Besides the ecology of the plants, animals, and insects, Railpath features unique waypoints and public art projects.
Frontier by John Dickson
Dickson's four sculptural artworks, collectively named Frontier, were inspired by the changing landscape of the West Toronto Railpath Park area. At different locations along the southern portion of the park trail, each Frontier form simultaneously evokes the industrial past of the site while also referencing the natural states that existed before and after the area's industrial period. These large industrial forms, each measuring between five and six metres high, have perforated galvanized steel surfaces, which alternately appear to be solid and transparent, creating a flickering effect when viewed from the trail as well as from the adjacent rail corridor. This project was commissioned by Toronto Cultural Services’ Public Art Office. John Dickson
Temporary and Permanent Activations
====\\DeRAIL Platform for Art + Architecture
====\\DeRAIL Platform for Art + Architecture is a non profit, independent arts producer and alternative platform for dialogue and collaboration across disciplinary, geographical, and ideological boundaries. ====\\DeRAIL commissions and produces place-specific art projects to foster new conversations about public space design and contemporary city building. We bring linear landscapes to life through contemporary art by moving beyond the walls of traditional gallery spaces to offer a new experience to both citizens as participants and artists as contributors.
In 2016, ====\\DeRAIL invited Jason Logan/ Toronto Ink Company to explore the landscape of the WTR by making ink. Educational, playful and participatory, Mobile Ink Factory, presented for Doors Open Toronto 2016 drew attention to biodiversity and the inherent colours of the Railpath and celebrated new ways of understanding a familiar place beyond its usual functionality. In groups of 25 led by the artist, participants were invited to walk a section of the Railpath, learn about the ecosystem of the Railpath and make ink from natural and handmade elements collected during the exploratory walks. Participants were then invited to make a bottle of ink as a souvenir of place, time and experience.
In 2017, ====\\DeRAIL invited two artists to consider the theme of pause along the West Toronto Railpath - to draw people into an experiment that would inspire new ways of understanding this familiar place beyond its usual functionality. Using the idea of pause as a critique on the singular A to B movement of the active mobility corridor, our program invited audiences to consider how we might think differently about our city and our shared public landscapes: to pause, to listen, to observe and to imagine new creative possibilities for the various nodes and niches along the West Toronto Railpath. Pause Platforms, a series of three, 8FT diameter wood and raw steel platforms located along the West Toronto Railpath, just north of the Dundas/Sterling entry node in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood (Ward 18). Pause Platforms are inspired by the concept proposed by designer Andrew Jones and fabricated by Marek Kubat.
====\\DeRAIL is the vision of designer and public art curator Gelareh Saadapajouh and landscape architect Victoria Taylor. With years of combined experience as designers, artists, exhibition and public art curators, these emerging cultural producers push the definition of public art to produce unique and creative socially-engaged/place-specific programs to explore the shared linear landscapes of our city.
derailart.com \\ @derailart \\ #derailart
Create your path
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