Specifically, Enchin photographs modern day buildings, matching scenes with vintage images from the City of Toronto Archives resulting in a timeless harmony.

Photo by GERALDINE HU for The Newspaper.

The photographs also include people – combining people of yesterday interacting with people of today causing a morphed reality.

But where did exactly the ideas for the pieces come from?

Photographer Harry Enchin explains the inspiration for his top 5 art works in the show: 

During university work terms and summer jobs in Toronto I pursued photography as a hobby. I loved to photograph urban streetscapes, especially storefronts, in the neighbourhoods in which I lived and worked such as the Queen West arts area in Toronto of the early 1980s. The Beverly Tavern, The Black Bull, Nick’s Diner and the 24 hour donut shop and Queen and John in the 1980s were mainstays of my time in that neighbourhood. Being part of an extended family with roots in retailing, I had an affinity for retail store fronts and in one project photographed many of the store fronts along the Queen West strip. Little did I know but that exercise in documentary photography – in which I documented an urban area – may have been a precursor to what became the Toronto Moments In Time series some thirty years later!

Bay&Front

Many years ago, I went for a drive in the city of Toronto with my mother to revisit the neighbourhood in which she grew up, the west end “Junction” neighbourhood of Toronto. There was obviously great change in what we observed since it was several decades after my mother had lived there and the family home was long gone. This trip stuck in my mind resulting in a desire to do something that would merge the “old” and the “new”. In recent years, my mother developed dementia including a loss of memory which furthered my interest in bridging the gap between “old” and “new” and evoking memory through art.

King & Bay

When constructing a narrative for a collage, I sometimes utilize an iconic image – a building, landmark or subject such as a newsstand – something that people can relate to. It always amazes me how many people identify with some subjects that are timeless such as a newsstand from decades ago. At art fairs, I have had many people come up to me and describe how their parent or grandparent used to sell newspapers, like the Telegram, at the corner of Bay and Front which is depicted in one of the images. In some cases, viewers have told me of multiple generations selling newspapers on the same corner. That led me to understand that an image can instantly bring back memories for the viewer whether of their direct experiences or of a story once told.

Front & Bay

It’s funny that over the last couple of years of developing and showing the Toronto Moments In Time series at art fairs and  Opening Receptions at galleries, people have come up to me to say their father, uncle, grandfather as the case may be, used to own “that building in the photograph”. If that were true then several families have laid claim to the same building! Funny how our memories work.

Kops Records

Condom Shack

Two of the collages – Kops Records and Condom Shack – are interesting to me for a few reasons other than the location. While these collages explore the continuity of time and space, they are closer to the typical “then and now” shots that comprise most all rephotography, with one important twist. What is today the Kops Records store, more than eighty years ago was a used clothing store. And what was a second hand store, is now the Condom Shack. Pretty basic in execution, without people in the images, these juxtapositions focus the viewer on the subject matter. Retail use of these structures remains after almost a century. I wonder how many families can make claim to having owned these buildings!

 Come see the exhibit on until end of November. 

The largest photography festival in the world that is held in Toronto. The festival increases exposure and recognition for local, Canadian and international artists with 1000 exhibits at almost 200 venues. Steam Whistle Brewery is one of these venues and in May we are hosting  Building Storeys - a photo exhibit of transportation in Toronto. The exhibit is co-curated by Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star and Gary Miedema, Chief Historian at Heritage Toronto.

Photo: Toni Wallachy

Building Storeys is a visual documentation and anecdotal exhibit of Toronto’s cherished – and in some cases, somewhat unknown – heritage buildings and sites. The project brings together both the heritage and arts communities in collaboration to create awareness of the depth of our city’s heritage.

Gary Miedema, Chief Historian and Associate Director at Heritage Toronto, further discusses the inspiration for the exhibit.

What is your role with Heritage Toronto?

I’m the organization’s Chief Historian and Associate Director.  I help guide Heritage Toronto’s programming, and work closely with partnering organizations across the city to raise awareness of this city’s fascinating history.  This exhibition is a great example. The photographers, the Building Storeys Collective, have been a truly great group to work with. Brook Restoration and the Howard and Carole Tanenbaum Family Foundation were key sponsoring partners, Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star has been a brilliant co-curator, and Steam Whistle made the on-site work a pleasure.

How did Heritage Toronto get involved with the CONTACT festival?

This is the third edition of our Building Storeys exhibition, and the first one that is a part of CONTACT.  The move into CONTACT was recommended by Howard Tanenbaum in 2011 when we were planning this year’s show. Given the way the exhibition had matured, that move just made sense, and we are thrilled to be a part of one of the world’s great photography festivals, here in our own city.

What inspired Building Storeys?

In short, a driving passion to tell the stories of this city’s past through exceptional contemporary photography.  Too often, people either unwittingly overlook the richness of this city’s historic buildings and infrastructure, or worse, consider them not worth looking at.  The photographers in this show have done what they do best – capture beauty and intrigue in unexpected places, and stop us in our tracks to appreciate it. And suddenly we see our own city a fresh new light.

 
Photo: Sean Galbraith  & Toni  Wallachy

How does this show compare to the previous years?

The quality of the photographs remains exceptional.  We are very happy to be at Steam Whistle for the first time – a perfect match for this year’s theme of transportation infrastructure, and that match brings something very rich to this show.  It’s also important to note that this year we added new curators – Christopher Hume and myself. With Christopher Hume’s input, we significantly enhanced the written story panels that enrich the photographs.

