In Disco Fallout Shelter (DFS), Instant Coffee has constructed what purports to be a fallout shelter beneath a grassy knoll in the small park. A closed circuit monitor relays the goings on underground to a viewing station nearby. But my interest is less in the above ground art, than it is in the decoration of the space itself . . .
Full post and comments...Saturday, April 18, 2009 by Chris
I’ve written about elephants in the garden before but this one takes the cake. And not a good way. The giant white elephant dwarfing the postage stamp, front yard at 77 Yarmouth Road in Toronto is a folly in every sense of the word. It’s locally famous, naturally, but I also find it to be a bit of eyesore, mostly because the scale of the piece is just so wrong for the site.
Full post and comments...Wednesday, April 8, 2009 by Chris
I’m sure more than a few of his neighbours will happy to see the back of artist Werner Schmidt when he packs up his “junk” and moves on in June. After 28 years as a tenant at 919A Ossington Ave., Werner has been told to vacate the premises in order to accommodate the building’s new owner. The 60-something Schmidt is a classic, outsider artist. He takes found scrap and junk and fashions it into the most fanciful sculptures, which he then uses to decorate the property. Schmidt’s work is perched around the yard, tacked up on the wall and propped on windowsills, some of it quite simple and some tremendously elaborate, even scary.
Full post and comments...Wednesday, March 18, 2009 by Chris
Under normal circumstances the Mushroom Studio wouldn't merit a styleNorth post but when I called the Sculpture Garden administrator to ask about the project she happened to mention that the artist had been "quite particular" about the furnishings that went into the "studio". I had inadvertently stumbled upon a story about a real Canadian decorating a highly unusual space.
Full post and comments...Friday, January 23, 2009 by Chris
How could I possibly drive past this fabulous pile without stopping the car? Inspired by King Ludwig II’s Bavarian castle Neuschwanstein, this Mississauga mansion happens to be for sale so naturally I contacted listing agent Matthew Regan who was kind enough to give Mike and I a tour. WOW is really the only word that comes to mind. There's nothing Mc about this mansion, which has been on the market since last fall and is currently listed at $2,195,000.
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Friday, June 5, 2009 by Chris
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