This is the wonderful doorway into the building at 315 Bloor St W which has just undergone a complete exterior restoration and an extensive interior remodel. It was designed by architects Burke & Horwood and constructed in 1909 as the headquarters of the Meteorological Service of Canada and remained so until 1971 when it was purchased by U of Toronto and used as admissions offices until 2010. Renovations began and it is now part of the Munk School Of Global Affairs. I haven't seen the interior yet but if the care given to restoring the beautiful Miramichi sandstone facade is any indication it must be fabulous!
This artwork of stainless steel cut to resemble a chain was designed by James McLeod and is suspended from a trellis in Massey Harris Park on King St W. The park is in the middle of what at one times was the huge complex of factory buildings of the Massey Harris company as well as its head office. Today the factories have all been replaced by condos and even the old head office building is divided into lofts and so this small park gives all the residents a pleasant green space with grasses, small lawns, and even a splash pad. I have been back twice this week to try and catch a shadow from this chain but the sun is not cooperating at all!
My plans for the holidays will hopefully include a viewing of The Hobbit which was my favourite of Tolkien's books. I caught this pic in late fall when they were publicizing the movie by setting up a little Middle Earth display at the Word On The Street event.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
Just up University Ave from "Rising" which I showed you on the weekend you will find 2 large bas-relief sculptures at either end of what was the Bank Of Canada building. The 20 ft tall pieces were designed by artist Cleeve Horne and installed during the building's construction in the late '50s. This one is a semi-abstract representation of a Canadian family and the pieces themselves are significant for being the first abstract public sculptures installed in Toronto. My how times have changed!
I have discovered some more of the little yellow birds by artist UB5000 and this time he has combined them with an assortment of faces and little fishes too. The bird on the boombox reminds me of a happy DJ so it could be a party going on! I like the wee high five bird down in the bottom right.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
As you can see the stainless steel birds on yesterday's sculpture, "Rising", are very stylized and modern but they have all captured the essence of birds quite well. There are hundreds of them on the piece in all manner of poses and position. I really like the idea of some of them appearing scattered about the upper levels of the building's facade. I haven't seen the piece in sunlight but it must sparkle and glow!
Just unveiled in May of this year, this sculpture, titled "Rising", by Shanghai-based artist Zhang Huan is one of the most unusual ones I've seen. When approaching the piece it seems to be a dragon but when you start looking for the head you realize that the 'legs' are more like tree roots and that the piece is meant to resemble a tree rising up from the earth and is covered in birds. The $5 million stainless steel piece is in front of the 66 storey Shangri-La hotel/condo tower and the birds break away from the piece and you can even find them up on the very top edges of the building. I'll give you a close-up tomorrow! Meanwhile, enlarge this pic for a better view.
