Thursday, June 14, 2012

"Gateway"

This sculpture is part of the Pole Colonnade that is along the right-of-way of the Spadina Ave streetcars. It was selected in 1997 by the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) to mark the main intersection in Chinatown at Spadina & Dundas St. The artist Millie Chen has configured fiberglass casts of mythical creatures (phoenix, dragon, monkey king & unicorn) along with the 20' poles to spell out the Chinese characters for 'gateway'.  And the nice flash of red is a welcome sight even in this very colourful area!
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19 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 14, 2012 at 1:53 PM

    Nice :)

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  2. Kay L. DaviesJune 14, 2012 at 2:15 PM

    Fascinating forms.
    K

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  3. LúciaJune 14, 2012 at 2:18 PM

    A little piece of Asia in Toronto. I love the dragon. ;-)

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  4. DebJune 14, 2012 at 4:28 PM

    Looks a dramatic sculpture

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  5. ArtandArchitecture-SF.comJune 14, 2012 at 4:58 PM

    Love this! Hard to photograph with all that is going on in the background, but you did a great job.

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  6. Regina KJune 14, 2012 at 5:17 PM

    For some reason this reminds me of Chicago's Chinatown, maybe it is all the color - well done.

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  7. LowellJune 14, 2012 at 6:47 PM

    A tribute to Chinatown and its inhabitants and a testimony to Toronto's vitality. Now, if the city could put all those pesky wires underground... :-)

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  8. HalcyonJune 14, 2012 at 7:07 PM

    I love those kinds of gates. Makes you feel really welcome. :)

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  9. RedPatJune 14, 2012 at 7:35 PM

    Lowell - actually all the wires in the pic are the overhead wires involved in running the streetcars/trams since they run on electricity. They are anchored onto the streetlamp poles for stability.

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  10. Paul in Powell RiverJune 14, 2012 at 9:06 PM

    Chinatowns are so neat to walk through, no matter the city.

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  11. RandyJune 14, 2012 at 10:54 PM

    Too bad it's been tagged.

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  12. Melbourne Australia PhotosJune 15, 2012 at 12:42 AM

    Great photo of this fantastic structure, Pat!

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  13. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 3:28 AM

    VERY colouful!

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  14. MildredJune 15, 2012 at 3:53 AM

    Very nice and original!
    Thanks for sharing;o)

    ***
    Happy day****

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  15. Michael RowlandJune 15, 2012 at 5:05 AM

    Back in the old days when I did the OOAK show a large group of us would go to Lee Gardens near this corner. They had large round tables, we would order almost everything on the menu. Thanks

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  16. GringoJune 15, 2012 at 5:12 AM

    Fascinating piece of sculpture....I always love going to China town wherever I am....Have a good weekend Red Pat!

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  17. Crafty Green PoetJune 15, 2012 at 7:37 AM

    what a lovely archway!

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  18. SharonJune 15, 2012 at 8:56 AM

    I have to agree with Regina. It does look a lot like the Chicago Chinatown in the background. Interesting art.

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  19. PerthDailyPhotoJune 15, 2012 at 10:45 AM

    I love that nearly all cities have a Chinatown, such fascinating place to visit. this shot looks so good when you bring it in closer to check out the sculpture in more detail.

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