PULP: paper art party — co-founded by a collective that includes third year Master of Architecture student Rotem Yaniv and Mikael Sydor (MArch 2015) — celebrates it’s 5^th anniversary this year on Saturday, January 14^th. “Devoted to the integration of design, architecture, environmental awareness, and social activity to enhance communities around the city,” the annual event includes live music, art, and a late-night dance party. This year, proceeds raised will be donated to the Yonge Street Mission's Evergreen Centre for Street Youth.

What can we look forward to during this year’s festivities? Rotem Yaniv answered a few of our questions about the evolution the popular paper party and how it has influenced his work as a student.

This will be the fifth year of the PULP paper party. How has the party changed over the years?
We tweak it a bit every year. This year, for example, there are two acts: Art Lounge at 8pm and After Party at 11pm. The idea is to have a relaxed, lit exhibit with live music, food, drink, and dance performances in the earlier part of the evening for art and jazz folk music lovers. We will then dim the lights and let the DJs take over after 11pm, when people looking for a good dance party are likely to show up. Of course, we welcome guests to stay the entire six and a half hours.

Photo: Urban Lights, by Rotem Yaniv at PULP 2016, used materials reclaimed from Daniels Faculty's waste bins after the completion of Super Studio

What are some memorable moments from years past?
Lemon Bucket Orchestra busting through a wall made of colourful cardboard boxes created by ROLLOUT; glowing origami Stalactites that collapsed when you pulled strings by Makeshift Collective; women from Street Haven, a Toronto women’s shelter, working with Luisa Ayala and making an installation that resembles a house, to name a few.

What are you most excited about for this year’s party?
Aleks Bartosik is returning to PULP with a multidisciplinary performance and installation including dance, costume, projections, and live musician; BD Studio is returning with their folded paper lattice technique; Susie Shower is bringing 5 overhead projectors to make an interactive environment; Mark Francis and Natalia Bakaeva are hanging paper and letting guests tear parts off it… not to mention the live music by Vivienne Wilder and our DJs — Ebony and Wasserman.

Photo: Paper Igloo by MArch students Richard Freeman and Projection Mapping by Kearon Roy Taylor, photo by Dylan Johnston

Your annual paper party is also a fundraiser. So in addition to promoting environmental awareness, you are raising money for organizations such as the Yonge Street Mission Evergreen Centre for Street Involved Youth. How did this initiative come about?
For PULP 2016 artist Ksenija Spasic and the Centre’s Art Director Sharon Abel started working with the youth at the centre. They created an intimate pod out of reclaimed fabric and set it in the middle of the party. The PULP team — Robyn Lewis, Ammar Ijaz, Justin Shin, Mikael Sydor, Pamela Cottrell, and myself — discussed which charity to work with and we agreed that since they are already making an installation they would be perfect. We raised around $1600 and Sharon used the money to start Jubilee Designs at the centre — a summer program that paid the youth fair hourly wages for creating art decors.

What other kind of projects does PULP do?
We do outdoor installations and performances at Summer Solstice and BIG on Bloor Festival. We did an art installation commission for World Wildlife Fund. We also do private event management when we get the chance.

PULP 2015

PULP is also a platform to engage in research on techniques to re-purpose materials that would otherwise be discarded or thrown in the Blue Bin. What sort of things have you learned through this work and how have you applied it?
We can get cardboard tubes for free at Alexanian Carpets but they melt in the rain. We could apply them with a water resistant coating but the recycling process uses water to break materials apart. That means that when we finally throw them out, they may end up in the landfill which would be the exact opposite of what we want. So we wrap them instead in waterproof fabric sleeves that can be easily removed. The idea of separation of materials is following the Cradle to Cradle approach — we encourage artists not to use glues and resins on paper based materials because that ruins their recyclability. We were able to get 7 pavilions made mostly of cardboard stand up in 24 hours of continuous rain and keep them dry and recyclable.

Part of PULP’s mission is to build a community network. Who are some of the groups that you have worked with and how have you collaborated?
The Bloordale Improvement Group, BIA, CIA, the offices of Councillors Bailão and Wong-tam, The Junction BIA, GALDSU, and our own growing network of artists — we are in constant communication with them and I attend community meetings. Community groups provide networking and promotion in return to PULP bringing something new for community members. It is interesting to think of communities as clients and of PULP as architects — we design spaces for a limited time for communities to enjoy.

