Tomorrow, Jaakko van’t Spijker will be in Toronto speaking as part of the University of Toronto School of Architecture, Landscape and Design spring lecture series on Radical Everyday: Adventures in the Landscape of the City. Jaakko van’t Spijker graduated from Delft University of Technology. He, Henk Bultstra and Bert Karel Deuten founded Studio Sputnik in Rotterdam as a research and design practice. In 2003 they published the manifesto Snooze: Immersing Architecture in Mass Culture launching... [continue]

Tomorrow night, the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design is welcoming Yoshiharu Tsukamoto to lecture about the Practice of Lively Spaces as part of their spring 2007 lecture series. Tsukamoto was born in Kanagawa, Japan and obtained his doctorate in Architecture at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He and his partner Momoyo Kaijima established Atelier Bow-Wow publishing several books investigating the urban landscape in Tokyo. Their practice has also won several awards, including the NAX... [continue]

With Labour Day having come and gone, and autumn's chill making too many appearances, Toronto's waterfront is now just a memory of a summer fling. Who are we kidding... even during the summer the waterfront leaves much to be desired. However, with the summer's announcement of West 8's winning waterfront revitalization design, who knows... perhaps this time something will actually happen! Regardless, before breaking any major ground on the project, the waterfront's future is still... [continue]

While our friends at Shanghaiist may be on the other side of the world, a taste of China's exponential development is coming to Toronto. A skip away from Spadina's Chinatown, The University of Toronto's Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design is hosting [DETOURS], a week of lectures, symposium and the opening of an exhibition, all discussing urban space in China in relation to its rapid transformation. Lecture topics include Impoverished Communities in China (Ou... [continue]

Tonight, The Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto is presenting a lecture by architect and educator Peter Eisenman entitled Architecture Against Itself. Mr. Eisenman is a central figure in American architecture from the 60s until today. At times labeled a deconstructivist, a label he does not feel an affinity to, his built work and theories on architecture as a discipline have been quite influential in many disciplines. The lecture... [continue]

A few nights ago, I was walking up Yonge Street in the rain as I passed by the Panasonic Theatre buzzing with its eerie Blue (Man) glow. As uneasy as it may have felt, the Blue Men reminds me of analyst/therapist Tobias Fünke so I laughed and laughed... until I stopped. Why stop laughing at thoughts of Frightened Inmate #2? Well, lining the street in front of the Panasonic Theatre were bags and bags... [continue]

Just days after a Mississauga home exploded, police are beginning a criminal investigation. As reported, the blast came at a peculiar time as John Walkiewicz was literally hours away from officially selling the property. While the house was destroyed, Walkiewicz survived and is in hospital. What prompted the investigation, however, was the discovery of a suicide note allegedly penned by Walkiewicz. The overarching motive for such an explosion is still being sorted out. However, it... [continue]

As found on College and Euclid with the help of Torontoist reader "Ooloo Looloo."... [continue]

As the summer slowly makes way for what seems to be an early fall, pretty soon we'll all spend more time huddled around the fireplace for the... holiday season. That's right... Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Kwanzaa are just around the corner, and the family is coming over to your place for dinner. They will come by and sit in your living room as you pass around some celebratory glasses of wine or nog. How... [continue]

As you may already know, Toronto is hosting the 2006 International AIDS Conference in August. While you may want to take a vacation during this important conference... those of you still in the city can enjoy a star studded concert with a veritable cornucopia of CanCon to keep your interest. The Time To Deliver benefit concert is part of the opening ceremonies for the conference, and is bringing big swimmers in the mainstream of Canadiana.... [continue]

The Attic, The Pearls & Three Fine Girls (henceforward known as APTFG) is the story of three sisters who come together after their father's death. Jelly has been taking care of him in his final months, while Jayne and Jojo were out working. It's the quintessential "four sister drift apart but must meet again to sort things out" story that's been told and retold. They all live different lives, but are still the same... [continue]

I first met Jem Rolls as I left Desperate Housepets. He was giving out fliers and trying to get people to go see the show. Meh, why not check it out. I haven't heard much about the character. So I went over, unsure of what to expect. I was thoroughly unprepared for the energy this man had. Further, I was supremely surprised at how sharp he was. Jem spouts out poem after poem, throwing... [continue]

Evelyn Reese: lover, fighter, secretary. Adorned in a fox-fur and chain-smoking to boot, our dear Ms Reese really shines though with stories of her past loves, her family Christmas parties and her poofter friends. As she shimmies bow-legged across the stage, her pink-fluo shoes wobble along beside her, as if trailing a train-wrecked life. The first half of the show was definite power-house comedy. But once the lights turn on for the second part,... [continue]

Sometimes it's just great seeing good theatre. The Catering Queen revolves around a catering underling, Melanie, who is working at an annual Christmas party. It becomes Gosford Parkesque as you learn about the characters and relationships that are developing in the kitchen... as well as their thoughts on the outside guests. Torontoist thoroughly enjoyed this one. The writing was spot on, really capturing what goes on "downstairs." There were some points though, where implicit... [continue]

Usually a monthly occurrence at the Drake Hotel, Neutrino has a basic premise with an interesting twist. Rather than doing improv in front of the audience, the troupe leaves the theatre equipped with a couple of video cameras and do the show from the streets of Toronto. As someone noted upon leaving, it makes you look at the area differently, knowing that they has just filmed on those steps, near that bush, in the... [continue]

Quimby Bird, a thief by trade, faces the parole board in an attempt to be set free in exchange for the location of the recently stolen Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. He takes us through the several characters who played a role in the heist which ultimately landed him in prison. Stealing Venus seems to be what a Fr!nge show should be. Anton Smuts stars in this one-hander, masterfully portraying each character through clever... [continue]

After all that Torontoist has heard about Welcome To Eden, Population 2 (a divine musical), I knew I was in for a treat. With so many layers in the story of Eden, so much that can be explored. What better place to do it than the Fr!nge Festival, a venue to break boundaries and experiment with theatre? The production started off pretty good. How good? Very good. Adam (brilliantly played by Mark Allan) appears... [continue]

In Hollywood, the hype machine is carefully crafted and finely tuned and targeted. Having someone spend their day flying over a major city with a banner for a movie (which has had mixed reviews) works to get AIS (asses in seat) and more importantly get some $IP (Cash in Pocket). But when it comes to Fr!nge, the budget gets a bit smaller, and hype is built up more by word-of-mouth and reviews. One would... [continue]

After several days of beautiful weather, we were due for a nice storm. And since tanning is not an option today, go see a Fr!nge Play or two (or eight) this afternoon. To make sure you don't see a dud.. read on... Torontoist was lucky enough to catch SplasH2O yesterday, foreshadowing today's moisture. You may have seen the trio around the Fr!nge Tent saturating passerbys with some impromptu aquatic comedy, but count yourself as... [continue]

As seen on the corner of Augusta Avenue and Oxford Street.... [continue]