Historicist: "The city that nobody loves"
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse
Photo by Leah Sandals/Torontoist.
The Dufferin Jog—that railway underpass at Dufferin and Queen—has long been considered a public art icon in Toronto. It's just that the public art it's displayed has been graffiti and paste-ups rather than municipally chosen sculpture.
Now, with a reno of the jog underway and a projected completion date of summer 2010, the City is trying to figure out what kind of official public art should inhabit the space. Last Wednesday night, a tiny exhibition of the four finalist public art proposals for the reno—from prominent Canadian artists Ken Lum, Vera Frenkel, Luis Jacob, and Isabelle Hayeur, respectively—took place at Parkdale's Gallery 1313. The winning proposal will be chosen by the city's public art jury on May 22, but all four proposals in the running showcased some interesting ideas.
Luis Jacob proposes lining both sides of the Dufferin Jog with mosaic-tile versions of this artwork, from the series "They Sleep With One Eye Open." Image courtesy of Birch Libralato Gallery.
Toronto artist Luis Jacob proposed large mosaics based on a series of tie-dye works that he recently showed at Birch Libralato. This reproduction of Jacob's gallery work for a public space would certainly put his stamp on the area. He argues that the images have a mystical quality that puts them in line with classic public art like gargoyles.
Vera Frenkel proposes lining both sides of the jog with image panels that juxtapose archival images with water and sky.
Fellow Torontonian Vera Frenkel proposed a series of images that juxtapose water and archival architectural photographs—a theme that resonates with her most recent Toronto show, "Once Near Water at Akau," which juxtaposed present-day building sites with meditations on the lake. This would be a proposal for local history buffs, as the archival images Frenkel proposes to use are by Arthur Goss, official City of Toronto photographer from 1911 to 1940. The proposal also includes an LED component based on the path of the Parkdale Grade Separation at its centenary.
Vancouver artist Ken Lum, best known for photo-text works on themes of migration, discrimination, and belonging, proposed a series of digital clocks. Titled "From Sunrise to Sunset," the project, as Lum says, "comprises thirty real time LED clocks on mirrors, fifteen per each side of the underpass. Toronto time occupies the center eighth position. Today's Sunrise and Today's Sunset (that is, for Toronto) flanks the fifteen mirror clocks on each side."
Isabelle Hayeur proposes lining one side of the Jog with images of Parkdale neighbourhood details and the other side with images of Parkdale real estate landscapes.
Finally, Quebec artist Isabelle Hayeur, best known for her photographs and Photoshopped montages of new suburban housing, proposed a series of photos based on the architecture of Parkdale. One side of the underpass would feature photographs of found objects and small architectural details on existing Parkdale houses (like that pictured above, at top), while the other side of the underpass would feature views of condo and townhouse construction sites in the area (like that pictured above, at bottom).
Though the proposals are strong, there's quibbles to be had about the process. It's clear this exhibition of proposals would have made more sense had it been scheduled for more than three hours on a Wednesday night. A weeklong show likely would have yielded more actual interest and feedback from the community. Also, sadly, none of the proposal boards are available for online viewing.
One other key issue is whether graf artists will regard new, official public art as an invasion of space. City of Toronto public art officer Clara Hargittay thinks not. "Statistically," she says, "it’s true that if a work of art exists it is seldom tagged. This is also one good reason to put public art in, because artists respect other artists' work."
There's plenty to consider about how these artists—all of whom are known more for gallery practices than for permanent public art installations—might put their mark on Toronto's public spaces, contested or otherwise, in the future.
This article originally described Ken Lum's proposal for the Jog incorrectly; we wrote that: "On one side of the underpass, the clocks, titled Sunrise Today, would report the sunrise time at locations around the world, from Dubai and Delhi to Toronto. Clocks on the other side of the underpass would do the same for sunsets, with the idea of differing geographic awarenesses being a fact of everyday multicultural metropolitan life. " In fact, as Lum clarified in a comment, "The proposal is titled 'From Sunrise to Sunset' and comprises 30 real time LED clocks on mirrors, 15 per each side of the underpass. Toronto time occupies the center 8th position. Today's Sunrise and Today's Sunset (that is, for Toronto) flanks the 15 mirror clocks on each side."
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"if a work of art exists it is seldom tagged. This is also one good reason to put public art in, because artists respect other artists' work."
For some reason the "union card" scene from Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back comes to mind...
So far, all on offer don't look that hot.
While I do like all of these artists, I'm not sure the proposals are really all that great for this location.
