Results tagged “dundassquare”

ART: The University of Toronto Mississauga's Blackwood Gallery has an ambitious exhibition opening today that will explore and explode Sir Issac Newton's law of gravity. In "Fall Out" each of the nine participating artists explore different aspects and interpretations of the notion of falling or falling out. Some of the concepts explored by the artists involve the pulling of one body to another, the "physiological and psychological impact of gravity," and the fallout of actions or epiphanies. In October, "Fall Out" will have a partner, "Fall In," which will premiere with nine more artists responding to the pieces presented in "Fall Out." University of Toronto Mississauga, Blackwood Gallery (3359 Mississauga Road North), 11 a.m.–5 p.m., FREE.

Toronto Life Square—the massively unattractive ogre on the north-east corner of Yonge and Dundas, which houses not only a Future Shop, Google's local offices, and an AMC that uncomfortably doubles as Ryerson classrooms, but also a vast and ever-growing pool of all of our tears—is "broke," according to the Globe and Mail. What's more: Toronto Life, who scooped up the naming rights in 2007, "has been locked in a months-long legal dispute to remove its name from the project." (Perhaps the magazine finally realized the irony of suggesting that the building that loomed over Dundas Square added anything to Toronto life.) The Globe notes that, under the building's original owners, a subsidiary of PenEquity, it racked up some $280 million in debt, and has now been placed in receivership, meaning that it'll soon change ownership but not, unfortunately, disappear altogether. That fate will, for now, remain confined to the dreams of those who want to believe Toronto could have done so much better.

It’s hard to blame the band for trying. The Shuffle Demons wanted to wrangle one thousand saxophone players to perform, live, at Nathan Phillips Square on Canada Day—and they were this close to fulfilling their musical prophesy. Too bad they were short a couple (hundred) players.

              

For the second time in a few days, Dundas Square was again home for fans and mourners of Michael Jackson. Unlike the impromptu dance party that landed at the intersection of Dundas and Yonge on Friday, last night's event—a tribute to Jackson and his music that was also billed as a Canada Day celebration, hastily organized by The Manifesto Festival—was prepared a bit more in advance and lasted three hours, concluding just before 11 p.m. with a moment of silence for Jackson.

             

Last night Yonge-Dundas Square filled up with hundreds of people celebrating the moves of the late King of Pop in the Moonwalk for Michael Jackson flashmob organized by the Urban Recreation Association Facebook group.

Toronto Life Square boasts a massive external screen array advertising stores and upcoming movies. One thing they probably didn't think they would be advertising was Windows Genuine Advantage.

In the heart of the city’s shopping district, heartfelt tributes to loved ones lost are being spoken in the language of this consumer venue, the video billboard. Overlooking Yonge-Dundas Square, personal messages of mourning, paired with artworks on the subject of loss, are appearing every five minutes until Sunday.

THWMP. You’ve been hit. You dodged, but the pillow still caught you square between the shoulders. THWMPTHWMPTHWMMMMP. More dodging, more ducking, but you somehow found yourself sandwiched between a man wearing a bunny costume and your flatmate—who’s still mad at you for burning the rest of the Wheat Thins in the toaster oven. Game over. An explosion of white. Feathers flying, Bunny Man running, flatmate forgiving you with each downy friend you pluck from the corner of your mouth. PFFFFTTHHHHPP. Feathers. Everywhere.

So, remember that strange-looking billboard at Dundas Square? You know, the one that commanded you to relieve a glutinous discharge? Well, it just got stranger. On Tuesday, Cadbury attached a teeter-totter-like lever to the billboard, with a large box on one end and a hulking one-and-a-half-metre Creme Egg on the other. According to the company, as snow, rain, and other precipitation accumulates inside the box, the Creme Egg will slowly rise towards an oversized fan that will eventually crack it open, unleashing its mucilaginous filling everywhere!

