As Empire Quay House continues to take shape on Queens Quay East by Toronto’s eastern waterfront, our construction site became the perfect opportunity to inject a new burst of art and creativity for the neighbourhood to enjoy. To help us bring our hoarding to life, we teamed up with students from George Brown College’s design program.
The team of Christina Kim, Natalie Franke, and Kristie Jones were given creative freedom to use the condo project’s hoarding as an outlet for artistic expression. They landed on transformation as their design theme, inspired by scenic views of where the city and waterfront meet.
The unique design plays on the waterfront and waves, using them to transform from one activity to another. A streetcar that transforms into an outing at Sugar Beach, and a community basketball court that evolves into a scene of someone working in an office building are just a few of the concepts. The final result? A vibrant, eye-catching display that reflects the liveliness and energy of Toronto’s downtown core.
“Art and partnerships like these with Empire Quay House are just another opportunity to bring public art into Torontonians’ lives every day,” explains Franke. The power of art is limitless, stimulating learning and creativity in people of all ages. It prompts self-reflection and awareness, and develops a sense of community pride.
Despite art being integral to Toronto, there aren’t always opportunities for up-and-coming talent to showcase their work. “It brings a lot of joy and creativity to the city. While there is a lot of creativity that can be found in Toronto, it’s not always something that we always see directly on the street,” explains Jones. “Being able to bring that to people who are out and about, and show off what the city has to offer is always a wonderful opportunity.”
Located on Toronto’s eastern waterfront, Quay House’s hoarding is the perfect canvas for students to gain public exposure in the local art scene on a large scale, being located in a high-traffic area with Sugar Beach in walking distance. Students bring a fresh perspective and innovative ideas to the table, providing a special skill set and creative solutions that might not have been considered before. The benefits are twofold as these opportunities end up setting them up for future success in the industry.
“Empire’s collaboration with George Brown has been a wonderful opportunity for us to bring public art into the lives of Torontonians right on the street as we celebrate creativity and the vibrant culture of this Toronto waterfront community,” says Josie Arcella, Senior Marketing Director at Empire Communities. “We thank these talented students for letting us work hand in hand to bring this vision to life for Quay House.”
To find out more about Empire Quay House and our other communities in the GTA, click here.
Interested in learning more about some of the other talented designers we’ve teamed up with? Check out Sarah Neuburger’s work in Atlanta, Georgia and Samara Shuter’s thought-provoking artwork at Empire Maverick in Toronto.