Contoured Environment by RAW Design and Sea Pod by Ksenija Spasic and Evergreen Centre at PULP 2016, photo by Dylan Johnston

How does your work with PULP influence or enhance your work as a Master of Architecture student and vice versa? Is the focus of your research as a student related to the work you do through PULP?
Last semester I worked with studio instructors Terri Peters and Stephen Verderber on a mental health facility for children. The design included a skate-park, splash pad, and climbing wall, with the ability for inpatients and community artists to paint murals on exterior walls. The idea that inhabitants can own their space by engaging with it is something I keep exploring with this organization.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Please donate to our fundraiser campaign! Evergreen wishes to expand the Jubilee Design program. Individuals who donate over $50 and businesses which donate over $250 will be mentioned in a special list on our website, but you can donate as little as $2. Visit http://pulpartparty.ca/
 

Photo, top: Paper Environment by Aleks Bartosik at PULP 2015, photo by Haley Park

This week marked the start of undergraduate classes for the winter semester — an opportune time to look back at photos of last semester’s undergraduate reviews and draw inspiration from the projects and presentations by our students. Special thanks to the to Daniels Faculty instructors and guest critics who joined us on December 10 to provide our students with feedback, insight, and encouragement.

To learn more about Daniels Faculty’s programs of study for the emerging architect, landscape architect, urban designer, artist, or curator, visit the programs section of our website.

Canada may be known for its abundance of fresh water lakes, but many First Nations communities across the country lack access to clean drinking water. Health Canada’s recent drinking water advisories extended to a total of 133 communities, 90 of which are First Nations.

“Landscape architecture can play a really powerful role on this issue,” says Emma Mendel (MLA 2015). For her Master of Landscape Architecture thesis, presented last April, Mendel looked at Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, which has been forced to boil their drinking water for over 10 years. “Our discipline requires us to read the landscape, understand it's history and further look to design as a means of problem solving,” she says.

With the Province of Manitoba now planning to construct a new water treatment plant, accessible roads, and a new school for the community, Mendel asked, “What are the possibilities of pairing infrastructure standards with traditional knowledge?”

This past Fall, Mendel — who is among recent U of T graduates now working at Janet Rosenberg & Studio —  published an article detailing her research and design proposals for the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation in Ground, the magazine of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects.

Her thesis included designs for a water treatment plant based on traditional fishing weir traps; an all seasons road that, in addition to improving access to the community, would provide places to gather; and a scheme for the landscape around the new school that would amplify “the passing of knowledge” and extend “the educational experience outdoors.”

Writes Bell, “these proposed, alternative infrastructure designs seek to open a space between western science and traditional knowledge; infrastructure and ecology; and land and water.”

As part of her research, Bell met with the University of Toronto’s First Nations House and the Centre for Indigenous Studies. She hopes to expand on her thesis in the future, exploring similar communities and researching how to best design for them.

Visit Ground magazine’s website to read Mendel’s article: "Fluid Reciprocity: Alternative infrastructure to ensure access to clean drinking water at Shoal Lake 40 First Nation."

Master of Architecture students in their last semester of the program presented their thesis projects to faculty and guest critics on December 14 and 15, 2016. Congratulations to everyone on who completed their final presentation before the holiday break! And thank you to the esteemed guest critics from Toronto and beyond who provided feedback to our students.

We have created a photo album on Flickr showcasing the projects and discussions that took place. Photographs from all the student reviews that took place from December 6 to 19 have also been shared on our Facebook page.

On November 8, myself and 27 other Daniels Faculty students from this semester’s ARC201 class embarked on a day trip, led by Assistant Professor Jeannie Kim, to see architecture in Buffalo, New York. The majority of the trip was spent at Silo City where, upon arrival, everyone was astounded by the massive scale of the buildings on site. The gargantuan grain elevators were once instrumental in the economic growth of Buffalo, but gradually came to be abandoned by the 1990’s.

In recent years, the site has been re-invented as an art space where installation and performance art are juxtaposed within the derelict state of the silos.

