C. Project Site History

In what is now called Toronto, the 'King-Queen Triangle' is a unique site situated alongside the route of the Don River. The City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto collaborated on a public art call to transform this undefined, transitory area wedged between high traffic transportation corridors, into a welcoming space for nearby communities and the public at large. The City of Toronto, StreetARToronto is administering the mural component of this project.

D. Design Concept Theme

The outcome of this project will be a high-quality Mural covering the entire park-facing surface of the underpass.

The Murals will transform the Underpass at King-Queen-River Street Triangle into a celebrated community feature representative of the local historical Indigenous perspective that commemorates the creativity and wisdom of Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

In 2022, Waterfront Toronto, in collaboration with Indigenous Public Art Curator Ryan Rice, commissioned an Indigenous public artwork on the grassy and path areas of the King/Queen Triangle. This public artwork integrates sculptural work and landscaping. Although the StreetARToronto underpass mural project and King/Queen Triangle public art project are separate artworks, they will exist on the same site and are directly connected by the site’s path and must work in relation to one other. Shortlisted artists will be invited to develop a proposal that complements the King/Queen Triangle public art project. In order to create a holistic experience of the site, shortlisted artists will engage in a knowledge-sharing session with the King/Queen Triangle artist team to help inform their design concept to ensure the overall public art project site vision and mural art relate to one another. This will be a mutually enriching and creative knowledge-sharing process for both artist teams. The shortlisted artist whose mural concept is selected for implementation will also have access to the King/Queen Triangle artist team for additional knowledge sharing sessions.

King/Queen Triangle Artist team Jordan Bennett (Mi'kmaq) and Amy Malbeuf (Metis) overarching concept celebrates the continuity between Indigenous histories and contemporary urban experience, one that enriches the site with artworks to see, touch and rest with, as people make their way through to another destination. Along with the team's landscape architect, their aim is to create a seamless integrated space between art and landscape through story. This mural will express the mural artist's story, and in addition will act as an extension and continuation of the site's ongoing stories.

Jordan Bennett and Amy Malbeuf’s overarching vision imagines a sculpture park as the upper bank of the ancient river – an extension of its once rocky shoals and shoreline as it overtops the crest of the site. Their proposal consists of sculptural representations of 'washed up' items that will range in size with the smallest being around 2'x2'x2' and the larger being around 16'x3'x2'. Their design inspires a reflection on the storytelling possibilities of art and land, and proposes how, and what a community would need to survive a large flood. Elements of the artwork will meander, and some will flow in unpredictable places, a mirroring of the river's attributes through time. Further highlighting the intangible nature of the climate crisis and geography we're living in, marking this current moment in time. Sculpture placements will convey a personal narrative that will become entwined with narratives of visitors and passersby to the site.

Five (5) short-listed artists or Artist Collectives will be invited to develop a design-concept that responds to these themes (one concept per short-listed artist).

More information about Jordan Bennett and Amy Malbeuf’s project, as well as further details on the site context, will be provided to shortlisted artists through a briefing session and the Request for Proposal document.

E. Final Mural Deliverables:

Overview of final project deliverables and artist responsibilities are as follows:

The final Mural shall be durable and require minimal maintenance over a five-year period. The Mural should be painted with appropriate, high-quality materials, and artists should take into consideration the sustainability of the artwork. The selected artists will be asked to provide a maintenance plan.
A work plan will demonstrate how the project will be completed on time, within budget, and in compliance with all applicable health and safety regulations.
Short-listed artists may be asked to attend and participate in a community engagement session.
Short-listed artists will be invited and encouraged to attend a briefing session with the King/Queen Triangle Public Art Team to understand the broader context of the Waterfront Toronto commissioned public art project being developed for the site.
Selected artist and King-Queen Triangle Public Art team will engage in knowledge-sharing sessions with the King/Queen Triangle Public Art team to ensure the two art projects work in relation to one another
The Artist whose concept is selected for implementation will be responsible for renting, purchasing and supplying all materials and equipment required for the project. StreetARToronto will arrange for required permits and will have the mural coated on completion for ease of cleaning and ongoing maintenance.
Short-listed artists will meet all deadlines as outlined in Section H: “Competition Schedule and Mural Completion Timelines".