Artisan 〰️ Alchemist 〰️ Animist ∞ 🪶 Métis // Otipe

Artisan 〰️ Alchemist 〰️ Animist ∞ 🪶 Métis // Otipemisiwak 🏙 Living in Tkarón:to Treaty 13

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Another gift from a coworker. Darryl thought I would enjoy the design on this @sidewalktoronto tote. 💗 https://ift.tt/2ppQixj

[mercurialdarling]

🏙 https://ift.tt/2ZQSVsw

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A quick time lapse capture in downtown Toronto

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That one time in 2010 when I joined a Canadian company that specialized in LED lighting, and had the chance to use one of the only existing industrial integrating spheres in the province! Back when I was fairly new to the world of product photography and digital marketing. 💡 One of the projects they were actively working on at the time was specialty lighting for the Prada retail shop on Bloor Street. I’m reminded of my time spent in the lab when I pass by, on walks with Pepper. The fact that this was taken almost 10 years ago has me feeling 👵🏻 lol Sometimes it’s fun to look back on the little stuff or small achievements when you’re stressing about the future or feeling less than shiny. An integrating sphere (also known as an Ulbricht sphere) is an optical component consisting of a hollow spherical cavity with its interior covered with a diffuse white reflective coating, with small holes for entrance and exit ports. Its relevant property is a uniform scattering or diffusing effect. Light rays incident on any point on the inner surface are, by multiple scattering reflections, distributed equally to all other points. The effects of the original direction of light are minimized. An integrating sphere may be thought of as a diffuser which preserves power but destroys spatial information. It is typically used with some light source and a detector for optical power measurement. A similar device is the focusing or Coblentz sphere, which differs in that it has a mirror-like (specular) inner surface rather than a diffuse inner surface.

Even small commercial integrating spheres cost many thousands of dollars, as a result their use is often limited to industry and large academic institutions. However, 3D printing and homemade coatings have seen the production of experimentally accurate DIY spheres for lower costs in recent days.

The practical implementation of the integrating sphere was due to work by R. Ulbricht, published in 1900. It has become a standard instrument in photometry and radiometry. It has the advantage over a goniophotometer for measuring the light produced by a source that total power can be obtained in a single measurement. https://ift.tt/2I3QHMt

[mercurialdarling]

This will never not be a strange sight to wake up to. Rhythmic city building teams, in the early hours of each day, at heights that would make me cry, in an unfinished concrete tower. https://ift.tt/2nqv8hr

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My BIA Q3 Report includes a brief review of our first-ever virtual TD Festival of South Asia, which gained over 60k views online. https://www.canva.com/design/DAEMlLmDmBM/g5MTQKmycHW9VntXrQmEiw/view

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Alexei Morita is a talented young creator who has recently gained a lot of attention on social media thanks to his notable skating skills and unique 360 flow. In October he had over 11 million views on tiktok! 😮 Recently I invited Alexei to visit my BIA, where we spent some time getting creative with digital marketing content. Alexei has plans to explore many areas throughout Toronto and is especially interested in introducing his audience to culturally diverse neighbourhoods like the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA (City of Toronto Business Improvement Area) He is passionate about supporting small businesses and is also interested in international travel. Creative Collab BTS - https://lnkd.in/gnm_WgU Alexei on TikTok - https://lnkd.in/gGPaasS #yyz #shoplocal #locallove #supportsmallbusiness #eastendtoronto #littleindiatoronto #leslieville #gerrardindiabazaar #YYZ #Toronto #tiktokcreator

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In October the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA launched our first-ever online event, as we were unable to gather in person for the TD Festival of South Asia, as we have done for the past 18 years. 

We want to extend our gratitude to all who were able to join us virtually in celebration. Our FB page saw over 60k video views this month – A record high for our BIA.

We truly appreciate everyone who has maintained connections with our community and continued to support our small business owners during this challenging time.

Thank you to the many shop owners, artists, and production team for making it possible to bring the festival online this year. We are so grateful for your time and efforts. We couldn’t have done this without you.

Want to catch up on 7 days of amazing stories, workshops, live performances and so much more? We are sharing all of our footage from the festival with you...

