On April 5^th, The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced Deanna Bowen (MVS 2008) one of the recipients of the 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Deanna Bowen is a descendant of the Alabama- and Kentucky-born Black Prairie pioneers of Amber Valley and Campsie, Alberta. Her auto-ethnographic interdisciplinary works have been shown in Canada, the US, and Europe in numerous film festivals and galleries. Bowen currently teaches studio, video art and documentary production in the Department of Arts, Culture & Media at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

In 2013, Bowen’s exhibit at the Art Gallery of York University exploring the Ku Klux Klan’s role in 20th century Canadian history caused “people who pass by everyday to literally trip over themselves.” Bowen had strategically made use of the violent white supremacist banners to spark a conversation on campus.

“A project in mapping African diasporic movement and a genealogical investigation in equal measure, my autobiographical, process-driven interdisciplinary practice is concerned with the document and the act of witnessing,” writes Bowen. “My practice revolves around the research and creation of conceptually rooted works that draw upon interrogations of personal and community based genealogical research, local and international 'domestic' histories, American slavery, Migration & Diaspora studies, Trauma theory and corollary discussions of memory and testimony, Southern Gothic Literature, and contemporary debates about political/personal art production.”

The Foundation awarded Bowen with the Fellowship for her “repertoire of artistic gestures” that “define the Black body and trace its present and movement in place and time.”

“In recent years, her work has involved rigorous examination of her family lineage and their connections to the Black Prairie pioneers of Alberta and Saskatchewan, the Creek Negroes (Black Indians) and All-Black towns of Oklahoma, the extended Kentucky/Kansas Exoduster migrations, and the Ku Klux Klan,” writes the Guggenheim Foundation. “Her works and interventionist practice have garnered significant critical regard internationally.”

Often characterized as “midcareer” awards, Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded to scholars, artists, and scientists who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.

The exhibition titled How to Make Space, curated by Jennifer L. Davis (MArch 2011) and Su-Ying Lee (MVS 2011) featuring work by Tings Chak (MArch 2014), has received a 2016 Grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. The exhibition explores temporary structures built by women in Hong Kong as gestures of female spatial agency. Other artists featured in the exhibition include Stephanie Comilang, Devora Neumark, and Rowena Yin-Fan Chan.

From the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts website:

How to Make Space is an exhibition that frames the temporary architectures built by Hong Kong's population of female migrant domestic workers (MDWs) as gestures of female spatial agency. Three commissioned projects reveal the oppressive legal and cultural forces that compel the women to occupy public spaces and build structures of provisional materials in which to spend their Sundays off from work. The projects are researched and authored by artists Stephanie Comilang (Toronto/Berlin), Tings Chak (Toronto), and Devora Neumark (Montreal) with Rowena Yin-Fan Chan (Hong Kong). By presenting these works in an accessible and unconventional setting, the exhibition heightens awareness in a broad audience and directly engages the spaces and people with which it is concerned. Together, the projects point toward the possibility of a feminist architecture by striving to employ tactics learned from the MDWs, questioning existing disciplinary and social power structures, and developing new methodologies of How to Make Space.

How to Make Space is one of the projects organized by Davis and Lee under the name of Rear View (Projects). Both a curatorial collective and an itinerant site for art, Rear View (Projects) experiments with unconventional platforms to mobilize new interactions between art, place, and audiences. Recent exhibitions include Flipping Properties (2014), a large-scale installation commissioned for a Toronto Laneway designed by architect Jimenez Lai (HBA 2002, MArch 2007) with Bureau Spectacular.

How to Make Space will be on display from June 25 to July 23, 2016 in Hong Kong, China. For more information, visit rearviewprojects.com

Five Daniels alumni and faculty members are among eight finalist design teams for the Lord Stanley’s Gift Monument Public Art Competition:

• North Design Office — the firm of Daniels Faculty Professors Pete North and Alissa North — joined with Blackwell and Mulvi&Banani to form the team North Design/Blackwell/Mulvi&Banani.
• Lecturer Nima Javidi (MUD 2005) and Behnaz Assadi (MLA 2008) are working under the name Javidi/Errazuriz/Assadi.
• David Leinster (BLA 1985) collaborated with Douglas Coupland and Karen Mills to form Coupland/Leinster/Mills.

“The Jury was overwhelmed with the extraordinary qualifications and achievements of the design teams,” writes Adrian Burns, Jury Chair. “As you can imagine, evaluating so much talent and experience made our task exceedingly difficult.”