I appreciate the historical nods, or the site-specificity of looking at the surrounding areas for connections but I'm having a hard time picturing these as being effective... using photos doesn't seem suitable as, in my opinion, something would work best if it can be viewable by people on the go...whether on foot, bike or in a bus or car. it's not really the kind of place you want to stop and ponder. I suppose it depends on how they are installed but I think given the options then Luis Jacobs' is the best. It's bright and bold... however so could the jog be if it was cleaned, lit well and coated with some nice backdrop colours,and then graffiti was allowed to build up in a more organic, non-official way.
I wish that the mural that was started on the south/east corner a few years back was finished... I liked where that was headed.
"it's true that if a work of art exists it is seldom tagged. This is also one good reason to put public art in, because artists respect other artists' work."
What a load of crap. People always say this, but I see different each and every day. I think it's just become a feel-good way for graffiti artists to justify themselves.
It reminds me of ravers saying:
"It's all about the music, most people here are sober"
Makes for a great sound bite, but the reality is much different.
Not just "people" saying this. Broken Windows proponents, including the Toronto Police officer who deals with graffitti, emphasize this as a relatively inexpensive way of reducing graffitti. Maybe there's something specific about the context in which you see public art defaced by graffitti that contrasts with their experiences?
Boring. Leave the art to the community to put up. As it has been.
Is this a joke? Can the finalist proposals be more mundane?
I fully agree. The proposals are BORING!
yeah, these ideas really blow. Were the proposals for this open to the public or was it by invitation only? Off the top of my head I can think of a half dozen local artists that could produce something amazing for that space. It makes me really angry to see an opportunity like this wasted on mediocrity.
The clocks, the clocks!!!!!111!!!!1!
Digital clocks showing various times around the world would emphasize how different we are and I fear could result in violence.
Howdy ya'll & thanks for the comments.
Just in case it wasn't clear in the piece, I do really find all these proposals interesting. It's great, for me as someone familiar with the art gallery realm, to see gallery projects reaching beyond into public space.
Of course, I also think it's interesting that public art can be a form of graffiti containment strategy.
A correction that has since come to light: A couple of these artists have done permanent public art. Isabelle Hayeur completed two permanent public art commissions for the City of Montreal in 2005ish and Ken Lum won the Vienna's Westpassage Karlsplatz Public Art Commission in 2006. More info here:
http://www.publicartvienna.at/files_e/pressebilder_west_1.html
http://isabelle-hayeur.com/projets_en.html
Still, it's fair to say all these artists are best known for gallery practices.
Hi, I very much appreciate attention being cast on this competition but the description of my proposal is not accurate. The proposal is titled "From Sunrise to Sunset" and comprises 30 real time LED clocks on mirrors, 15 per each side of the underpass. Toronto time occupies the center 8th position. Today's Sunrise and Today's Sunset (that is, for Toronto) flanks the 15 mirror clocks on each side. Thanks.
Thanks for the clarification Ken -- I'm sorry about the misunderstanding.
I've appended a correction to the article above to that effect.
Interesting discussion, but would be far more interesting and relevant had the proposals been on view for more than three hours, or even posted on line so that viewers would have a full sense of the project designs. Responses so far are to a shorthand version of a quick summary. It would be good if the actual proposals could be posted for all to see.
Interesting discussion, but would be far more interesting and relevant had the proposals been on view for more than three hours, or even posted on line so that viewers would have a full sense of the project designs. Responses so far are to a shorthand version of a quick summary. It would be good if the actual proposals could be posted for all to see.
While we’re correcting the record, I should mention that my practice includes public art works such as ‘Messiah Speaking’ (Piccadilly Circus Spectacolor Board, London; documentation in AGO Elevator 10), and ‘City Poem/Poem City’, the video wall project currently on view at Yonge and Dundas, Toronto. In recent years, much of my work has been on line, in print or in public venues as a combination of web art and installation, quite distant from gallery practices. My web site (www.verafrenkel.com) needs updating, but nevertheless offers basic information for anyone interested in what I do.
hi leah, i did not win but happy for luis jacob. there is one more point of clarification to make, at least from my end. i would have gladly submitted images of my proposal if i had been contacted. you cited on a toronto star blog that i was the sole artist who could not be contacted in time for images of my proposal to be included on your site here. i received no email or telephone message. thanks, ken
Ken --
I'm really sorry about that error. We obviously didn't talk about images. I thank you for calling me to account.
Leah