Watch on Facebook

Watch on YouTube

FSA + Q3 Digital Communications Report

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With the support of RBC Royal Bank as a part of iheART Main Street Art Challenge, STEPS collaborated with 25 local creatives to bring 42 activations to life, in 11 neighbourhoods in the city of Toronto and Mississauga!

(Watch for me in one of our custom BIA face masks 😷)  

#mainstreetartchallenge #RBCEmergingArtists #placemaking #project #art #yyz #Toronto #localeconomicdevelopment 

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Gerrard India Bazaar Announces Virtual TD Festival of South Asia: Celebrating 18 Years of Cultural Diversity in East End Toronto.

The Gerrard India Bazaar BIA will be trailblazing into the future, launching their first-ever VIRTUAL TD Festival of South Asia, in October. This decision to shift to a virtual event is in alignment with the City of Toronto’s guidance, and the advice of public health officials,

The Festival begins October 4th offering a week of free live performances, workshops and other activities open to all from members of the Gerrard East community. Tune in each day between 6 pm to 7 p.m.

The virtual Kickoff Party will launch on October 4th, 2020 at 6:00 PM. This live stream event will preview festival events and exhibitions, provide opportunities to chat live with neighbours, offer interactive workshops,  share a virtual tour, and more…

www.festivalofsouthasia.ca

Tasneem and I are collaborating with a number of local artists, shop owners, and a production crew to bring the festival online this year. My focus has been the creation of the FSA website, content creation, and marketing for this event. Our main objective this year is to grow our brand recognition, continue or sponsorship agreement with TD, boost our online marketing efforts, and coordinate the creation of some evergreen content for future marketing use.

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We hope that both of these local activations will help to inspire a sense of togetherness and resiliency throughout our neighbourhood and across the city, during a period of uncertainty and insecurity.

Activation Locations + Dates

Window Clings

This activation will be on display at vacant shops along the street. This activation will breathe life back into spaces that are temporarily empty, and ultimately help to promote the unique cultural experience of Little India Toronto.

📍 Our discovery walk signage can be found at 1415, 1424, and 1447 Gerrard Street East

Decals

📍 Approximately 100 pieces are being printed and placed throughout the entire Bazaar. Look for 4 variations of style, with unique colours and designs.

Organizers

BIA Staff

Anna Zissou

Tasneem Gandhi Bandukwala

Artists

Rosena Fung

Roshni Wijayasinha

STEPS Staff

Alexandra Lambropoulos

Alexis Kane Speer

Anjuli Solanki

Wandy Cheng

Selina McCallum

Photo and video credit: Anna Zissou (@_annazissou) for Gerrard India Bazaar BIA (@gerrardindiabaz)

This project is supported by STEPS Initiative (@STEPSInitiative) as part of their Main Street Art Challenge

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In consideration of community health and wellness. one of our first ideas was to commission sidewalk decals that could visibly promote social distancing throughout the area, in collaboration with a local BIPOC artist.

Roshni Wijayasinha’s ‘Modern Mandala’ sidewalk decals can be experienced as a kaleidoscope of bright patterns and colours in 4 variations, with over 100 decals installed across the Bazaar.

Roshni was the natural choice. We had the opportunity to witness her at work, when she stepped up to participate in a volunteer community painting project last year. Her vibrant work can be spotted on a planter-box on Gerrard East.

The majority of Roshni’s work is abstract painting, inspired by nature and its energy. Using acrylic and mixed media, most of her pieces glow under UV light.

The spiritual meaning of mandalas’, which symbolize constant change, multiple reflections, and beauty are evoked through this activation. During this time of healing and recovery, the ‘Modern Mandala’ is intended to invoke transition, energy and resilience. Wijayasinha’s use of abstract patterns reflect the vibrant colour and energy found along Gerrard Street East.

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This inital concept inspired Rosena Fung (Toronto-based illustrator and comic) to create this whimsical and exuberant collage, which spotlights our dynamic, exuberant, and colourful neighbourhood and celebrates our diverse South Asian history and culture.

The piece includes an homage to the Naaz Theatre, where it all started: a small theatre showcasing Bollywood films that eventually led to the proliferation of local businesses, and ultimately the BIA we see today.