Earlier this year, the Lord Stanley’s Gift Monument Public Art Competition invited teams to submit design proposals for what is expected to become a prominent new landmark in Ottawa. The monument will be built in time for the 125^th anniversary of the Stanley Cup Trophy — a Canadian symbol that originated with Canada’s sixth governor general, Lord Stanley of Preston.

The winning design will be announced in October 2016 on the advice of a jury of eminent Canadians who are highly respected in the fields of public art, culture, history, and hockey. The monument will be donated to the City of Ottawa, and unveiled in December 2017 in downtown Ottawa at the corner of Elgin and Sparks Streets — steps from the site where Lord Stanley of Preston gifted the Stanley Cup on March 18, 1892.

Today, the Daniels Faculty’s graduating students will participate in the historic procession across King’s College Circle, where they will receive their diploma. As the Class of 2016 begins this new chapter in their lives, we asked alumni across all of our programs for some words of wisdom.

Here are 12 pieces of advice from #DanielsAlum.

1.

Experience working in different sizes of firms — each with a different office culture — and do a range of different types of buildings. All the while keep asking yourself: Is this the type of work I want to contribute to our civic culture and is this the right environment for me to do my best work? — Janna Levitt, Bachelor of Architecture, 1986

2.

Don't take everyone's advice. Consider what's relevant, and learn to be a good sieve.

Don't be afraid to bring who you are into your practice. Your quirks, your habits, your unrelated talents and obsessions: let the seemingly irrelevant engage with your work. It's the deviations that are deeply interesting and contribute to a better and more human design approach. — Denise Pinto, Master of Landscape Architecture 2011

3.

Write an introduction about a future version of yourself. Leave no reservations based on practical concerns, but only your most ideal state of being. Print it out, and read it. This activity will offer you a raw future you can now begin to edit. 

Make as many allies as you can, and be kind to people who are kind to you. Be honest about your opinions — when you choose to "behave well" and conceal your thoughts, this "well-managed" relationship will never be a close connection. 

You signed up to do architecture. Be an expert of it, and be good at everything else. — Jimenez Lai, Master of Architecture, 2007

4.

Early work experience is very special, it provides the framework for your professional career. Look for employment that offers a broad range of opportunities. Seek out ways to engage in what you are passionate about, it really matters that your work is challenging. — Eha Naylor, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 1980

5.

Stay close to your cohort and your faculty. Take time to work on all the projects you put aside. Make new work, the projects that you believed in and never realized, disseminate them, seek funding and remember to have fun along the way. Take each rejection as a sign for motivation. — Ali El-Darsa, Master of Visual Studies (Studio), 2015

6.

Travel. See what other cities are doing in urban design, landscape, gardens, architecture, public art, cultural programming, festivals. See art. Work in other parts of the world. Blur boundaries. — Victoria Taylor, Master of Landscape Architecture 2008

7.

Look for ways to continue exploring ideas from your thesis or final studio project - whether it is finding a job in an office that does similar work, collaborating with like-minded colleagues, attending conferences, or joining special interest groups  - your thesis can give your career a sense of direction moving forward. — Duncan Sabiston, Master of Architecture, 2014

8.

My friend and filmmaker Atom Egoyan recently had a simple inspirational message for students at Trinity College as they prepared to embark on their working lives. “Be what you want to become.”

I think the message applies to us all at every stage of life and it is especially relevant for young architects who will succeed in a competitive and challenging field with an independent, creative spirit and a strong sense of purpose. — Anne McIlroy, Bachelor of Architecture, 1986

9.

Enthusiasm and desire. While you're on the job and in everything you do in life... give it everything you have. — Shaimaa Atef, Master of Urban Design 2015

10.
Photo credit: Ruth Maria Murphy

Don't underestimate the value of mentorship both within and outside of the office. There is a lot to learn, so it's important to have a good support system while remaining patient and enthusiastic along the way. — Sonia Ramundi, Master of Architecture, 2012

11.

Learn to trust your intuition.

Substance over Style.

— Claude Cormier, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 1986

12.

Dare to Configure - Oser Configurer!

Every Building Implies a City.

— Bruce Kuwabara, Bachelor of Architecture 1972

Do you have advice you’d like to share with our graduating class? Post your words of wisdom on Twitter and Instagram and tag with #Adviceforgrads.

