Big Black City

Here are some iPhone pictures taken in the early spring in First Canadian Place in Toronto.  No one pays attention to an iPhone picture-taker, so it is the camera for candid shots in the City. What fascinates me is the reversal of backgrounds and foregrounds in our current social environment.  Instead of the background being dark and non-descript with the people standing out like jewels, it is the reverse.  Most people are dressed in black and the building walls and floors are polished marble and gleam with light and reflections.  When did this happen that the negative space - the background - the canvas took over?  What I see are shadow shapes on the canvas, and it is interesting to capture this sense.  I pursued this line of thinking and read about Gestalt Theory and Visual Perception here.  While I found it fascinating, it didn't seem to relate until the principle of 'focal points'.   "The principle of focal points likely arises out of our need to quickly identify the unknown to alert us to potential danger."  So everyone would be in dark clothes to fit in.   It is the case that the dominant colour for clothing is black.  I found this site - The Color Black.  It says that the colour black represents mystery and power and control.  Perhaps our pictures are a representation of the struggle for dominance between the individual and large-city structures.

Toronto's Beacon

I received notice yesterday that Longwood Gardens would be closed until Sunday with an impending storm coming through the Eastern U.S.  Many states declared emergencies ahead of the storm, and there is a blizzard enveloping them now. We seem to be out of range of the storm, so can turn to lighter topics.  I went into City Hall when I was in Toronto last week.  The flying saucer building is as wonderful inside as it is outside. You can see the second image of a wall in the centre of the lobby that reflects the flying saucer shape of the building. I did some work there in 2004 or so, and the views of Toronto are wonderful.  There is a scale model of Toronto, built in 1985 and still on display in the lobby.  It was used for planning purposes back then.  What fun it is to look at it and recognize streets, buildings and places.  We're looking at the view from Lake Ontario with the CN Tower in the middle of the picture.  It is always easy to know where you are in Toronto - look to the horizon and the CN Tower will light the way!

Patch Work in the Sky

I found this on Temperance Street in downtown Toronto last week.  It is a new building with some window damage.  The opposite building is in the reflection, so created an amusing image.  This was a few floors up, with floor to ceiling windows, so the damage must be substantial.