"The Wall" at the Medical Science Building

Just up the stairs visible to the right in yesterday's pic, you will find this incredible wall/sculpture of cast concrete. The arts budget of the Med Sci was spent on thousands of cast concrete panels cladding the exterior of the building and this section has to be the best! By artist Robert Downing it was part of his continuing 'cube' series and was installed in 1967 as part of the building's construction.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year - enjoy, be safe, and prosper! Thanks for all the wonderful comments throughout the year and "hurray" to all.

"Helix of Life"

This cast concrete sculpture by Canadian artist Ted Bieler is located in front of the Medical Sciences Building at the U of Toronto. The wonderful Brutalist Med Sci building was completed in 1969 and this sculpture referencing DNA was installed in 1971 - a perfect location! I have shown some of Bieler's sculpture before - to see it click here.

Ceiling From Soldiers' Tower

If you walk through the open arches in yesterday's pic of the tower and look up - this is the wonderful ceiling detail which you will discover. The craftsmanship is incredible - it probably couldn't be done today as so many of these old skills have been lost! Pity!

Soldiers' Tower

This is the tower which is visible to the left in yesterday's pic. It is Soldiers' Tower a bell and clock tower built in 1924 to commemorate members of the University who served in the world wars. The bell tower contains a carillon of 51 bells and the pinnacles of the tower are in the midst of a 4 year repair program to fight off the results of our extreme weather conditions. Unfortunately I cut off the tops of the pinnacles in the pic - the sun was so bright on my viewer that I really couldn't see the image - sorry!

Hart House

Thought that I should show a pic of the Hart House building itself since I have shown so much of the art work in and around it. Established in 1919, the Greek-Revival style building was designed by architect Henry Sproatt to function as a student activity centre. It has extensive facilities - gym. swimming pool, archery , theatre, art gallery, lounges, music rooms, restaurants. and more. Unfortunately until 1972 it was only open to men - the feminist movement at the University put an end to that!

"Rune" at Hart House

It was cold but sunny this morning (-7C) so I decided to go out for some pics at U of Toronto. This is yet another piece from Hart House and it was installed in 2001 near one of the wonderful doors into the lower level. By artists Randy and Berenicci it was originally created in 1986 as one piece but was later altered and installed here as 2 large pieces and 1 tiny piece that doesn't show in the pic too well. The work was meant to be a temple to the age of information - quite suitable for a university setting!

Vintage Christmas

A pic of one of the antique decorations from my mum's tree. This is my favourite of the birds! Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas to All

Received this wonderfully engineered Gingerbread House and thought that it went very well with my 1950s plastic Christmas decorations. (Snowmen still smoked in those days as you can see.) Merry Christmas to everyone - relax, have fun, enjoy!!

"Selections From The Synopsis of Categories"

This sculpture by Canadian artist Micah Lexier was installed at Metro Hall in 1992 and consists of 25 custom-made aluminum ladders of various heights. Each of the 350 rungs of the ladders holds a word from the "Synopsis of Categories" section of Roget's Thesaurus. The piece is meant to merge an image of physical construction (ladders) with the elements of intellectual construction (words). It's pretty cool!

Santa at Home Safe and Sound

My last animated window from The Bay - hope you aren't all bored with them. This one shows Santa after his rounds with Mrs Claus putting the Hudson's Bay blanket on him while the kids bang their spoons in celebration. Two elves are up in the left hanging a welcome home sign. Lots of action in this one! (And still fighting the reflections too).

The Mice Are All Snug in Their Beds

There have been animated windows on Queen St since the 1930s when The Bay was still Simpson's and they competed with Eaton's windows across the street. One of my favourites when I was a kid showed the mouse family beneath the floor having their own Christmas celebrations and so I was thrilled to see the little mice in this window. The mouse kids are all tucked into their matchbox beds (with Hudson Bay blankets!) while the humans upstairs are still preparing the house. Still fighting the reflections but I think it works!

Santa's Toyshop

This next animated window at The Bay shows the elves working away in the toyshop while Santa (up in the left hand corner) checks the list of kid's names that is tumbling to the floor as more names appear. There is a lot of movement in this window - the elves, the list, toys, Santa, etc. My problem was all the reflection on the window but I think you can still see it pretty well! I love the monthly clock.

Christmas Window at The Bay

I went down to the main Bay store today to see the animated Christmas windows. This one shows Santa's helpers getting the sleigh and the reindeers ready for his big trip. All the helpers are wearing clothing made from Hudson's Bay point blanket patterns. These blankets were first made in the 18th century and used to trade to First Nations people for beaver pelts. It is a pattern of coloured stripes still used today on many items by The Bay. We are getting a sprinkle of snow today - only 1 cm.

Red Door

Continuing my search for colour - this door and awning are from 1 of the laneway houses that I have discovered in my wanderings. Love the punch of red against that grey wall with the ochre trim. Still no snow here!

Colour on Bloor St

At this drab time of year I crave colour and you can't beat Lee's Palace on Bloor St in the Annex for that. Located in a 1920's movie house Lee's is a concert hall for live music where bands like Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Smashing Pumpkins have made their Toronto debuts. This is the 3rd mural to be done on Lee's - the previous one lasted from 1993 to 2010 and this one was just finished this fall. All were done by the same artist - Al Runt!

