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DesignTO 2019: Art + Design in the city
January 18, 2019
Heading into its 9th year, DesignTO is back with over 100 immersive installations, exhibitions, special presentations and events beginning January 18 – 27. As Canada’s largest cultural celebration of design, this non-profit festival is calling Torontonians to join in bringing art and design out from the studio and into the city!
The city will be crawling with conversation pieces over the 10-day festival – including two weekends – for visitors to experience different realms of design culture. The entertainment district is lucky to welcome four exhibitions during the festival. By adding some edge to your typical day, find and appreciate the beauty in the local streets of the district whenever you’re out about for lunch, after work or dinner.
We’re fortunate to be home to many pieces of art here in the district on a regular basis, and we’re especially ecstatic to be housing new pieces throughout the festival. We’ve mapped out some of the exhibits we’re most excited for in the district!
2019 Exhibits:
Type: Exhibition
Dates: Mon, Jan 7, 2019 to Sat, Jan 26, 2019
Admission: Free
Location: Urbanspace Gallery, 401 Richmond St. W.
‘Urban Sensorium’ explores the future of cities through the lens of sensory experience. Using sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste, the project anticipates potential energy, ecology, climate, transit, and food scenarios for five major cities chosen for their projected growth and international influence. Featured cities include New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Shanghai. The methodology for the project included “future mapping” and fieldwork to gain insight into possible futures including how we work, live, and design.
Type: Exhibition
Dates: Tue, Jan 15, 2019 to Sun, Jan 27, 2019
Admission: Free
Location: 362 Richmond Street West
It is important to draw attention to the drastic consequences due to collective waste production, and the team at SDI Design are doing just that. Over 90 billion cardboard boxes alone are discarded every year. That is why the talented and passionate team at SDI Design took this timely opportunity of turning waste into something beautiful and meaningful. In collaboration with Teknion and InterfaceFLOR, they will be exhibiting a two-storey giant giraffe created from recycled materials. SDI Design will also be raising money for World Wildlife Funds Canada to further support endangered species around the world. Help them raise $2,000 by donating here.
Type: Exhibitions
Dates: Thu, Jan 17, 2019 to Sun, Jan 20, 2019
Admission: General $19, tickets info.
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, 222 Bremner Blvd
Bigger and with more never-before-seen installations and features from over 10 design firms, the Interior Design Show is coming back for a short four-day weekend to Toronto to celebrate established and emerging ideas from across the world. Perfect for professionals, aspiring designers, and consumers, IDS Toronto will be showcasing compelling craft from the world’s leading designers, thinkers, makers, shapers and dreamers. Get inspired by the best of the future through design!
Type: Exhibition
Dates: Fri, Jan 18, 2019 to Sun, Jan 20, 2019
Admission: Free
Location: OCAD University, 205 Richmond St. W.
Brought to you by OCAD University’s Health Design Studio and Taboo Health, ‘Ghost Stories’ is a two-part collaboration between respected artists Ellen Snowball and Kristi Poole-Adler offering a critical perspective on the liminal spaces of care and the grieving process. Both pieces are a part of the Dying event series that explores the natural human experience of death through the lens of design and art running during the festival. Let’s get comfortable with the uncomfortable and talk about #WhatMatters.