October 24, 2014
An outdoor mural designed to engage members of the public in a multi-sensory experience was unveiled today by StreetARToronto (StART) and artist Paul Aloisi of Ideas in Places.
The mural, called “Synesthesia,” is located at the Davenport Road underpass north of Dupont Street. The interactive artwork encourages visitors to engage directly with the painting by calling a phone number posted at the site. The participant can listen to recorded sounds while viewing the mural's colours and shapes.
The mural’s composition is derived from sound recordings made at the mural's Davenport Road location. A sound-based artwork derived from the recordings was translated into an abstract visual representation that was painted onto the walls. This creative process was inspired by synesthesia – a phenomenon in which stimulation of one sense leads to automatic, involuntary experience in a second sense.
StART, a program of Transportation Services' Public Realm Section, was launched in 2012 as an innovative, public-private partnership designed to develop, support, promote and increase awareness of street art and its ability to beautify the city's visual landscape. StART’s Underpass Program provides opportunities for artists to create works of art that contribute to the program mandate, make walking, cycling or driving through Toronto's underpasses more appealing, and strengthen the sense of place, inclusion and belonging within communities.
Paul Aloisi is a Canadian-born artist who exhibits internationally and who works across, and integrates, disciplines that include sculpture, installation and inter-media abstraction. His recent work has explored human interaction and communication by engaging the public and stimulating participation in what he calls moments of art.
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit
http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.
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