The tour provided an opportunity to see the spatial and experiential conditions of an architectural typology that inspired Le Corbusier and his ideas about modern architecture. The silos provided a good case study in understanding relationships in massing, and addressing architectural space whether it is a conscious production or a by-product of one’s chosen form(s).
 
We were also treated to a brief tour of the Darwin D. Martin House by Frank Lloyd Wright, which helped us realize the great potential for architects to be deliberate and uncompromising about our designs in realizing a vision for space and living.

Just before heading home, we visited downtown Buffalo to see Louis Sullivan’s Guaranty Building and ponder the architect’s most famous line “form (ever) follows function.” Everyone was excited to see the richly ornate exterior of one of North America's earliest skyscrapers.

To see more photos from the trip, head over to the Daniels Faculty's Facebook page.

On Thursday, November 24, the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundationpresented the Andre Schwabenbauer Scholarship Award to Master of Landscape Architecture student Rachel Salmela. The presentation took place at the Eric Arthur Gallery during the pop-up exhibition and book launchfor Experimenting Landscapes: Testing the Limits of the Garden, by Emily Waugh.

Rachel Salmela received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture with distinction in 2014. Prior to pursuing her Master of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of Toronto, she co-taught an undergraduate interdisciplinary studio in Istanbul, Turkey, titled Liquid Infrastructure, which focused on issues of the public realm. Salmela has since gained professional experience working on large-scale public projects at Public Work in Toronto. During her thesis year, she looks forward to exploring the contested nature of transition landscapes through culture and ecological process.
 
When Salmela joined our MLA Program in the fall of 2015 as an Advanced Placement student, her passion for landscape architecture was immediately apparent. She stands out among her peers as an excellent designer, always bringing a strong research agenda to her work. Her designs aim to improve environmental conditions, while educating by engaging visitors. Her design forms are generated through thoughtful considerations of how the environment and human actions will continue to shape one another toward increased resiliency.

The Andre Schwabenbauer Endowment Fund was established through the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF) to honour the memory of Andre Schwabenbauer, former President of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. The scholarship was first awarded in 2006. This $1000 annual scholarship honors and recognizes Andre’s belief that landscape architecture is first and foremost a design profession. The scholarship recognizes and fosters excellence in design.

Each year the endowment fund awards the scholarship to an outstanding student in the final year of an accredited first professional degree program in landscape architecture at a Canadian university. Currently, the annual scholarship rotates among Canada’s six accredited landscape architecture programs.

The Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF) was established in 1988 by senior members of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects as a charitable organization. Since its creation, LACF has raised funds to support research, communication and scholarship activities and has awarded over 100 grants and scholarships to projects and people that reflect the core values of the profession of landscape architecture.

A celebration to honour graduate student accomplishments and to thank those who have contributed to student awards took place on October 27 at a luncheon at Hart House.
 
Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Urban Design, and Master of Visual Studies students who received in-course awards and admissions awards were invited to meet the donors who have helped support their academic development. And the donors were able to meet the students who have benefited from their generosity.

Students Karima Peermohammad (MArch 3) and Devin Tepleski (MLA 1) spoke passionately on behalf of the student body about the value of their programs and the financial support that they received, which has helped them pursue their academic goals.
 
“You are investing in the opportunities for each and every one of us, to find answers within ourselves.” said Tepleski in his address to the donors. “We will work every day to make our communities better places."

Dean Richard Sommer also spoke to those assembled, thanking the donors for their ongoing contributions.
 
“Your generosity has had a catalytic effect on the prospects of our most talented students by recognizing their achievements and supporting their work,” he said

The Daniels Faculty would like to congratulate those who received awards this year — and express its sincere thanks to those who continue to support students year after year.

in/future — a multidisciplinary arts and music festival now on at Ontario Place in Toronto — features work by a number of Visual Studies faculty members, graduate students, and alumni from Daniels. The large, collaborative festival includes site-specific projects, musical performances, films and videos in Ontario Place’s iconic Cinesphere, and performances, workshops, talks, and tours.

