July 1 – November 3, 2011
Design Exchange / Exhibition Hall
Toronto Dominion Centre
234 Bay St.
Toronto, ON M5K 1B2
Tel : 416-216-2126
Email: laura@dx.org
website: www.dx.org
Hours: Mon – Fri: 10 – 5, Sat – Sun: 12 – 5 p.m.
Fees: Adult $10, Student/Senior $8 DX Members free
Curated by Anne Marie Minardi, Noa Bronstein, Katie Weber and Mark Scheibmayr
As the second largest country with one of the worldʼs lowest population densities, Canada is known for vast open spaces and varied geography. The importance of the great outdoors is such a significant part of our nationhood that Canadian iconography – the beaver, the maple leaf, Group of Seven, hiking in the Rockies, playing hockey on frozen ponds – is indelibly linked to the natural environment. Play > Nation will explore the ways in which our unique landmass has contributed to a national love of the outdoors and shaped our collective interest in outdoor sport and exploration. The exhibition sections will focus on Water, Winter, Forest, and Urban environments. Each section will present contemporary Canadian outdoor and sporting equipment, contextualized by historical examples of earlier models and archival material pertaining to outdoor sport and exploration. The exhibit will chronicle the transition of objects used by First Nations peoples and early Canadian settlers and explorers for survival and transportation to our contemporary use of the same items for sport and hobby. Play > Nation will incorporate a myriad of design disciplines, including apparel, industrial design, graphic design, as well as iconic designs.
Log on to the Play > Nation blog to get a behind the scenes look into how this exhibit is formalized and how the seeds of an idea evolve into a tangible exhibition.