Stunning art installations will soon light up a Toronto street
A Toronto street is about to be lit up in an entirely new way, thanks to a new public art installation.
Starting March 13, eight illuminating art installations will light up a 3 km stretch of Queen Street East between Neville Park Boulevard and Coxwell Avenue.
Not only will the outdoor art exhibit, entitled Luminosity, bring beautiful lights to the Toronto street, but the lights have a meaningful message behind them, representing a “light at the end of the tunnel following a difficult winter with COVID-19.”
“This has been a very difficult time for everyone,” said Marg Gillespie, chair of the Beach Village BIA, the organizers behind the installation. “Art and light have a way of making people look at things differently and our hope is that this exhibition will bring optimism and joy to those who see them.”
The exhibit will run for just shy of a month, ending April 11.
The Beach Village BIA released a preview of the eight light-up installations, created by artists both from Toronto and beyond.
88 keys of Lights by Kristyn Watterworth and Edward Platero
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These Ontario artists built an interactive glowing tower of guitars and pianos. It also has a cool social media component whereby posting a picture to Twitter or Instagram, the sculpture comes to life with dancing lights and randomized music.
Chee-Win by Jungle Ling
This 5’10 free-standing sculpture is made entirely out of recycled and reclaimed materials from Toronto’s demolished buildings, roads, and bridges. The human-like figure is holding a little duckling made out of shaped red bricks. The coolest part, though, is the translucent ball where the figure’s heart is made out of discarded Christmas ornaments with built-in LED lights.
Headlights by Robert McKaye and Stoyan Barakov
This collection of mannequins with lamps for heads already seems like it will be a popular picture-taking spot, but the installation also serves as a great reminder to give a new, vibrant life to previously discarded items. The mannequins, clothes, and lampshades were all found, thrifted, or donated before being turned into this art piece.
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Sugar Mountain by Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky
If there’s ever been a piece of art that’ll make you hungry, it’s this one. All of the tasty looking treats are actually individual light-based sculptures that glow at night. You may not be able to eat them, but they’re certainly still good to look at.
Light Tree by Laura Wood and Dawn Tyrrell
With winter stripping away all the leaves on this tree, the artists envisioned adding light and life to it before spring brings new growth. The colour-changing fibre optic cables stream down from the branches and give an especially cool view to anyone standing underneath them.
Beacon Silo by Chris Foster
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Who says silos are just for farms? This silo, built to mimic those seen in southern Ontario, is filled with lights and a disco ball to cast colourful streams of light all around it.
Out From Under the Shadows by Bryan Faubert
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Think graffiti but lit up. This series of separate glowing street-art-inspired pieces was sparked by society’s current lack of authentic connections thanks to physical distancing measures.
Sharing the Love by Thelia Sanders Shelton
This figure made out of driftwood sits on the floor holding a red, light-up heart. It’s meant to represent sympathy, empathy, and the basic human need to share love.