Here are some resources for students joining the Daniels Faculty's alumni community today: 

• 9 ways to stay connected after graduation
• Daniels Faculty alumni page
• U of T's alumni services website

It’s not common for undergraduate students studying architecture to get a job in the field after their first year of study, but Nicole Orofino, who 10 years later on June 16 will graduate from the Daniels Faculty’s Master of Architecture Program, did just that. Having seized the opportunity to travel to Singapore and Holland while completing her degrees, Orofino is now working in the Netherlands at the European Headquarters of Nike. Orofino chatted with Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies student Josie Harrison (HBA 2017) about the value of travel and networking, and how she plans to celebrate her convocation from U of T.   

You started working after the first year of your undergraduate degree — how did you get a start in the professional world at such an early stage in your education?

Before starting my degree, I worked for a low-rise residential developer in the suburbs of Toronto as an on-site administrator. When I told my supervisor that I was pursuing a career in architecture and looking for work experience at a firm, they were good enough to refer me to an architecture firm they were working with at the time (Quadrangle Architects). This led to an interview and review of my initial portfolio. I ended up working for Quadrangle that summer and continued on part-time into the school year. I’ve found that in many cases, if you reach out to your network, and let people know what you’re looking for, they will try to help you.

Do you think that work experience gave you a different perspective during your studio courses in your undergrad and masters?

Absolutely. It was a challenge in the beginning. In studio, at school, you focus more on ideation and the concepts that drive a project. The thinking process that we’re afforded in school is different from the professional world. The professional world has a very systematic approach — design is completed in phases, and projects are realized through construction schedules that involve a number of different people and teams. The studio is more flexible. You have the time and capacity to explore different concepts and imagine new possibilities, based on your own intent.

How did studying in Toronto influence your experience as a student of architecture?

Toronto is incredibly inspirational and makes studying architecture at U of T really exciting as the Faculty is located in the heart of city. Being able to experience the cultural diversity, urban renewal and revitalization, circulation patterns, and the change in the built environment really helps to influence design and inspire creativity. As a student, you spend a lot of your time in the studio, and being able to instantly step out into the buzz of the city is one of the many benefits of studying at U of T.

You also spent some time during your degree studying and working abroad. How did this contribute to your experience as a student?

During my undergraduate degree, I went to Singapore for one semester. I chose to go because I thought there would be no better way and time to combine studying with travel. It was an incredibly valuable learning and personal experience. Similarly, I sought international experience three years into my Masters Degree. I took two semesters off, before entering into my thesis term, to work for a creative agency located in The Netherlands. I was interested in working for a creative agency because it is quite different than a typical architectural firm (which I had worked for in the past) with a client list of developers or cities. Agencies focus more on ideation, strategy, and concept creation. I told my thesis prep advisor, Laura Miller, about my desire to pursue international work experience, and she was completely supportive of my decision to take the break, as was the Daniels Faculty’s registrar and assistant dean of students Andrea McGee. Taking a step back and exploring opportunities outside of the degree was the best thing that I could’ve done at the time. By being in Amsterdam and networking, I was able to jump to the position that I’m in now.

Could you describe your current role and a project you have worked on?

I am a Project Manager for Brand Design and Strategic Account functions for Nike, working out of their European headquarters located in The Netherlands. I lead a team of designers and partnered vendors. We are responsible for creating and elevating retail and event spaces within partnered retailers across Western Europe, by creating consumer experiences, bespoke fixture systems, and curated product presentation strategies. We deliver environments that enable Nike to showcase and launch new product and innovation stories. My role is a combination of creative direction, concept creation, design, and management.

Last year, we teamed up with Nike’s Central European team to create an event that would launch the Nike Sneakerboot in Moscow, Russia. My team was responsible for concepting, planning, and creatively directing the five-day-long event, which included scouting the location in the centre of Moscow, designing massive art installations and bespoke fixtures that would showcase the Nike product, and working closely with our partnered vendors in Moscow to deliver an unforgettable experience. We designed programmed light installations, a rainwall that people could walk into, and fixtures made out of ice that held the Nike Sneakerboot. My role as project lead was to work closely with the art director and partnered vendors in Moscow. I was responsible for securing the location, locating the installations within the space, working with production on material choices, over-seeing the production of the fixtures, and ensuring the quality of the completion of the built environment so that the products were shown in the best way possible for media. The project, though successful, tested my skillset, and I was able to learn about processes that I hadn’t been familiar with prior to the event launch.

Do you have any advice for students starting their undergrad or masters?

My advice for undergraduates is to be mindful about your goals. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’re here to learn, and to become better. Sometimes, as creatives, we tend to work best under pressure. My advice would be to step back, and think about whether the pressure will help you or hinder you. More often than not, the pressure hinders your imagination, and autopilot sets in — especially in third and fourth year. Try your best to keep the pressure at arms length, so that you can keep the ideas flowing poetically.

