Photo of yours truly Re-Painting the Heart Labyrinth on Kensington Avenue just popped online.
It was captured during last year’s May 29 2022 Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market.
I didn’t bother taking too many of my own photographs that day,
Grateful to see this one a year plus change later.
Yeeeeaaahhhh….
This was kinda weird.
I really did not want to have my picture taken like this, yet I didn’t feel I had any choice.
You might be able to tell that by the look on my face.
Reflecting on it,
This was the perhaps the first time I had a Vancouver experience here in my hometown of Toronto.
In Vancouver I kept silently wondering to myself “What Planet Am I On?” as I had one positive experience after another after another with Vancouver Police Officers.
Vancouver Bicycle Cops would stop and thank me for making Chalk Labyrinths all around VanCity, one even wanted to simply shake my hand, that was at the TaiwanFest on Granville.
Other times, Vancouver Police would LOAN ME TRAFFIC PYLONS and even move them into place and direct traffic around my Labyrinths while in progress and then once completed.
Again, that permanent question “What Planet Am I On?” persisted in me as every time that happened, I had to, almost as a necessary “Must”, contrast my Labyrinth Making encounters between Toronto’s Cops and Vancouver’s.
On this Pedestrian Sunday,
I again asked myself, “What Planet Am I On?” but this time, it was IN Toronto, NOT Vancouver.
Me Re-Painting the Square Labyrinth, with the Heart in Middle, I first painted onto Augusta Avenue during the May 2023 Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market.
Me smiling with a Little One while Re-Painting & Expanding my Heart Labyrinth on Augusta Avenue during Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market…
Grateful for this photograph.
That’s me,
The Labyrinth Maker,
Re-painting the one inch wide Yellow painted outline of the Labyrinth
With a three inch wide paint roller making the Labyrinth Green.
Eventually the kids gave up waiting for me to finish,
They began walking/running around me from Entrance to the Centre,
Where they’d find the Heart of the Labyrinth.
Yvonne Bambrick, The CARDENer, and me in front of Meryl Street, Kensington Market’s new Garden Car!
We’re standing atop the Green Leaves with Yellow Veins which I painted around the Garden Car during the beginning hour of the First Pedestrian Sunday of 2023.
Shoe-level view of the Heart Labyrinth I painted on Augusta Avenue on Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market.
You can spot me in the top right of this photograph,
Where I was painting the fourth and final Labyrinth of the day…
First Pedestrian Sunday of 2023,
That’s me painting Green Leaves around the new Garden Car,
And then painting the words “Kensington Market” with my signature letter “i” dotted by a Giant Spiral.
Grateful for this pair of images,
Thank you!
That’s me,
Painting the Heart Labyrinth,
This was the second Labyrinth of what would become a total of four different styles and designs,
Done throughout the afternoon and into early evening during this year’s first Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market…
Painting the final lines of the final Labyrinth of this year’s First Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market.
This was my fourth Labyrinth painted today,
Yet it was the first Square/Rectangular shaped one.
I began with a round Labyrinth, followed by a Heart shaped Labyrinth Design, then a Baltic Wheel Design, then this one with Right Angles to complete the set.
That’s me with Yvonne Bambrick in front of the brand new Garden Car,
Standing atop brand new Green Leaves with Yellow Veins I painted around the Garden Car.
The Garden Car is named “Meryl Street”!
That’s me,
Painting the first of the four Labyrinths I made on Augusta Avenue immediately south of the brand new Garden Car.
A fun filled first Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market for 2023.
“I had the pleasure of joining a Jane’s Walk led by HiMY SYeD today.
“He wore a Labyrinth pattern shirt and had a Labyrinth pattern jacket as well.”
I had the pleasure of joining a Jane’s Walk led by @LabyrinthsDOTca today. He wore a labyrinth pattern shirt and had a labyrinth pattern jacket as well. #JanesWalkTO pic.twitter.com/Xk9LFRfT5Z
— Richard Eriksson (@sillygwailo) May 6, 2023
Happy World Labyrinth Day Julie!
Thank you for joining my World Labyrinth Day: Toronto City of Labyrinths Jane’s Walk!
Many thanks to Sarah Jensen (@the.heartofbarrie)
For joining my Toronto Jane’s Walk
And for sharing images
ReGrammed from her two posts :
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr4gdO_M3dR/
&
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr4lpNbsKZV/
“I’m in Toronto for the weekend for Jane’s Walk Toronto.
A Jane’s Walk is a walking conversations inspired by writer and urbanist Jane Jacobs.
They’re held in hundreds of cities across the world.
(Including 5 of them in Barrie throughout May)
Tonight’s walk through Parkdale Village and Exhibition Place shared ideas from her 11 books.
And it was led by HiMY, the guy who (somewhat illegally) paints Labyrinths all over Toronto! @LabyrinthsDOTca 👏
This first half of the walk featured community gardens, one of the ping pong tables I’ve been eyeing up for Barrie and Trenton Terrace, home to the most adorable workers cottages (that were once affordable).”
— Sarah Jensen, The Heart of Barrie
Grateful you found attending this evening’s Jane’s Walk worthwhile.
I did not make the connection between you and Barrie.
I know you have car-free days through the summer, I intend to pop up there in Barrie during one or more of them to chalk Labyrinths in the open car free public spaces.
I trust people will enjoy exploring & walking them.
Thank you for joining my Jane’s Walk!
“Such a great walk to start the weekend, thank you!
I’m based in Barrie, but in Toronto fairly often, especially the Parkdale area.
It’s one of my adopted neighbourhoods.
I enjoyed learning more about it and Jane.
We’d love to have you come to Barrie and create Labyrinths!
We’re running our car free Open Air Dunlops twice a month, starting June 10th.
Let me know if you’re coming up.”
— Sarah Jensen, The Heart of Barrie
Our Jane’s Walk began in front of the Parkdale Labyrinth
Inside Masaryk Park in Parkdale, Toronto.
I shared that since Childhood, Jane Jacobs was fascinated with Mazes and Labyrinths.
Cities as Labyrinths, without dead ends, rather than Cities as Mazes with many dead ends, is something that informed Jane Jacobs on her understanding of The City and its Streets, which comes through and can be found in her writings.
Jane Jacobs had at least one book about Mazes and Labyrinths on the shelf in her personal library at home, at the time of her passing in 2006.
Labyrinths and “Mazing” of streets by using one-way streets and forced turns for vehicles to improve quality of life inside residential neighbourhoods was something I did my best to express at the start of my Jane’s Walk.
Our Jane’s Walk made it as far as Fort Rouille located inside,
Or rather located as an interrupted concrete outline on the ground,
Within present day Exhibition Place.
Our final stop was opposite Ontario Place.
Here I suggested that “Ontario Place For All”,
The group aiming to save Ontario Place,
Should rename themselves as:
“Ontario Place for All, Austria Place for Some”
Because during the Spadina Expressway era,
Whenever the group was mentioned in print or on TV,
It included their SOS mandate:
“Stop Spadina Save Our City” [ Co-ordinating Committee ] .
Likewise “…Austria Place For Some”