What is your favourite piece at the exhibit?

Each photo was chosen because it was particularly striking, and because it added something to the story of a theme or site.  I was immediately struck by Rick Harris’ photo of the subway wheel – it reveals that screeching and grinding piece of brute machinery to be an object of engineered perfection, and it intrigues me  with its perception of both blurred motion and exacting sharpness.  It tells a piece of this year’s story – of the unseen work done by generations in the city’s subway and streetcar yards.

Photo: Toni  Wallachy

You can check the exhibit out for yourself until May 31st 2012 at Steam Whistle Brewery (255 Bremner Blvd, Toronto).  See you soon!

In a shell, the art show is a collaboration of two artist groups exploring women’s issues.

Exposed: The Female Perspective highlights female artists of this generation, putting their most intimate selves on display and exploring inner thoughts, feelings and desires while creating a statement on societal expectations.

Similarly, Voices explores the complicated journey towards women finding their voice in modern times, speaking to the journey of women.

The opening night party took place on March 7th and the art exhibit is on display during regular brewery hours until March 30th.

Want to learn more about the exhibits? Read below.

Voices

Tamara Shelly, development assistant at Literature for Life chatted with me about the organization, the inspiration for the exhibit and the story behind the name Voices. 

What is Literature For Life?

 Literature for Life is a registered, Toronto charity unleashing intellectual potential in young, often teenage, mothers by promoting the benefits of literacy and stimulating a love for reading through one-of-a-kind Women with Words Reading Circles.  Most programming is facilitated in areas where poverty is a reality for many of the community members.

Since its inception in 2000, Literature for Life has impacted over 2000 participants and distributed over 22,000 new books to marginalized young mothers and their children.

Can you tell us more about “Women with Words”?

Women with Words is the name of the Literature for Life reading circles.  Several years ago, Literature for Life created an interactive blog entitled Womenz Wordz where young women of all races, places, ages and backgrounds can post and share their writings, rhymes, poems, stories, scripts, and words.

In 2011, after an interview with Omni Television, Literature for Life was approached by film director Anna Piszczkiewicz to create a documentary about the missions, visions, and values of the organization. After months of filiming Literature for Life’s Reading Circles, Anna felt the title of the documentary Women with Wordz was a perfect fit.

What inspired in putting together this art exhibit?

International Women’s Day is a celebration that means a lot to Literature for Life. Despite many, girl-power movements and initiatives, young mothers, are a very overlooked demographic because of stigma and stereotypes. With our core belief, A mother is her child’s first teacher, we recognize how important it is that these young mothers are empowered, in order to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty that they and their children face. And in order to feel empowered, they have to be included in discussions that involve their futures and embraced by women of all ages, status and experience. International Women’s Day supports all women and it was a great inspiration for the Literature for Life exhibition “Voices”

Can you explain the name “Voices”?

Literature for Life’s exhibit entitled, “Voices” explores the complicated journey towards women finding their voice in modern times. In this exhibit, women have found a means of expressing their voices, their unique identities, and the many challenging and exciting moments that surround them.

The mixed media presentation is a fusion of art, photography and poetry, speaking to the journey of women, as they move from uncertain and questioning tones of voice, to a war cry in the fight for justice; and all of the voices in between.

The poetry is from an anthology entitled “Holla!’ created by the young mothers who participate in Literature for Life’s Women’s Words Reading Circle groups.

See more of “Voices” art work on our brewery walls:

Exposed: The Female Perspective

Tegan Tough, a photographer exhibiting in Exposed: The Female Perspective, feels that the exhibit embraces “not only the fact that we are a group of emerging female artists, but highlights the importance of us as individuals existing within the artistic realm and gives us the chance to communicate our inner most desires, feelings and thoughts on a heightened platform.”

Does this mean that she can be given the title of a “feminist artist”?

“I by no means consider myself a feminist artist but am pleased that the group of us are representing a humble portion of the female voice in our own, unique ways,” she says.

Take a look at some of Tegan’s work from the “Cookie Cutters” collection:
 

Come for a visit during March to see the art for yourself. 

Kieslowski is best known for being the director of masterpieces such as Oscar nominated the Three Colours Trilogy, Decalogue and The Double Life of Véronique. This North American premiere of the exhibit also marks the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 15th anniversary of his death.

Among the speakers to celebrate his work was Piers Handling (Head and CEO of Toronto International Film Festival).



OMNI interviewing Handling.

Piers, former friend and fan of Kieslowski gave a very heartfelt speech only saying the best about the talented director personally and professionally. The crowd listened in awe.

The award winning international film posters are currently on display at the brewery for a limited time until September 10th. These works of art are a truly amazing must see.

The evening was filled with art & film enthusiasts bonding over their common interests, a lively DJ who knew how to get the crowd going, a Polish film screening, delicious hors d’oeuvres, Steam Whistle beers and a large representation from the Polish community who were responsible for bringing the exhibit to North America.

Anyone with an appreciation for stunning classic and retro movie posters is strongly encouraged to view the exhibition. The exhibits are open free to the public- Monday to Thursday from 12 noon to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am -6pm, and Sunday from 11am to 5 pm. 

Catch you soon!