Getting Out There Winter Stations 2017

Winter. Who's done with it already? To help the masses muddle through the cold, dark months of the season Toronto is pretty good and finding things to drag us out of our cozy, central heated homes and brave the blustery outdoors. 

Cue year three of Winter Stations down in the east Toronto Beaches neighbourhood (read my post on year two Winter Stations). Taking over the shoreline with 8 large, art installations using the disused lifeguard stations as their armatures and being made from materials that can withstand the harsh winter weather conditions that occur off  Lake Ontario. This year participants were encouraged to be inspired by the theme, Catalyst, focusing on materials like sand, water, and plastic. 

Midwinter Fire by Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto From Toronto, Canada

Midwinter Fire by Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto From Toronto, Canada

The Beacon, by Joao Araujo Sousa and Joanna Correia Silva from

Porto, Portugal

BuoyBuoyBuoy by Dionisios Vriniotis, Rob Shostak, Dakota Wares-Tani, and Julie Forand from Toronto, Canada

North by Studio Perch, from Montreal, CANADA

The Illusory By Humber College School of Media Studies & IT, School of Applied Technology From Toronto, Canada

Although 'North' was my favourite piece of the Winter Stations, I found myself fascinated by 'The Illusory' and really enjoying interacting with it's reflective surfaces. I think visiting on such a sunny day really blended the piece into its surroundings until closer inspection.

Flotsam & Jetsam by University of Waterloo from Waterloo, Canada

Now you might be thinking, 'Hang on a tick. She said there were 8 Winter Stations, but there are clearly only 7 pictured here! What's she playing at?'  Well done, eagle eyed reader, if but a tad aggressive. Yes, I only actually saw 7 of the 8 stations. It was a cold, blustery day, we thought we were done. Despite missing I See You Ashiyu by Asuka Kono and Rachael Salmela from Toronto, Canada, the Winter Stations still got us out there enjoying fresh air and staving off cabin fever for one more day.

Not much longer to check them out for yourself running until March 27th, 2017

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Winter Stations Exhibition

As there were snow flurries over the weekend (FREAKIN' WHAT?! IT'S MAY!) I thought it was appropriate time to revisit my trip to The Beaches in Toronto in early spring to explore the Winter Stations.

I arrived on a weird weather day as I switched from my sunglasses, to hood up, to umbrella, to sunglasses in the span of an hour as I walked the 3km shoreline. But this was the final days of the short run art installation and I was determined to see it, having missed out last year. (Laziness. Pure laziness)

'What are Winter Stations?' I hear you ask. Winter Stations is an outdoor exhibition to celebrate Toronto's winter waterfront landscape. Located from Balmy, Kew, and Ashbridges Bay beaches along Lake Ontario in a Toronto neighbourhood known simply as The Beaches, the artists have used the life guard stations as the armature for many of the installations.
It ran for roughly a month; Feb 15-Mar 20, 2016.

The theme for the 2nd annual exhibition was Freeze/Thaw, inspired by last year's wicked temperatures at the same time and how the weather didn't stop Torontonians from getting out there.

This is an open competition and the winners are invited to build their proposals for the exhibition period.

No damage is allowed to come to the life guard stations themselves and artists must be aware of the limited security to the pieces and the possibility of vandalism or general ''wear and tear from the curious'' (favourite line from the website!)

#steamcanoe by OCAD University Found here 

#inthebellyofabearby Caitlind Brown, Wayne Garrett, and Lane Shordee found here

 #flow by Calvin Fung and Victor Huynh found here

 #floatingropes by MUDO (Elodie Doukhan and Nicolas Mussche) found here

 #lithoform by Ryerson University found here

#auroraborealis by Laurentian University found here

Winter Stations is certainly a way to celebrate this Canadian landscape that usually only gets noticed in the warm months (unless you are a dog walker).

I was glad to have been there on such a moody day too, just look at those angry clouds. I couldn't stop photographing them, but I did have to finally give up when the off and on rain showers turned into hail.

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