Feb 7, 2022
admin

ABC: Art, Biodiversity and Condos (2022)

A recent article in the Toronto Star about a new mural installed in front of a luxury condo prompted me to reflect on art and biodiversity. My first reaction:

 

I admit I should have said celebrating instead of enhancing. I reread the article trying to make sense of it all, to remain open minded, and I tried to understand the motivations of both the artist and the developers. I cannot.

If biodiversity is the quality or state of having a large number of plant and animal species in an area, any new buildings that use that specific area, have direct impacts in terms of destruction of habitats and more subtle effects on biodiversity such as disturbance and fragmentation.[1]

There are many problems with the placement of this artwork. First, biodiversity and luxury condos don’t go hand in hand. There is a disjunction between the two even if the developers would like us to think otherwise. If biodiversity is for everyone, luxury condos are not. Moreover, there is a direct link between the loss of biodiversity and economic inequalities.[2] In other words, economic inequality predicts biodiversity loss. [3] I don’t know if a mural on the shady side of the building might remind us of flourishing biodiversity, or is it more likely a memento mori for it. Are we supposed to consider the biodiversity of Lake Ontario and its waterfront parks before or after the mural was put up?

The artist tells us that she was thinking of horizons, the way light reflects on water at different times of day and season. It’s too bad that the mural is facing the highway. The ones who have lakeside view apartments, would be more in tune to this than the ones who gaze inland. For those driving by, in the shadow of the building, it might be a wishful reminder that everything is excellent.

On the bright side, I am happy to read that the panels are recyclable, but it is a quality that remains obscure when we talk about permanent sculpture.

New condo celebrates lakefront biodiversity with 120-metre mural along the Gardiner (February 2, 2022)

 

[1] http://www.businessandbiodiversity.org/construction.html

[2] https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/biodiversity-loss-linked-economic-inequality-worldwide-25398

[3] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0000444

 

Mirabella Luxury Condominiums


 


February 7, 2022


February 8, 2022

 

 

Leave a comment

Daniel H. Dugas

Artiste numérique, poète et musicien, Daniel H. Dugas a participé à des expositions individuelles et de groupe ainsi qu’à plusieurs festivals et événements de poésie en Amérique du Nord, en Europe, au Mexique et en Australie. Son treizième recueil de poésie « émoji, etc. » / « emoji, etc. » vient de paraître aux Éditions Basic Bruegel.

Daniel H. Dugas is a poet, musician, and videographer. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions as well as festivals and literary events in North America, Europe, Mexico, and Australia. His thirteenth book of poetry, 'émoji, etc.' / 'emoji, etc.' has been published by the Éditions Basic Bruegel Editions.

Date : Mars / March 2022
Genre : Poésie / Poetry
Français / English

émoji, etc. / emoji, etc.

Date: Mai / May 2022
Genre: Vidéopoésie/Videopoetry
Français/English

Fundy

Archives

Shapes