Toronto Design Offsite Festival Must-sees
Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is opening up the creative studio process by transforming the city into an urban design sphere, privy to all. From January 15th -21st TODO is showcasing the best Canadian designers and creatives through citywide exhibitions, window installations and events. In recognizing the talent among Toronto’s (sometimes exclusive) artistic communities, the inception of TODO birthed a showcase binding these communities and inviting those outside of them, in. Going into its eighth year, the festival continues to support progressive design, but is showing how Canadian design holds cultural merit, internationally. We’ve compiled a list of our top must-sees for this year’s festival.
TOP MUST-SEES
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY
collective exhibition highlights Teddy Kang’s best and brightest illustrative works from 2015-2017. As the title suggests, We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay nostalgically reminds the viewer of human emotion during seemingly mundane moments of life.
Date:
- January 15 from 5PM-10PM
- January 16 from 10:30AM-8:30PM
- January 17&18 from 9:30AM-5:30PM
- January 19 from 1PM-9PM
- January 20 from 10AM-5PM
- January 21 from 11AM-5PM
Location: ildsjel Collective, 4 Carlaw Avenue, Unit #7
Admission: Free
INFILL
Infill is a series of window installations inspired by Toronto’s shifting landscape involving the upcycled debris from Tommy Thompson Park. At a time when Toronto is seemingly in a perpetual state of urban development, the installations offer a broader conversation about city renewal and regional demographics.
Date: January 15- 21, 2018
Location: Opticianado Eyewear, 2919 Dundas Street West, Toronto ON
Admission: Free
NUBO LIGHT
The Nubo lamp is a geometric light fixture carefully sculpted through digital software. The window installation projects a geometric, myriad of rainbow colour, akin to a disco ball, transforming the small space into a dreamland.
Date: January 15- 21, 2018
Location: Anti Vice Juicery, 853 College Street, Toronto ON
Admission: Free
MATTER
The annual thematic exhibition is curated by TODO and funded by the Ontario Arts Council. Matter features 12 artists and designers contemplating their unique perspectives in relation to material objects. The visible or invisible exploration of material is contextualized by the lifespan and long-term analysis of matter.
Date:
- January15-18 from 9AM-7PM
- January 19, 2018 from 9AM-6PM
Location: Urbanspace Gallery, 401 Richmond Street West, Toronto ON
Admission: Free
ABSTRACT BY DESIGN
Notable Canadian artists, Ian Busher and Mark Gleberzon, have been working on a multi-media repertoire surrounding abstract motifs consisting of free-form expressive and rigid design. Their bright work is visually captivating and has been featured in international galleries and magazines.
Date: January 20, 2018 from 1PM-7PM
Location: Kilogram Studio, 175 Lisgar Street, Toronto ON
Admission: Free
DILIGENCE AND ELEGANCE: THE NATURE OF JAPANESE TEXTILES
The exhibition focuses on the highly refined construction of textiles by presenting a collection of 19th and 20th century Japanese artifacts. The evolution of Japanese textiles is replicated by Japanese-Canadians, Hiroko Karuno and Keiko Shintani, whose contemporary work surrounds the traditional craft of spinning, dyeing and weaving as a testament towards personal reflection and tradition.
Date:
- January 15 & 16 from11AM-5PM
- January 17, 2018 from 11AM-8PM
- January 18-21 from 11AM-5PM
Location: Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Avenue, Toronto ON
Admission: Free
Claire is slightly obsessed with public broadcasting and forwarding Canadian culture. On her days off, she’s reading skincare blogs or blasting podcasts and old-school R&B.
