Like a natural lunar occurrence, the moon sculpture that recently hung under the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, was easy to miss. And so, I feel fortunate that my friend Julie made sure that we caught it.
“Museum of the Moon“, a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram was on display in Toronto for a mere six evenings, from Tuesday until Sunday. The seven-metre wide, internally lit, spherical sculpture was somewhat hidden away, tucked right under the expressway at The Bentway Public Outdoor Space. Its visit to our city coincided with the full moon — the harvest moon — making the experience extra special.
Check out the artwork’s site (linked above), to see photos of some other cool places the moon has hung and to find out where it’s going next. Note, there are several moons touring simultaneously. “Over the coming years Museum of the Moon will be presented in art exhibitions, science, music and light festivals around the world.“
As the nature of the flash-installation meant that it would inevitably only have been seen by a relative few, I hope you’ll enjoy seeing these photographs which allow the unique sight to live on.
We went on Thursday evening. The sun was scheduled to set at 7:30, so Julie and I arranged to meet there at 7. The weather was perfect for it. We got lucky with that, as it had been raining the previous days and that very morning.
As described on their site, “The Bentway is a unique and innovative public space that transforms 1.75km underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway into a new gathering place for our city’s growing population.” It opened last year and I’d not had a chance to go yet, so being there was interesting in itself. It’s really neat and I look forward to going again and seeing more of it.
↑ Looking westward from Fort York Boulevard, between Bathurst Street and Strachan Avenue. The entry to Fort York is on the right-hand side. ↑
↑ Turned around to look eastward. A full stream of multi-lane traffic flows overhead, but just sounds like white noise from below. ↑
↑ Eastward. The historic buildings of Fort York are there, unseen, amoung the trees. ↑
↑ We got a drink and found a seat at a picnic table, as the sun quickly set. ↑
↑ There was a guided meditation, a prerecorded tour delivered via headsets and assisted star gazing going on, but we chose to talk quietly and people watch. ↑
↑ We were there one night before the full moon but it looked full to the naked eye, making it seem like two full moons at the same time. ↑
↑ Both moons in one shot. ↑
A quick note of appreciation to my friend Julie for making our visit happen and also to Meghan for telling me about it, too. There is so much going on in this dynamic city, that it’s really easy to miss good things, so I’m grateful for sweet pals who keep me informed, so that I may then have interesting content to share with you!
On that note, thank you for reading and thanks to those responsible for bringing the moon to us.
xo loulou