This activation offers a warm welcome to a neighbourhood bursting with life and a vibrant local economy. Here you will find music, films, dancing, specialty grocers, wares, spiritual items, books, art, fashion, and some of the best South Asian cuisine in the city.

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2 of 42 New Public Artworks Underway Across the City of Toronto Will Be Activated in The Bazaar

20 ‘Business Improvement Areas’ including the ‘Gerrard India Bazaar BIA’ are currently participating in  The Steps Initiative ‘The Main Street Art Challenge’ – with a chance to win prizes to scale their ideas over the pandemic recovery period.

These 42 new artworks have been brought to life in collaboration with The STEPS Initiative and 25 local creatives; many of whom identify as emerging or BIPOC artists.

➡️ Activation Map

➡️ Newswire Release

➡️Social media content and video can be reposted from our accounts with appropriate credits given IG FB Twitter.

Impact Statement

As small businesses open their doors during these unprecedented times, The BIA is dedicated to ensuring that our members continue to receive much-needed resources and support.

“We believe that placemaking initiatives have the power to help revitalize our main streets, and can play a vital role as part of any local economic recovery plan.”

We are thrilled to be participating in the STEPS Initiative Main Street Art Challenge Program, which offers us access to expertise, as well as a generous $1000 grant to help offset our costs. 

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Excited to report that the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA is being considered for an amazing placemaking + public art program and grant opportunity facilitated by the STEPS Initiative.  This initiative aims to provide Toronto area Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) with the supports they need to develop creative activations along their main streets, whether that is to hire artists to help realize their visions, (safely) engage their communities, showcase local business success stories and/ or build their staff capacity to realize longer-term placemaking initiatives over the pandemic recovery period. Watch for updates soon, as our team continues to coordinate details. This project will have a quick turn around with a completion deadline of August 28th. ✨ Can’t wait to share the results with all of you! ✨ 📷 Throwback to the creation of one of our beautiful murals by Andrea Manica and Janessa Brunet on the exterior of Victoria Whole Foods on Gerrard Street East  #gerrardindiabazaar #art #muralart #muralarts #mural #murals #streetart #streetartists #toronto #thesix #the6 #the6ix #YYZ #torontoart #littleindia #painting #placmaking #publicart

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Our Gerrard India Bazaar BIA Q2 Report provides a deeper dive into metrics recorded between April and June, as well as actionable insights for Q3 recommended to the BIA board.

Our metrics have improved exponentially since I joined the team in February. This is largely due to an increase in community driven content produced in partnership with our BIA coordinator Tasneem, who has proven again and again to be an invaluable facilitator, connector, and influence within the BIA. I’m incredibly grateful for her cooperation and guidance, which has been especially essential during the COVID19 lockdown period.

Our new website redesign lays the foundation for notable growth with the adoption of a number of new digital strategies, including SEO practices, realtor partnerships, aggregated merchant shopping, spotlight features, guest posts, and more... I’m excited to see what Q3 will bring! Full Report – bit.ly/2020Q2GIBBIA 

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This short video was created to help boost consumer confidence in our health and safety issues, as local shops reopen for business. I put together a short script and then visited a few shops in the neighbourhood, seeking out volunteers to contribute these quick clips.

We're happy to announce that many of our salons and patios in the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA are reopening as we enter ‘Phase Two’ Retail shops are open, but some with occupancy limits, or by appointment only for some locations. A quick call before visiting or checking social channels will give a better indication for each individual shop. Restaurants are not yet open for dine in, but continue to offer deliver and curbside pickup. Outdoor patios are opening for dining. Outdoor activities, like dance and fitness classes are being offered by some businesses. Please continue to be patient and respectful of physical distancing, as we reopen to serve you. Details on our Phase Two operations can be found here > bit.ly/june24reopen

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We are continuing with the roll out of campaigns to support, educate, and empower small business in the Gerrard India Bazaar with our BIA Coordinator Tasneem.  The ‘COVID kits’ provided by the BIA include essential health and safety information, print outs for use on site, as well as an overview of important economic development resources available to our small business owners at this time.