Fortification for Small Worlds at Nuit Blanche Toronto | Saturday, September 29, 2012

Visual artist Emma Ravindran with Fortification for Small Worlds, which will be in St. Patrick Square Market Park  behind 238 Queen Street West for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012. Nuit Blanche runs from sunset on Saturday, September 29, 2012 until sunrise the next morning.

By West Annex News | This year West Annex News is proud to sponsor visual artist Emma Ravindran’s Fortification for Small Worlds for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012. Nuit Blanche is Toronto’s free city-wide sunset-to-sunrise celebration of contemporary art, which begins this Saturday, September 29, 2012.

Ravindran, who resides near College and Ossington, is a graduate of the Etobicoke School of the Arts and studied fine arts at Concordia University. She describes her installation:

“Trees in this park are wrapped in recreations of ecosystems (from the interiors of caves with their glittering rock formations and mineral deposits, to the dense spots in forests with damp moss and mushrooms), with small creatures scattered throughout.

You may participate by leaving something of yours behind in exchange for an object in the installation. The only condition is that you must leave something if you want to take something, and you must not take anything from the tree itself.

It’s kind of a way of keeping score (what are you willing to give up in exchange for something small?) and kind of a way to share (let’s add to each other’s collections), and kind of a futile attempt to protect some things I hold dear (if I covered you in small sculptures and told people they could take them, as long as they did not touch you, would it work?)”

Fortification for Small Worlds will be in the park is behind St. Patrick’s Market at 238 Queen Street West, between John and McCaul. The park is accessible using the alleyways on either side of the Market. | Image credit Google Street View

Fortification for Small Worlds will be on display at St. Patrick’s Market Square Park, located behind the historic St. Patrick’s Market, 238 Queen Street West.

Proposed federal riding redistribution will remove the Annex, Seaton Village from Trinity-Spadina

Under the proposed federal riding redistribution, the Annex and Seaton Village will move from the riding of Trinity-Spadina to St. Paul’s. | Image credit: 2012 Redistribution Federal Electoral Districts

By West Annex News | A proposed federal riding redistribution will remove the Annex and Seaton Village from the electoral district of Trinity-Spadina where NDP Olivia Chow is the sitting federal member, into St. Paul’s which is represented by Liberal Carolyn Bennett.

Provincially, Trinity-Spadina is represented by NDP Rosario Marchese, St. Paul’s by Liberal Eric Hoskins.

Municipally, the Annex and Seaton Village will move from Trinity-Spadina’s Ward 20 which is represented at Toronto City Council by Adam Vaughan. St. Paul’s is divided into two wards. The western part of the riding (Ward 21) is represented by Joe Mihevc and the east by Josh Matlow .

A map showing all current and proposed riding boundaries can be found here.

More on the proposed riding redistribution on thestar.com,  globeandmail.com and OpenFile.

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Related articles:

Trinity-Spadina 2011 federal election results: Chow crushes opposition

Trinity-Spadina 2011 Ontario provincial election results: Marchese squeaks by for re-election

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h/t Claire McWatt @ClaireYYZ on Twitter.

The wrap for June 9, 2012 | Goodbye People’s Foods, hello Famoso Pizzeria and Barton Snacks . . .

The charming Barton Snacks at the south east corner of Bathurst and Barton, one block north of Bloor. Finally, somewhere to get indie coffee after 6PM in the Annex.

By West Annex News | Here’s what’s  been happening lately in and around the neighbourhood and on the Web:

New additions to the deadpool: After 50 years, Annex diner People’s Food is folding due to a rent increase [blogTO], while Kromer Radio is closing after 55 years in business. While Kromer told The Grid they’re closing just because they’re tired, an application for a height and usage variance by the new land-owners RioCan suggests that development pressures were the real culprit. Openfile reports that RioCan’s application was turned down by the Committee of Adjustments, but the developer is expected to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Green sprouts: The tiny but charming Barton Snacks  is cheering up the south-east corner of Bathurst and Barton with espresso-based coffee drinks and premium products like ice cream from Maypole Dairy and healthy(-ish) potato chips prepared with avocado oil and reduced sodium. Manager Chris Sherwood tells us that he’ll also be serving hotdogs. The Snack is open 8AM to 10PM Monday to Friday, and 11AM to 10PM Saturday and Sunday. Finally, a place to get indie coffee after 6PM in the Annex.

And genuine Neapolitan pizza is coming to the Bloor-West Annex strip, albeit in the form of an Edmonton-based chain Famoso Pizzeria. The owners expect to have the 386 Bloor Street location open by June 21, 2012. The previous tenant was the James Joyce Irish Pub.

Busy weekend: We hope the rain holds off for the Portugal Day Parade and Picnic today. The parade starts at 11AM on Landsdowne at Bloor and then heads down to Dundas Street West for the live music and picnic in Trinity-Bellwoods Park.

If it rains, the wonderful Ring Around the City reminds us that the Raw/Vegan Festival is going on all weekend indoors at 918 Bathurst Street, just north of Barton.

918 Bathurst Street, where the Raw/Vegan Food Festival is being held this weekend

The inaugural Junction Flea market is this Sunday June 10, starting at 9AM, on Dundas Street West, one block east of Keele. If this preview of  The Vintage Cabin’s wares is in any way typical of the quality and prices of the offerings, this is a not-to-be missed event.

Then from 11AM to 6PM Sunday it’s the Annex Festival on Bloor. We’re sad this festival seems less Annex, more the same old travelling road show of vendors that you see over and over again at every Toronto street festivals. But we love the chance to walk on a car-free Bloor Street between Spadina and Bathurst once a year and enjoy the live music.

Then at 3:30PM Sunday, don’t forget to head over to the Jean Sibelius Square Park official re-opening.

The renewed Jean Sibelius Square Park, 50 Kendal Avenue in the Annex.

Good reads: YongeStreet proposes how Toronto can further densify without more condos in Right up your alley: Can laneway housing provide an antidote to our high-rise growth spurt. 

Toronto Life has a story about that 83 story condo, the tallest in Canada, that could be coming to the Holt Renfrew Centre on Bloor. Closer to home, the massive condo development including a 40-storey glass condominium planned by the United Church for the Bloor Street United Church at Huron and Bloor has local residents and Councillor Vaughan concerned [The Varsity].

The Dupont Street cycle lanes are probably safe for now despite the plotting of  Ward 17 Councilor and Rob Ford ally Cesar Palacio to get rid of them [openfile].

Ring Around the City is passing on a warning from 14 Division about a hot water scam in the neighbourhood. Two men already face charges.

And the always interesting Atlantic Cities’ website has two recent  articles we enjoyed: Why We Pay More for Walkable Neighbourhoods  and The Evolution of Bike Lanes (cycle tracks anyone?)

Neapolitan pizza in the Annex via Edmonton: Famoso Pizzeria’s big pizza oven has already arrived, readying for the opening at 386 Bloor Street West June 21, 2012