Banh Mi Bar/Pho Bar saw me painting Labyrinths in Kensington Market.
They offered me Lunch in exchange for painting a Labyrinth on their patio…
And yes, it was tasty!
Banh Mi Bar/Pho Bar saw me painting Labyrinths in Kensington Market.
They offered me Lunch in exchange for painting a Labyrinth on their patio…
And yes, it was tasty!
During Toronto 2015 PanAm/ParaPanAm Games, a Giant Postcard Collaborative Art Project is happening inside the Rotunda of Toronto City Hall.
People can choose from colour co-ordinated postcards, write a message, then post their card in the same colour on the Giant TORONTO Canvas.
Fun Stuff!
More Photos
The surface of this wading pool in Bellevue Square Park has reached its end of life.
No matter how many times I repaint my Labyrinth, no combination of colours can overcome the shortcomings of the canvas.
Labyrinth remains walkable, yet doing so isn’t as much fun as when I first painted it . . .
Cool new (a-"maze"-ing) street art in the market @ Kensington Market http://t.co/X3t5CKrVYo
— Ben Pelchat (@benpelchat) October 29, 2013
My current Giant Outstallation Art is a Triskelion triple spiral Labyrinth made from stones gathered from all along Woodbine Beach in East Toronto.
This image shows two of the three spirals complete, with the third and final spiral begun as seen in the top left . . .
Jack o’Lantern Labyrinth
Sorauren Park Pumpkin Parade, the morning after
Recently, while exploring the photo sharing site Flickr, I stumbled upon a West Toronto labyrinth I never knew existed!
Having learned it was within biking distance, I cycled over on Thanksgiving Sunday for a visit and a walk.
It was exciting. Why?
Because here was a labyrinth I had not painted, yet had been here for years. Over time, people have shared their own sense of discovery, of stumbling upon, of surprise, experienced in their first encounters with one of my numerous labyrinths.
This thanksgiving weekend morning, it was my turn. To discover. To be surprised. To walk a labyrinth others had made. And to be appreciative.
Apparently this aqua themed labyrinth was created in May of 2008 to complement The Species of The Humber Watershed Mural which arches over the school’s playground entrance.
“The Species of The Humber Watershed
This mural was painted by students in Grade 5 with help from visiting artist Kathleen Vaughan and support from the Howard Arts Council
May 2008″
Both mural and labyrinth are wonderful additions to Howard Junior Public School’s playground in Roncesvalles Village, west end Toronto.
Time well spent and worth a future visit.
It’s almost 24 hours since NuitBlanche 2011 began. It’s also almost 12 hours since it ended early this morning.
My body is still aching from hopscotching various art zones carrying my giant NuWe letters performing my own Independent mobile NuitBlanche Giant Outstallation Art, NuWeBlanche (@NuWeBlanche).
I did take a break somewhere in there and made a point of visiting the Toronto Public Labyrinth to experience Shannon’s Fireflies. This NuitBlanche installation by Seth Hardy (@thirdson), founder and executive director of Site 3 coLaboratory, was intentionally placed in the centre of the labyrinth…
The Toronto Public Labyrinth in Trinity Square Park will feature
by Seth Hardy, founder and executive director of Site 3 coLaboratory
during Nuit Blanche 2011
Toronto’s all night extravaganza of contemporary art
Saturday, October 1, 2011
6:59 pm – 7am
All Welcome
Free of Charge
This installation piece will use a grid of suspended light nodes in a cube frame containing sensors, and will respond to the whispers of participants by converting their words into light, sound and movement.
By using whisper stations set up in the labyrinth, two people can talk to each other and subsequently see their words create light and be distorted as they pass through the air.
We had heard rumors.
Walking outside of Christie station on the TTC, we look down… suddenly we see it… artfully laid out on the ground… The labyrinth.
No, this has absolutely nothing to do with David Bowie.
Bismillah
Bismillah — In the Name of God Alone — is spoken aloud and whispered upon the lips millions of Muslims — and some Arabic speaking Christians — before they began any endeavour, simple and ordinary or complex and involved.
I found myself catching the Fajr — Dawn — prayers at the Dawah Centre in Bloordale Village this morning.
With the shortest of the five daily prayers completed, worshipers dissipated elsewhere into the prayer hall, allowing me to eye the prayer mat of the Imam. I notice as if for the first time, the pattern framing the prayer rug had a labyrinth-like motif.
