BUILDING FOR THE ECONOMY
Saturday 27 June 09 — Sunday 13 September 09
FREE Public Opening Reception:
Friday 26 June 09 | 6pm – 10pm
235 Queens Quay West, Toronto
Canada's AGATHOM Co., Breathe Architects and Lapointe Architects were invited to create installations in response to building and design practices in the face of global economic realities.
The exhibition Building for the Economy also features Home Economics, a textile-based installation by former Craft Studio artist-in-resident Thea Haines.
The objective of this architecture gallery is to present exhibitions which will educate, challenge and question the thoughts and the ideas informing contemporary architecture.
It is a multi-functional space which is able to present exhibitions, act as a classroom and also as a meeting space for the discussion of issues relating to architecture.
Harbourfront Centre thanks the architecture advisory committee for their assistance: Valerie Gow, Margaret Graham, John Ota, Marco Polo, Lisa Rapoport, Scott Sorli and Tim Scott.
This exhibition space devoted to architecture is brought to you in part by the generous support of our corporate donors:
LEADERS:
Core Architects and Kohn Shnier Architects
DONORS:
Diamond and Schmitt Architects
We also acknowledge the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Balsam Boathouse: interior with light and air scoop. Balsam Lake, Ontario.
Photography: Michael Awad
Image courtesy of AGATHOM Co.
Urgencies of Modesty
AGATHOM Co.
The role of the architect goes beyond the function of a building and its aesthetics. Beauty is found when accommodations are made in how we occupy the land and how we relate to each other. How much we take in our foraging in the name of development, in material, energy and habitat is slowed by a global economic downturn.
Pervasive thought is that we collectively suffer in gloomy economic times. However, this project suggests it is not about what you can not have but a celebration of what you can have. Rather than slowing the pace of building as we have been ploughing along, we are left with addressing the methods in which we cultivate our built environment. A shrinking economy can encourage real modesty, affection for planning and careful study — all with an eye for a greater harvest and a lasting legacy.
Big Ideas...Small Footprints
Breathe Architects
If we can't afford it, why be anxious about less central heating or air conditioning? We can relax. Remember the stories from grandparents told us about how their parents kept their rooms, their food and themselves warm? Their insight and imagination is inspirational for us today. It helped to create this exhibit. Their approach was about comfort and beauty at the same time. Tea cozies, foot stoves, slippers, smoking jackets, etc, all were intended as mediations to achieve a warmer personal micro-climate. We now understand it as a sophisticated way to manage limited available energy. The intent of the exhibit is the same, but in an abstracted way. Recycled materials such as newspapers and textiles are layered into tapestries to take away the chill from our rooms in winter, and to be dismantled and rolled up in spring. A further integrated layer of a high-tech material can reflect our own body heat back to us.
Old news can blanket us from the chill.
Port Perry House, 2003.
Image courtesy of Breathe Architects.
Fifthtown Artisan Cheese Factory,
Prince Edward County, 2008.
Photography: Ben Rahn
Image courtesy of Lapointe Architects.
(re)source Pavilion
Lapointe Architects
As the economy challenges the construction industry, architects must devise strategies to economically meet clients' needs. The relationship between Lapointe Architects and the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. is an example of a business model responding to difficult economic times. Rather than cutting fees and reducing services to secure a commission, Lapointe Architects is expanding its services by re-evaluating the construction methodology of a project. Strategies include the use of found, reclaimed or donated materials in return for savings and public recognition for suppliers or the use of volunteer labour in return for knowledge trading. Both strategies allow a unique building to be constructed on a reduced budget, benefiting all those involved.
The Fifth Town Pavilion is an exercise with two objectives: to provide the client with an impermanent shelter to protect the growing summertime clientele and to construct this structure in a manner true to both the architect's and client's mandate — sustainability through all aspects of the project. The project employs unique strategies that include the re-use and (re)sourcing of resources, be it material or people, the goal being to decrease the construction cost by an estimated 75%. This case study will showcase the various resources which were acquired for the project — providing an educational opportunity for those involved while doing so at an affordable cost.
TEAM
Francis Lapointe (project lead), Kathy Kurtz (exhibition lead), Paul Dolick, Michael Del Puerto
MATERIAL COLLABORATORS
Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co., Durisol Build, Midtown Reproductions
Home Economics
Thea Haines
Former Craft Studio artist-in-resident Thea Haines was invited to create an installation in response to the theme of Building for the Economy. Home Economics considers the earliest origins of the term which suggests the importance of the home as the centre of human life and is a fundamental starting point for this ongoing series of work. The completed embroidered work can be seen as a cautionary tale that recalls eras such as during the Great Depression where recycling was second nature and maintaining the essentials of life was the cornerstone of every home.
This component of the exhibition of architecture and Building for the Economy is presented by Visual Arts and Craft at Harbourfront Centre as part of an ongoing interdisciplinary focus.
Thea Haines, detail from Scrimp, 2009.
found textile and embroidery.
Image courtesy of the artist.
Visual Arts at York Quay Centre
Visual Arts at York Quay Centre is made up of 10 exhibition spaces which are both traditional and unique. These venues are located within and outside York Quay Centre proper and range in size from an exhibition gallery that is 1400 feet square to individual vitrines which are 9 feet square.
York Quay Centre exhibits the works of contemporary artists creating new works in fine art, craft, new media, design, architecture and photography. The exhibition schedule changes six times a year in all of the venues except the site specific spaces.
For school group programming including tours & workshops for kindergarten through grade 12, contact us at registrar@harbourfrontcentre.com or by phone at 416.973.4091.
All other inquiries, contact the Main Gallery, York Quay Centre at 416.973.5379.
