As Toronto’s east end and Riverside neighborhood enter a new phase, there is an opportunity to reflect on the social, political, cultural, and physical context while celebrating visions of the future. At Independent Project 77 of Nuit Blanche 2017, a collection of performances, projections, sculptures and installations along Broadview Avenue and Queen Street East will merge art and architecture, technology and nature, as well as public and private spaces to highlight the present, cause us to reflect on the past, and invite us to look to the future of Toronto’s changing east end.
‘Since Now, From Then’ features projects by artists Callen Schaub, Alex McLeod, Nadine Bariteau and Rosemary Jeffares, the Wiggly Collective, and a heritage interpretation by ERA Architects. The event is presented by the Riverside BIA, curated by Project Gallery, and made possible by contributions from Streetcar Developments Inc, the Broadview Hotel, and ERA Architects.
ERA will contribute a photo-based installation, entitled ‘Sign/age’, in the glass box at rooftop level as part of the heritage interpretation of the building. Through a kaleidoscopic projection of vibrant signage from surrounding Riverside businesses, this interpretive installation brings the evolving neighbourhood context into one of its landmark buildings.
The collected shapes, colours, and typefaces of local signage will be filtered through the kinetic and multi-perspectival lens of the kaleidoscope; a device that observes, fractures, repeats and reconfigures its objects in an endless array of patterns. That which we observe as unremarkable and seemingly static is represented as ever evolving.
ERA binds the above themes together as a layer of interpretation for the Broadview Hotel. Interpretation is a component of the firm’s practice, playing an important social and economic role for communities above and beyond the preservation of buildings. Heritage interpretation provides both tangible and intangible benefits to communities.
The projects of ‘Since Then, From Now’ invite visitors to understand the neighbourhood’s past, relish in its present and look to the future. ERA is a proud supporter of this initiative and was the architect for the award-winning redevelopment of the Broadview Hotel.
There will be a shuttle bus available from the Broadview Hotel to the Aga Khan Museum through out the night.
For more information on the projects please visit the site here.