If you’re passing by Yonge & Dundas Square anytime soon, you may need to do a double take. A curious billboard erected above the Hard Rock Café building reads: “Release the Goo.” No, it’s not a call to arms from Dimitri the Lover to his pervy protégés. It's actually a bizarre new ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs. If you think the billboard’s scandalous, check out the website’s tag line: “Cadbury Creme Eggs really want to get their goo out. And if you don’t do it for them, they will.” Yeesh.

                                                    

Thousands of protesters gathered at Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday to voice their opposition to the escalating violence in Gaza. Emotions were running high right from the beginning, with some protesters arguing over whether to chant in Arabic or in English. At one point a scuffle broke out between organizers and a protester who grabbed the microphone shouting, "Allahu Akbar"—Arabic for "God is great."

Last weekend, Improv Toronto—the volunteer prank team that brought us such hits as Subway Dance Party, Dinosaur Protest, and Where's Waldo in the Eaton Centre—set out to bring the glamour and spirit of the finish line to downtown Toronto. Taking to the streets, twenty pranksters armed with noisemakers staked out intersections, Dundas Square, and even City Hall with a fake finish line banner and tried to get bystanders to race. Although many were confused at first—some people thought they had accidentally gotten mixed up in a marathon—most eventually realized that the cheers were for them. Over the course of the day, hundreds of Torontonians gleefully raced each other to the finish line and everyone who ran was given a first place certificate for their effort. "This just made my day," remarked one participant.

          

Although the current business climate has caused a number of major corporations to scale back their workforces in and around Toronto, online giant Google, which first opened its local operation in 2002, recently bucked the trend by moving into a new custom-built space overlooking Dundas Square from the sixth floor of the Toronto Life Square complex. And unlike the company's old digs—a general-purpose office near Union Station—its new Canadian headquarters is very much in keeping with the legendary Google vibe.

                 

As the announcement of Barack Obama's victory neared last night, a group of about forty revellers gathered at Yonge and Dundas Square to celebrate and Welcome Back America. Public art group Newmindspace was also in attendance and provided music and encouragement to the crowd.

Photo by CFernando from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

                               

As part of International Car Free Day, organized in Toronto by Streets are for People, participants took over parking spaces along Queen Street West on Sunday and held concerts, played games, and generally had fun in their rented spots. The band Mr Something Something held a well-attended pedal-powered performance opposite Trinity Bellwoods Park. At 6 p.m., everyone joined together for a parade to Old City Hall, meeting up with the Bells on Bloor bikers at Spadina Avenue. At Queen and University, the parade circled the intersection, stopping traffic in all directions for about ten minutes before continuing on its way.

Dinner in the Sky—in which American Express, as a kick-off to Summerlicious, foots the bill to suspend groups of twenty-two cardholders and lucky members of the media and public thirty-five metres over Dundas Square while they all eat—is done its stint in Toronto as of a few hours ago; the team is off to Montréal next.

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo (or two) from a photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It's our way of giving the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention that they deserve.

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo (or two) from a photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It's our way of giving the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention that they deserve.

Photos by Miles Storey

Well, it sure is classier than the Scotiabank. For one thing, the AMC Yonge & Dundas 24, opening today, isn't called the "Scotiabank." And its interior design scheme (seen above) is premised on the role that movies play in the popular imagination, rather than the role that you play in Taco Bell's quarterly profits. And the music selections playing in the lobby (Soundgarden, Nirvana, and The Who during Tuesday's press preview) don't seem to be the product of deals with record labels. AMC goes out of its way to make known its interest in movies. Too bad it couldn't give a crap about film.

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city.

Ever wander past Yonge and Dundas, and wonder what in the world is going on inside that big building constructed of towering TV screens, covered in abnormally-sized ads and lacquered with logos?

With Rogers' plan to move Citytv, OMNI Television, and the Fan 590 to the southeast corner of Dundas Square, those familiar with the current streetfront studios on Queen Street have wondered if the former Olympic Spirit building will be opened up in a similar way.

These pictures were not taken mid-transition.

Weeks of record-breaking, finger-numbing, Antarctican weather are leaving Torontonians frozen across the city—and someone thinks it's hilarious.