"Complexes of a Young Lady"

There is a wonderful courtyard in the centre of Hart House which has an early Sorel Etrog sculpture installed in front of one of the super arched doors. This piece, created in 1961 but purchased for Hart House in 1970, was part of Etrog's abstract explorations of the human figure. It is a lovely location for this piece!

Hart at Hart House

This has been a difficult sculpture to photograph because of all the texture in the stone wall behind it - I've been back several times and finally think this one catches it. Titled "Nuture/Nature" and by Canadian artist Joe Fafard, it was installed outside Hart House in 1993 and shows an arch through which you see a hart (adult male deer) surrounded by trees. Typical of Fafard's metal works, he plays with the optics to portray depth and perspective where there really isn't any!

Hart House Mask

Another sculpture from outside of Hart House on the U of Toronto campus. This one titled "Mask #1" is by artist Evan Penny and was installed in 1990. What is so great about it is that it is concave rather than convex so that the face recedes into the piece rather than coming towards you - neat optical effect! I had posted another Penny piece here.

Sorel Etrog at Hart House

This bronze sculpture titled "Survivors Are Not Heroes" is located outside Hart House on the U of Toronto campus and was unveiled in 1968. The title and the work itself are said to reference Etrog's exploration of the tensions and interactions between man and machine. Standing just under 20' tall, it is quite impressive!

Dupont Subway Platform

It is a dreary rainy day here so time for an indoor shot. The Dupont subway station platforms on the Spadina line have 2 enormous glass mosaics which face each other across the tracks. Titled "Spadina Summer Under All Seasons", by artist James Sutherland, they were installed in 1978 and continue to cheer the soul as you wait for a train. There are also several more flowers upstairs in the station.

41 Shanly

This super building was the first legal loft conversion in Toronto back in 1981. What had been the Dominion Felt Works was renovated and turned into 10 two and three storey lofts with fireplaces, rooftop terraces, exposed brick walls and 12 ft ceilings. When I went by I noticed that it has had a new grey paint job - so chic compared to the derelict old factory it had been!

Waiting for the Streetcar

It is rare to pass by this sculpture and find no one sitting on its base. Titled "Sun Life", by Romanian-born Canadian artist Sorel Etrog, it is 1 of many of his sculptures that can be seen around Toronto. This one was installed in 1984 at the busy corner of King and University. More of his to come in the next few weeks as I have been busy out shooting before the snow comes!

Kit Kat Cow

Another sign in Toronto that I love belongs to Kit Kat, a great restaurant/bar serving Italian food, that is located on restaurant row right across King St from Tim Burton's show at the TIFF. Like both the neon and the cow!

"Reputable Since 1955"

I love this sign on the famous (infamous?) Vesta Lunch a 24 hour diner in the Annex. The Vesta, just a counter seating about a dozen people, has been used in many movies and is a favourite of the all-night crowd - taxi drivers, cops, after-bar-closing drinkers, etc. I have never been brave enough to eat there but many swear by their all-day breakfast menu!

Burton Christmas Window

I had to stand out on busy King St to fit this display in the shot but survived that adventure. You may have to click on the pic to see the detail of the Christmas Tree-eating monster. He has lips that Mick Jagger would envy! Tim Burton designed the display to be redecorated for the appropriate seasons during the run of his show. Not your typical sugary Christmas window.

Not To Be Missed

Top of my list of things to see this holiday season is this Tim Burton exhibition at the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) building. Organized by MOMA, New York, the show is made up of over 700 works - paintings, drawings, puppets, storyboards, and more. Can't wait! Tomorrow I'll post the holiday window that Burton has done for the building.

Crawford Contemporary

A closer look at the houses from yesterday's post - industrial chic in the middle of a neighbourhood of traditional brick houses. I've loved these places since they first got built - super corrugated metal, perforated metal, and modern styling - great! And just steps from the restaurants of Little Italy.

Mellow Yellow on Crawford

Yesterday I went to get a pic of these 2 cool contemporary homes in Little Italy and found this wonderful 1969 Karmann Ghia parked in front. What a cheerful sight on a dull grey morning!

Steel Doors

These super stainless steel doors were designed by artist Charles Comfort for the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) building on Bay St which was built in 1937 - hence their great Art Deco design. That building has been restored and turned into the Design Exchange and the TSE moved to a modern building on King St in 1983 taking this set of doors, which was found to be redundant in the 1st building, with them. The scenes on each medallion represent various aspects of the Canadian economy.

Winter Knocking at the Door

Today it is only 0C and grey - the first day it really feels like winter to me even with no snow! Last week on a sunny day I got a shot of this great red Harley (I'm always a sucker for anything red!) - we won't be seeing too many of them now until spring. A few brave souls ride motorcycles here in winter if the roads are clear but not usually these big bikes.

Annex Beauty

I haven't shown any of the wonderful houses from the Annex for awhile and this one I have been trying to catch all summer but there was too much shrubbery in the way. Now with all our leaves gone I was able to get a shot on Mon. This meticulously restored mansion was built in 1897 and designed by architect Frederick H. Herbert. It is quite large but doesn't seem to have been divided into flats as many of the other large homes in the Annex have been. Love it!