Recently hired as an Associate Professor, Mitchell Akiyama has an installation entitled 108 Spectres of Release on the West Island; Ed Pien has occupied one of the weather silos with the immersive projection installation Revel; MVS alumni Faye Mullen (MVS 2013) performs daily at 7pm at Breaker Point; MVS Alumni Fraser McCallum (MVS 2016) and current MVS student Sam Cotter have curated 2 programs for Vtape (co-founded by MVS faculty Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak) that are screening in the Cinesphere; sessional lecturer Oliver Hussain’s 2-d and 3-d videos are screening in one of the amazing silos; and MVS Curatorial Studies graduate Wanda Nanibush (2013) and current MVS student Rouzbeh Akhbari are each speaking in the Onsite OCADU speakers series Lectures for the end of the world(s) on the West Island of Ontario Place.

in/future runs until September 25. Visit the in/future website, to view the schedule and ticket information.

Live in Miami? Mark your calendar! Meetinghouse, a contemporary art space collective in the penthouse of the historic Huntington Building in Miami, announces the opening of its Fall 2016 exhibition series with Aurora Roomand Type-topia — two installations blending art and architecture, on the evening of September 22nd.

Type-Topia is an idealized and fictitious composite city created from the collaged combination of nine public institutional projects by Khoury Levit Fong (KLF), the firm of Associate Professor Robert Levit, Associate Professor Steven Fong, and former Daniels faculty member-turned Dean of the University of Miami's School of Architecture Rodolphe el-Khoury.

The interactive model calls attention to the iconic status of notable public spaces and buildings in shaping the identity of cities, highlighting the role that architecture can play in the constitution of a geography of monuments. Just as New York has been represented through its monumental icons such as the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, or Paris by the Eiffel Tower and the Arc-de-Triomphe, Type-Topia is imagined through a series of graphic representations of its civic monuments. Using programmed QR tags, visitors can interact with each project proposal. The composite city becomes a historical metropolis in which the iconic elements instantaneously become memorabilia of this fiction, complete with travel posters and postcards.

Meetinghouse Fall 2016 Opening Night!
Thursday, Sept 22nd
from 7pm to 10pm

Exhibition Design by Robert Levit with Dorsa Jalalian (MUD 2016) and Nick Reddon (current MArch student)
Principals in Charge: Rodolphe el-Khoury and Robert Levit

Two Daniels Faculty Master of Landscape Architecture graduates will be receiving awards from the American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) for their graduate thesis projects. Jordan Duke and Shan Yangwere among the 22 student award winners, selected out of 271 entries from 71 schools around the world.

Jordan Duke will receive an Honour Award in the General Design Category for her thesis project The Digital & The Wild: Mitigating Wildfire Risk Through Landscape Adaptations. Her thesis explored how wildfires could be mitigated through tools that exist within the realm of landscape architecture, and culminated in the development of a strategy for Cleland Conservation Park in South Australia. Her plan combined remote sensors embedded in the landscape with site-specific landscape design strategies that would produce both short- and long-term results for diminishing such disasters in the future. Duke’s thesis advisor was Assistant Professor Liat Margolis. You can also read more about Duke’s project here.

Shan Yang received an honor Award in the Analysis and Planning Category for her thesis project PHYTO-Industry: Reinvigorating the North Vancouver Waterfront Through a Phased Remediation Process.

For her project, Yang presented a remediation strategy that combined existing industrial land with future urban development along a 12-kilometre long industrial belt on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet in Metro Vancouver. Her proposal explored the area’s social and ecological potential, shoreline dynamics, ecology, industrial evolution, and in-situ site remediation strategies to support the development of a multifunctional, ecologically resilient green belt where urban redevelopment to help meet the area’s intense need for housing could take place. Yang’s thesis advisor was Assistant Professor Pete North.

Jury members for the student awards included:

• Laura Solano, ASLA, Chair, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Ned Crankshaw, ASLA, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
• Terrence DeWan, FASLA, Terrence J. DeWan & Associates, Yarmouth, Maine
• Janelle Johnson, ASLA, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, Chicago
• Jeffrey Lee, FASLA, Lee and Associates Inc., Washington, D.C.
• Elizabeth Miller, FASLA, National Capital Planning Commission, Washington, D.C.
• Forster Ndubisi, FASLA, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
• Trinity Simons, Mayor’s Institute on City Design, Washington, D.C.
• Barbara Swift, FASLA, Swift & Company Landscape Architects, Seattle

All 2016 ASLA winners will receive their awards at the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in New Orleans on Monday, October 24.

The September issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) features the winning projects and is available for free viewing via ASLA’s website.