgess Shale with more than 150,000 specimens.

The ROM opened in March 14, 1914, designed by Toronto architects Frank Darling and John A. Pearson. The architectural style is Italianate Neo-Romanesque, popular throughout North America until the 1870s. Over the years, The ROM has undergone three major expansions.

In October 12, 1933 The ROM’s first expansion included the museum’s elaborate art deco, Byzantine-inspired rotunda and a new main entrance on Queen’s Park. The new wing was designed by Alfred H. Chapman and James Oxley.

The second major addition was the Queen Elizabeth II Terrace Galleries on the north side of the building, and a curatorial centre built on the south, which were started in 1978, completed in 1984, and designed by Toronto architect Gene Kinoshita, with Mathers & Haldenby.

Recently, the museum has undergone it’s third major renovation and expansion project, dubbed Renaissance ROM. The centrepiece is the recently-opened Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and Bregman + Hamann Architects.

The Libeskind design, selected from among 50 entrants in an international competition, saw the Terrace Galleries torn down and replaced with a Deconstructivist crystalline-form.

Controversy, outrage and ranked in the top 10 ugliest buildings of the world lists; the Crystal has had a difficult introduction into the annals of architecture. I was intrigued.

My initial feelings when seeing the new section of the building were that it no longer wants to or can just meld into city scape. Look at me, I am here, it now screams!

Over the years, my eye has repeatedly been drawn to Architecture and Abstract forms.  To me, architecture speaks of permanence and the interaction of the structure to it’s environment. On the other hand, revealing abstract forms is an alternative way for me to describe my visual world and experience.

Early Sunday morning in the Spring of 2009, I headed downtown with the intent photographing the exterior of this building and how it interacted with the stately museum of the past.  Sunday Morning’s are relatively peaceful on downtown streets of Toronto. Bloor and Queen’s Park were almost devoid of pedestrians and I was able to photograph this structure without the human element. Although, architecture’s main purpose is to shelter humans, my intention during this trip was to look for abstract forms in the crystalline shapes and to explore the different architectural styles now present at the ROM.