DesignTO Tours: Dualities
Feb 02 2025
DesignTO project event: touring - in person
This walking tour invites you to take a closer look at three temporary artworks in the Yonge + St. Clair neighbourhood that explore ideas of self-image and identity, perception and reflection, and absence and presence. With firsthand insight from the artists and designers behind the projects, delve deeper into the site-specific installations, their stories, and how they came to be.
The tour starts at ‘Narcissus Falls’ (with Audric Montuno) located at 2 St. Clair Avenue West, followed by ‘Bubble Quilt’ (with Studio Rat), and ‘Beyond the Body’ (with Pixel Heller), all within a short walking distance of each other.
Following the tour, participants are encouraged to visit the other artworks in the neighbourhood, including ‘Yes, And’ (30 St. Clair Avenue West), ‘Tangled Paths’ (40 St. Clair Avenue West), and ‘Homing (Pigeon Store)’ (95 St. Clair Avenue Wast).
The Archivist
Jan 24–Feb 02 2025
Exhibition in-person
‘The Archivist’ is a performative photographer character created by Pixel Heller to document and preserve the traditions of Caribbean carnival. Inspired by her time in Trinidad and Tobago, Pixel developed this character to highlight the often-overlooked role of the photographer as a cultural archivist. Through ‘The Archivist’, she captures the essence of carnival—its characters, rituals, and layered histories—ensuring these stories are preserved for future generations.
Rooted in the vibrant traditions of carnival, ‘The Archivist’ serves as a bridge between past and present, connecting diasporic audiences to a heritage shaped by resistance and resilience. By embodying this role, Pixel amplifies the significance of carnival as a living archive of cultural pride and community. Her work invites viewers to reflect on the power of documentation as an act of preservation and highlights the importance of honouring and understanding these traditions.
Beyond the Body
Jan 24–Feb 23 2025
Exhibition in-person
‘Beyond the Body’ by Pixel Heller focuses on traditional masquerade by transforming costumes into sculptural forms. The costumes are not only garments but act as abstract body-like extensions, blurring the lines between wearable art and sculpture. These pieces evoke the fluidity of masquerade while shifting the focus toward symbolism of rituals, cultural memory, and ancestral connections.
By abstracting these costumes into sculptural works, Pixel seeks to convey the ways in which identity, memory, and the body are interconnected across time. The costumes, when worn, embody the physicality and presence of the performer. But when hung, they take on a life of their own as the sculptures evoke a sense of absence and presence, representing the continuum between the past and present.
