The Ghost Hotel
October 24, 2023
Did you know: From 1916 until 1927 the Ontario Temperance Act prohibited the sale of alcohol in Toronto. Bootleggers ensured a steady flow of alcohol from the United States by travelling across Lake Ontario and delivering their wares to Toronto harbour under the cover of darkness. Some of the buildings in Condoland have an infamous […]
A Public (Art) Notice
October 16, 2023
Synthetic Collective and Centre for Sustainable Curating, in partnership with The Bentway and Evergreen, are pleased to announce the launch of “A Public (Art) Notice,” a free poster and downloadable guide promoting more environmentally conscious ways to curate, create, and produce public art.
Looking beyond concrete with Jochen Lempert
September 27, 2023
As the final installment of our Beyond Concrete story series, guest editor Brian Sholis reflects on what it is to look beyond the concrete through his engagement with the photographic work of German artist Jochen Lempert. This summer, we’ve published a series of essays, interviews, and other stories that relate to the themes of Beyond Concrete, a […]
Film Favourites from Lisa Jackson
September 18, 2023
Anishinaabe filmmaker and Beyond Concrete artist Lisa Jackson shares her cinematic favourites and why. This summer, we’re publishing a series of essays, interviews, and other stories that explore the themes of Beyond Concrete, a season of programs that explore the urban ecosystem beneath the Gardiner Expressway, where human-made infrastructure intertwines with flora and fauna. For Beyond Concrete, […]
Climate Emotions with Nocturnal Medicine
September 5, 2023
In July 2023, artist duo Nocturnal Medicine welcomed hundreds of guests to the Bentway for “Earth Dreams,” a summer party for climate grief and urgency. Here are some other recent reflections we’re turning to on how people are processing their responses to major environmental changes. The Bentway’s Beyond Concrete summer season explores the urban ecosystem […]
The future of architecture and building with Kelly Alvarez Doran
August 15, 2023
In this conversation with Kelly Alvarez Doran, he speaks about how he came to focus on sustainability in architecture, the design work he did in Africa, the challenges to sustainability in North America posed by construction-industry habits, and how we can begin lowering the embodied carbon in our cities. The Bentway’s Beyond Concrete summer season […]
“Groundcover”: Transforming Archival Gardiner Photos
August 8, 2023
Brooklyn-based artist Genesis Báez gives us a closer look at Groundcover, her contribution to Beyond Concrete, and the process of its creation. The installation features archival images of the Gardiner Expressway that Baéz re-photographed and buried in the soil beneath the highway. This summer, we’re publishing a series of essays, interviews, and other stories that explore the […]
Filling In: Anjulie Rao on “vacant” urban lands
July 27, 2023
Anjulie Rao explores the cultural and historical value, agency, and stewardship of Chicago’s vacant land in this personal essay. The Bentway’s Beyond Concrete summer season explores the urban ecosystem beneath the Gardiner Expressway, where human-made infrastructure intertwines with flora and fauna. The relationship between concrete and nature is complex and interconnected. In this story series, […]
The Ecology of Concrete: An Interview with Matthew Gandy
July 18, 2023
Beyond Concrete guest editor Brian Sholis talks with Matthew Gandy, author of Natura Urbana, about the ecology of concrete, engineered versus spontaneous landscapes, and the politics of design language. The Bentway’s Beyond Concrete summer season explores the urban ecosystem beneath the Gardiner Expressway, where human-made infrastructure intertwines with flora and fauna. The relationship between concrete and […]
Cheonggyecheon: Rip It Up and Start Again
June 28, 2023
After a massive public-works project in the 2000s, a stream once again flows through Seoul. In this personal essay, Andrew Russeth admires Cheonggyecheon, a 10.9km long stream and modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, South Korea.
Exploring public space in Sāo Paulo
June 15, 2023
Felipe Morozini, president of the Parque Minhocão community association, shares the challenges of creating vibrant public spaces in Sāo Paulo. This summer, we’re publishing a series of essays, interviews, and other stories that explore the themes in our Beyond Concrete season, highlighting local and global projects that centre interconnectedness. This story is inspired by Clarice Lima’s project Woods, […]
The Benchway: Salvaged Materials in Public Space
June 12, 2023
2023 Bentway Public Space Fellow Ella Hough considers the role public space could play in promoting deconstruction and material reuse. By tracing the history of the salvaged lumber used to make one public bench, The Benchway: Salvaged Materials in Public Space tells the story of ancestral forests, Toronto’s 20th century development, the changes that led […]
Dive Deeper into Beyond Concrete: Editor’s Letter
June 6, 2023
Brian Sholis, guest editor, introduces our new Beyond Concrete story series, and frames this series of essays and interviews that will roll out all summer long. Listen to this story Cliché has it that the city is a “concrete jungle.” But in the popular imagination, concrete prevails. Downtown is a place of stone and glass; full […]
In Conversation with Leeroy New
June 6, 2023
Beyond Concrete artist Leeroy New and Montreal-based artist Kelly Jazvac connect about the practice, poetry, and production of public art. Listen to this story Brian Sholis: The Bentway has invited me to guest edit an online publication related to “Beyond Concrete,” its summer 2023 programming season, and I’m pleased to be introducing an interview between Leeroy […]
The Field Guide to Digital and/as Public Space
November 19, 2021
The Field Guide to Digital and/as Public Space is a living document, designed to be rearranged, remixed, and expanded.
Digital and/as Public Space
May 25, 2021
COVID has produced the greatest big tech experiment of our time, driving everything – from education to cultural programming, health and wellness to social interaction – online. It seems likely that this newfound dependence on the digital realm is here to stay, and that public life post-COVID will continue to move back and forth between […]
The Bentway Announces Eight Micro-Residencies as Part of the Digital and/as Public Space Initiative
April 7, 2021
We are pleased to announce eight micro-residencies, investigating the convergence of digital and physical space as part of our Digital and/as Public Space initiative.
Digital and/as Public Space 101 with From Later
March 3, 2021
What is Digital and/as Public Space? Find out everything you need to know about our new initiative with our facilitators and partners, From Later.
SURVEY: What Makes You Feel Safe or Unsafe in Public Space?
December 10, 2020
Safety in public space can mean different things, depending on who you ask. What makes some people feel safe can make others feel unsafe. Help us want to understand who feels safe and unsafe in public space within our neighbourhood by taking the Safe in Public Space survey.
Safe in Public Space Initiative
November 6, 2020
How do we define public safety and for whom? Safe in Public Space is a multifaceted initiative that aims to broaden the definition of public safety in the public sphere.
It's All Right Now
May 22, 2020
It’s All Right Now is a public art project and a collective movement that confronts and captures our varied perspectives, experiences and understandings of life in COVID-19.
Winter at The Bentway: Keeping Toronto Cozy Among the Concrete
January 16, 2020
It’s been two years since the opening of The Bentway Skate Trail and we’ve welcomed over 110,000 skaters—and counting—to “Skate the 8” and take part in this unique urban experience. But we couldn’t have done it without our incredible team.
Moon Magic: Mounting the Moon Beneath the Gardiner
November 7, 2019
Helping to bring our Bentway-sized ideas (and Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon) to life is our Production Manager, Billy Wolf.
Celebrating Nature in The City with Community Programming
October 2, 2019
Toronto Green Community connects us back to our waterways and nature through hands-on workshops and walks. Presented as part of The Bentway’s Community Incubation Program.