Could the answer to my elusive quest in search of Labyrinths within Islam have been right in front of me my entire life? More Photos
“…In celebration of Afrofest‘s 18th year at Queen’s Park, Toronto-based Giant Outstallation Artist HiMY SYeD will be creating a giant sized walking labyrinth in the outline of the African Continent.
‘The AfroFest Labyrinth’ is part of HiMY’s ongoing Giant Outstallation Art project – ‘Toronto – City of Labyrinths‘. Intended to create safe walking spaces for both play and contemplation.
These labyrinths are located within (pun intended) walking distance of all Torontonians and at Toronto’s festivals, special events and street parties.”
This is one of two Labyrinths left along The Seawall surrounding Stanley Park. They are my gifts to the People and City of Vancouver before I leave for home.
This labyrinth is located three fourths the distance between the Lions Gate Bridge and Siwash Rock which you can see in the distance.
For one full month I have been here in Vancouver, first to attend the United Nations’ World Urban Forum 3 followed separately by the World Peace Forum on the campus of University of British Columbia.
Often after the day’s events, I enjoyed biking or walking the entire nine kilometer length of the path affectionately known by locals as The Seawall.
Along The Seawall are a number of half moon shaped observation points with benches facing the Pacific Ocean.
With each trip past each of those observation points, The Seawall whispers to me grew, Siren-like, to leave a labyrinth or two or three before leaving.
A few days ago, I found myself in a hardware shop along Vancouver’s famous Commercial Drive mixing tints. The colour of the paint needed had to find balance between the blue of the ocean and the green and grays of the trees and rock cliffs of Stanley Park.
Passers-by all seemed to appreciate this new addition to The Seawall.
I ran out of both paint and time for a third Labyrinth just east of the Lions Gate Bridge. Next time I’m in Vancouver, hopefully I’ll complete this trilogy of Left Coast Labyrinths.
… okay, so we didn’t finish making the labyrinth in the big backyard earlier this evening … manana, manana …
This is the Big Backyard to my grandparents’ place in Fremont, California.
One of those suburban nightmares where everything is manicured and nothing out of the norm ever seems to appear.
Eyeing the boredom of the complex’s kids and the great green grass canvas since my visit began here, I finally broke down today and installed, or rather tried to install, a labyrinth.
The only materials I could readily use were simple 8.5 by 11 sheets of paper and everyday toothpicks to pin the sheets into the grass.
Harder than it looks or sounds, the grass being deep, the ground moist, my fingers and thumbs aching, the children impatient.
The kids kept asking if the labyrinth was ready all afternoon. They even helped now and then, but their tiny fingers failed them after at best a sheet or two.
Imagine kids in the backseat of your car on a long trip repeating, ‘Are we there yet?’ and your ears may get a feel for what echoed in Fremont all afternoon.
Finally, I just gave in and let them play.
No one seemed to care the paper labyrinth wasn’t done yet.
It was enjoyed as is — unfinished.
Matt O’Sullivan, “ matto ” to those in the know, was driving south into downtown Toronto on the Don Valley Parkway a few days ago, when he eyed my giant in-progress peace symbol on the the hill that takes up the east side of East Riverdale Park, on Broadview Avenue.
That momentary eye-popping glance was enough to entice matto into exiting the Parkway to get a better look.
The next hour found matto photographing my progress in outstalling simple 8½” sheets of white paper upon the grass using regular toothpicks to peg the pages in place. He did so mostly from a distance, though I was cognizant of the presence of his lens.
Heisenberg compensator to the max!
In being an anti-war activist, my work has included creating giant peace symbols all over Toronto these past few months, and intermittently, these past few years.
At first my outstallations were intended to bring to mind the suffering of civilians in war zones, as in Afghanistan or the civilian victims of economic sanctions as experienced in Iraq in-between the wars.
However, the beginning of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq has bumped up the intensity of debate with many many many many perspectives vying to become an Official Narrative of recent events.
When matto finally walked up the hill to introduce himself, he mentioned he will post the photos onto his “Photo Blog“.
Photo Blog ?
I immediately grasped the concept of a weblog with only photos! Wow! That sure beats my using the Gallery software to present my work online.
Inspired by The Narrative, my own photoblog will be online as soon as time permits. Hopefully in time for my trip to New York and the Republican National Convention.
Who knows, I may yet discover a hill somewhere in Gotham City and make peace in Manhattan.
Stay tuned.