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Preliminary Proposal for Bloor-Perth Underpass
Community + Artists + Metrolinx + StART · 03/03/2015
Alexa Hatanaka, Sean Martindale & Patrick Thompson
Our team is very enthusiastic about the Bloor-Perth Underpass site proposed by StART
and Metrolinx. These walls will offer a fantastic opportunity in their shape and location to
establish an iconic piece of art for the neighbourhood and wider Toronto community. We
are long-time residents of the area with strong ties to this site, and already have a number of
exciting ideas that would be great for the project.
These specific designs are not necessarily our final intention for the site because we want to
first consider community feedback and spend more time developing our designs. We intend
to only explore this idea in much greater depth, but others that we think have excellent
potential, especially those that best reflect the input we garner from the community
consultation process.
One of these ideas is to create a mural that will create the illusion of being animated when
viewed while in motion. The effect of this mural will dynamically shift depending on the
speed and distance at which it is viewed, whether by car, bicycle, foot or standing still. Each
passerby becomes the moving parts of a camera and the wall is the film-strip/animationcells. This film/animation can be “watched” backwards or forwards as viewers scan the
length of the wall while moving to and fro past the wall.
Our team will create a work that can be enjoyed in detail from up close as well as from afar
as one large panoramic artwork. Viewers can investigate both the imagery within the mural
but also the paint and process itself, appreciating the evidence of the human hand in each
mark made. We believe in work that is appreciated upon initial visits but also continues to
reveal more and offer further interest upon subsequent visits. A mural should not be seen
once and then be finished in the eyes of a viewer, it should re-engage viewers each time they
encounter the work.
Our work is inviting, exuberant and offers a unique sense of colour. We strive to create work
that is appreciated upon initial visits but also continues to reveal more and offer deeper
interest upon subsequent visits. A mural should not be seen once and then be finished in
the eyes of a viewer, it should reengage viewers each time they encounter the work.
Please note that the images we have included below here are merely preliminary
placeholders, ones that we put together to give a sense of one direction we are exploring.
Public art must communicate with a wide cross section of the community. It must speak on
a number of levels to people with different backgrounds, languages and ways of interpreting
their visual world. Significant interaction with the community will inspire our work. It must
generate respect from graffiti and street artists in order to deter vandalism, and it must
become a source of pride that a community can identify with and rally around. Our goal is
to achieve this end in fresh and inspiring ways. Together we will imagine a new conversation in
public art.
To give the murals the best chance of surviving the elements and potential vandals over time,
several steps will be taken. We have sourced high quality materials that will provide the most
durability on these exposed concrete surfaces. First, the walls will be well cleaned. Our team
will then work to coat the surfaces with an oil-based primer. Next, we will use high quality
exterior latex paint in combination with Montana Gold spray paint to execute the final mural
designs. These paints are UV resistant and hold up better to the extreme temperature shifts we
experience in Ontario. Montana Gold spray paint uses an acrylic lacquer base that is slightly
elastic and so it doesn’t crack and peel as easily as other spray paints. Also, the matte finish
of these paints will allow for better adhesion should a clear protective top coat be considered
necessary. This protective (and non-sacrificial) top-coat would help defend against, salt, weather
damage, and vandalism, should any occur. As specified, 10% of the total budget for this project
will also be dedicated for contingency and maintenance purposes.
We will also use industrial spray guns to achieve a wide range of mark making. We will
incorporate stencils, brush painting, and traditional techniques with rollers and brushes to
execute this work.
Preliminary Proposal for Bloor-Perth Underpass
Community + Artists + Metrolinx + StART · 03/03/2015
Alexa Hatanaka, Sean Martindale & Patrick Thompson
Proposal renderings by Patrick Thompson, 2015