My advice for Masters students would be to constantly remind yourself why you started. I cannot emphasize this enough. Keep a reminder somewhere: on your desk, your laptop, or your phone. Reminding yourself why you started will keep you focused. To keep you motivated and inspired, try to travel as much as you can - there is plenty of support given by the Daniels Faculty to travel, like the Global Architecture Program, and the various travel awards available. Lastly, be mindful of a strategy. Take the time to network yourself — this can only benefit you post-grad.

How will you celebrate your convocation?

I will be travelling back to Toronto for convocation. My family has planned a lovely dinner party — my sister and my mom have outdone themselves with the planning. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family — they have supported me fully throughout my degrees. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better support system, and I owe them the world for that, so it’s only fitting that I celebrate this milestone with them.

Instructor and MVS Alumnus Joshua Thorpe (MVS 2009) recently released a book titled The Unexpected with Emily Smit-Dicks. The book was published by the Swimmers Group, a Toronto-based, international, cross-disciplinary, art and literature publication studio.

From the Swimmers Group publication release:

“By turns humorous and delicate, nostalgic and blunt, The Unexpected turns away from the clamour of current affairs to tell a story of love in a hundred pages of slowly unfolding scenes in melancholy and joy.

Somewhere between flash fiction, poetry, and picture book, The Unexpected is short and descriptive, rhythmic and melodic, and visits topics as diverse as rain and wind, sumac and pine… and birds that ‘make dirt on men and women’s heads.’

The images, some quickly scrawled in ink, others more carefully daubed in wash, show us foxes, feet, and streetlights at night. Scenes, it almost seems, from some storyboard of dreams, dreamt at the edge of sleep.“

This is not the duo’s first project together. Last year Thorpe and Smit-Dicks created an installment for the Howard Park Institute located in Toronto. For the month of February, their poem was displayed on the “Howard Park Institute Window”.

The Unexpected officially launches Thursday, March 10 at the G Gallery in Toronto. Visitors should enter on Foxley Pl., just north of Argyle Street. The event runs from 7 pm to 9 pm. There will be a $15 cover charge.

Master of Architecture alumni Mario Christian (MArch 2012) and Heng Tang (MArch 2012) are co-founders, along with Luca Daniel, of the innovative jewery firm Daniel Christian Tang. The team recently launched a new line titled “ICON – An Exhibit at the Intersection of Jewery and Architecture,” which has received significant media attention.

Writes the National Post:

Tang and Mario Christian Lavorato, both 31, met at the University of Toronto, where they graduated from the masters of architecture program. During their studies, they started getting involved in digital fabrication and 3D printing, and worked on architectural pieces using the emerging technology.

“We realized at that time that we could actually take files and designs we had done for architecture and turn them into wearable pieces of art,” Mario Christian Lavorato recalled in a recent interview at an Oakville, Ont., 3D printing facility, where he and Tang awaited completion of one of their pieces.

“A lot of our pieces are inspiration from what we took from architecture, what we’ve designed, what we’ve learned in school,” said Tang, who also has a degree in biochemistry.

Daniel Christian Tang has seen their jewelry published in AZURE Magazine, ELLE, Globe & Mail, FLARE, among others. Additionally, they have recently been nominated for a Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Accessories from the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards.

Their latest collection "ICON" will make its runway debut at Toronto Fashion Week, March 17^th on the Main Runway at David Pecaut Square.

For this year’s annual Jane’s Walk, the Studio for Landscape Culture is leading a tour titled "Listening to the Language of Plants." The Studio for Landscape Culture consists of Masters of Landscape Architecture alumni Yi Zhou, Tyler Bradt and Jasmeen Bains (MLA 2013). The recent graduates founded the firm to explore the “connection between culture and ecology in the medium of the landscape.”

“Plants make sounds that operate on a wavelength outside of human hearing or understanding,” says the trio. “This [Jane’s Walk] tour will guide you through one of the last remaining pockets of Black Oak Savannah, one of Ontario's most endangered ecosystems — while enlightening the hidden dialogue of the plants through audio engineering.”

The walk will be held on May 7^th and 8^th, and will meet at High Park. For more information, visit Jane's Walk: Listening to the Language of Plants.

