Scene: Urban Decay, in Miniature
Torontoist has been acquired by Daily Hive Toronto - Your City. Now. Click here to learn more.

Torontoist

5 Comments

culture

Scene: Urban Decay, in Miniature

Local graphic designer Chris Thomas brought his Hood Times—complete with tiny trash bags and tiny abandoned mattresses—to Goodfellas Gallery.

By • Photos by Kevin Jones

WHERE: Goodfellas Gallery (1266 Queen Street West)

WHEN: Friday, November 29, 6 p.m.–11 p.m. Exhibition closed on November 30.

WHAT: Hood Times, an installation of miniature urban street-scene sculptures by local graphic designer Chris Thomas. Reaching back to a childhood spent longing for the model train sets he could never afford, and finding inspiration in the deteriorating but vibrant urban neighbourhoods that influence him today, Thomas spent the past two years building incredibly intricate miniature city blocks that reveal the elements of city streets we don’t always appreciate.

Each element, built to a scale of 1:150, has been intricately crafted: the longer you look, the more you notice both all the little details—such as the promotional posters hanging inside shop windows, or the debris-littered rooftops—and Thomas’ sly social commentary and humour. A Netflix sign sits atop an abandoned Blockbuster store in one piece, while cops lounge outside a Dilla’s Donuts shop in another, and bus stops have been deliberately omitted in each scene. As a final touch, Thomas invited a slew of well-known local graffiti artists to adorn his city’s many brick walls, garage doors, and water towers with their signature artwork, adding yet another layer of realism to his gritty, decrepit neighbourhoods.

Comments