Inside outside: recent art experiences

Bringing the inside out - On February 9, someone was inspired by the movie, Juno, and set up a living room in front of U of T's McLennan Physical Laboratories. It was hilarious. There was a disposable camera sitting on the coffee table but the roll of film was used up. This tableau was photographed by pedestrians all day but all traces of it were gone the next morning. An explanation is not necessary but I am curious about the motives behind the setup nonetheless.

Bringing the outside in - We visited the Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W.) during their Free Wednesday Evenings event that takes place from 6 to 8:30pm. It was our first experience of the Frank Gehry redesign and we loved it. Joe noted that the galleries now flow better because there are less pokey dead ends. I really enjoyed the corkscrew staircase leading up to the contemporary art floors. The unpredictable winding of the stairs prompted oft-repeated comments from visitors to the effect of, "These stairs are making me dizzy."

The AGO now reflects Gehry's appreciation for the neighbourhood where he grew up. Whereas the original architecture shut out as much of the surrounding neighbourhood as possible, with only tall, narrow windows intermittently placed on the north wall of the second floor galleries, the redesign features Gallery Italia, the glass "skirt" that covers almost the entire expanse of the AGO overlooking Dundas St. The corkscrew staircases that pop out from the building also give visitors unprecedented views of the city; something to take your mind off the dizziness, I suppose.

I have yet to visit the new crystallized ROM but based simply on the quality of building materials, I would have to say that the AGO looks better. Gehry uses warm wood throughout though not so much as to distract from the art. Joe was a big fan of the Gehry designed benches that looked very Canadian in its hardy yet stylish use of wood and leather.

Two hours were hardly enough time to see everything so we plan to go back on a paid admission night in order to avoid the crowds. One superficial complaint: we wish the gift shop had a wider range of products for purchase. The AGO should take a cue from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, whose gift shop offered a cornucopia of cool design.