The subject of the Jane’s Walk, which includes listening to the inaudible sound of plants, was recently featured in the latest issue of World Landscape Architecture Magazine Annual 2016. The Studio for Landscape Culture's work was named — alongside firms such as OKRA, Sasaki Associates, HOSPER, ASPECT Studios, Land Arkitectur, Tract Consultants, KI Studio, Cadence Landscape Architects, KCAP, and Berger Partnership — one of the best projects from 2015. To purchase a copy of the Annual, visit World Landscape Architecture Magazine.

Related:

• MLA Student Tyler Bradt wins a 2013 Sustainable Design Award for his project "Free Tree City"
• Rethinking city cemeteries: Tyler Bradt's design of a burial ground in a vacant Toronto laneway is featured in World Landscape Architecture magazine
• Daniels Alumni Relaunch Installation That Speaks 'The Language of Plants'

PLANT Architect Inc. — an interdisciplinary firm that branches into the domains of architecture, landscape, ecology, furniture, art, and graphic design — recently completed the renovation of a 900-square-foot loft in a former chocolate factory.

The high-end “Chocolate Loft” — designed by Daniels Faculty Instructor Lisa Rapoport, along with recent graduate Jason van der Burg (March 2014) and Danielle Rosen — reimagined the space for two mathematics professors who were looking for a flexible pied-à-terre in the City. The owners requested that the space be either a two-bedroom condominium or a one-bedroom unit with an expanded living room area.

“Our solution was to insert a wall that passes through the high-ceilinged unit on a gentle dogleg stretching from the hallway entry to the front of the building,” writes the firm on its website.

“Transitioning from mostly glazed at the street edge to entirely wood veneered closer to the entry, a series of sliding doors in this wall makes it possible to close off the northeast corner of the loft’s cube-like volume when a second bedroom is required, or append this space to the living room when the owners need only one bedroom.”

The space features architectural elements based on mathematical formulas. A feature wall in the entry niche boasts a series of parabolas, and the sliding doors are shaped in the proportions of the Fibonacci sequence. Both elements are created with high grade cherry wood that was slip-matched from the same slab of timber. The bathroom tile pattern follows an arithmetical sequence, increased intensity of colour around the room. 

Jason van der Burg has previously been recognized for his wood designs. In the fall of 2014, he participated in the Second Annual IIDEX Woodshop. His submission, The Leaning Loop, was a handcrafted multi-purpose upright organizer that incorporated a coat rack, a shoe rack, a small “catch-all” shelf, and a custom insert panel that can be outfitted with a magnetic mirror, chalkboard, or whiteboard.

Photos above by Steven Evans, Steven Evans Photography

As the City of Toronto awaits provincial approval for transformative new zoning bylaws, Daniels Faculty Instructor Joshua Thorpe suggests other cities around the world look to Toronto's Tower Renewal initiative for inspiration.

In his article "How to rethink the suburbs: A lesson from Toronto," published in the online magazine Doggerel, Thorpe explores the unique conditions of Toronto's inner suburbs. Unlike any other North American city, Toronto's suburbs contain about two-thousand towers, housing almost a million residents. These towers, which were built following the Second World War, were largely designed for middle-class car-dependent families. Though the demographics of Toronto's inner suburbs have since changed, these neighbourhoods are still shaped by existing zoning policies that limit commercial resources and amenities. Things like cafés, grocers, bike paths, and playgrounds — often taken for granted by people living downtown — are simply non-existent in these suburban neighbourhoods. 

Thorpe outlines the history of the suburban tower-in-the-park typology as well as the important role they continue to play today. He writes about the architects and planners who have been advocating for changes to the city's zoning bylaws, resulting in the Residential Apartment Commercial (RAC) zone, accepted by Toronto City Council in 2014. The final approval for the RAC zone at a provincial level is expected in early summer 2016.

Final approval will create opportunities for small businesses, fresh food vendors, community gardens, medical clinics and more to open up in these suburban tower communities.

Writes Thorpe: "This is the beginning of a new phase for Toronto — and an important part of fulfilling the promise of a fair, equitable, and welcoming city, a city that champions its diversity instead of hiding it."

Related:

• CBC's Metro Morning interviews alumni and faculty about Tower Renewal
• Ted Kesik featured in Globe and Mail article on Tower Renewal
• Alumnus Graham Stewart shares his vision for Toronto's Tower Neighbourhoods with the Toronto Star
• Graham Stewart wins the 2014 Jane Jacobs Prize
• Tower Renewal Guidelines
• Alumus Jesse Colin Jackson presents solo exhibition, Radiant City, at the Pari Nadimi Gallery