The Bentway’s Summer 2024 Programming Is Here
Discover The Bentway’s warm-weather programming from free public art exhibition Softer City to roller skate parties
Under the hustle-and-bustle of the Gardiner Expressway, an unusual – yet beloved – oasis of community events, public art, and dance parties thrives at Toronto’s own Bentway. Designed by Public Work to combat the isolating nature of major Canadian cities such as Toronto, which was recently listed as ‘one of the loneliest places in the country’ according to the recent Toronto Foundation Vital Signs Report, The Bentway is back with a slew of exciting summer programming. The star of the season is Softer City, the free public art exhibition, consisting of six commissioned art installations, performances, and events all of which explore how “softness” can forge collective social connections.
“Our programming line-up this summer is designed to help Torontonians reconnect with the city and each other through a series of invitations: to hold hands together; to dance, draw, sing, and move together; to soften the barriers that separate us.” explains Anna Gallagher-Ross, Senior Manager of Programming at The Bentway. “The artists, architects, and designers in Softer City are exploring softness as a means of humanizing our cities, connecting communities, and creating space for collective repair.” Featured artists include:
Perspective Alignment by Chloë Bass.
Brooklyn-based Chloë Bass presents her series of sculptural benches entitled Perspective Alignment. Made from Ontario rock, these seats are engraved with varied reflections on personal and communal healing and recovery. In opposition to her sense that traditional monuments rarely offer collective catharsis, Bass’ work fosters a space for strangers to share moments of empathy – and softness.
Holding Space by Nnenna Okore.
Holding Space by Chicago-based Australian-Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore combines industrial materials, like scaffolding and pipe, and Ankara, the iconic wax print African fabric, in geometric structures that wrap around the Gardiner’s concrete underbelly. With bold patterns and rich colours, Okore’s work brings a feeling of identity and community to what was once a cold industrial space.
Tracings by Nico Williams.
Tiohtià:ke; Montréal-based Nico Williams cares for the bones of the Gardiner by “patching” the concrete columns with traditional Indigenous regalia designs, mirroring repairs done by city maintenance. Entitled Tracings, Williams uses bright woven fabric and jingle cones to infuse joy and care into The Bentway.
Soft Fits by WIP Collaborative.
Designed with teens in mind, Soft Fits by Brooklyn-based WIP Collaborative is a playful lounge area of netted frames and hand woven textures. Inspired by the curved natural landscapes surrounding the city, Soft Fits invites youth to work with a local textile artist in a collaborative design process of braiding, twisting, weaving, and more.
Wind Ensemble by Heather Nicol.
Toronto multidisciplinary artist Heather Nicol’s sound and soft sculpture installation features colourful windsocks, windchimes and interactive podiums with microphone cones for vocalizations. In the windy Bentway tunnel, Wind Ensemble asks you to add your voice to the chorus of car horns and city cacophony.
Walking:Holding by Rosana Cade.
In a series of one-on-one experiential performances, Glasgow-based artist Rosa Cade’s Walking:Holding invites participants to take a guided tour of The Bentway, meeting and holding hands with seven different individuals along the way. A unique project rooted in queer activism, Walking:Holding asks the question: “what happens when we open our hands to each other in public?”
Other Softer City events include curator tours, a community beading circle with Running Fox Bead’s Skye Paul (June 22) and a comedic social game with Anthony Morgan and Aaron Fitzpatrick of Freestyle Socials (July 20).
Still more activities, join Youtube sensation Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene on July 6th for her first ever live communal yoga event in Canada! Plus, every Wednesday until September 25th, enjoy the Drawing Social with Noble Space and weekly rollerskating with BEATS + SKATES, Melanin Skate Crew and SUSO Skate alternatively. Fun for kids, look out for the Dino Runs with dino-themed song, dance and games.
