The Bentway Announces Inaugural Artist Residency, Spring/Summer 2019

The Bentway is pleased to announce that Toronto-based scholar, composer, and artistMitchell Akiyama, and Canadian designer and researcher Brady Peters have been selected to participate in The Bentway's inaugural Artist Residency.

The initial residency, Sound and the City, will focus on the acoustic environment of The Bentway; the hum of the Gardiner Expressway above, the rush of passing trains to the north, the occasional cannon blasts from the Fort York grounds, and the general buzz from the surrounding city make The Bentway site rich acoustic territory. The artists will explore The Bentway as an instrument, experiment with the varied sonic environments along its length, and investigate new ways to interact with the site. The residency runs from April-August, and will include a series of public experiments, engagements and consultations.

Mitchell Akiyama's eclectic body of work includes writings about sound, metaphors, animals, and media technologies; scores for film and dance; and objects and installations that trouble received ideas about history, perception, and sensory experience. He holds a PhD in communications from McGill University and an MFA from Concordia University, and is Assistant Professor of Visual Studies in the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.

Brady Peters' design and research work successfully bridges technology and design. He specializes in architectural acoustics, environmental simulation, computational design, and digital fabrication, using computer programming, parametric modelling, and simulation to design performance-driven forms. Peters is an assistant Professor at the John H. Daniels School of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

The team's goal for the residency is to develop an understanding of The Bentway as a site through which myriad forces flow - vibrational, social, electrical, acoustical. The energy of the city is amplified, quite literally, under the overpass. Throughout the duration of the residency they will work on The Bentway site to measure, channel, capture, transduce, and utilize these forces and flows. In collaboration with the local community, through workshops and public programming, Akiyama and Peters are seeking to transform The Bentway, and deepen its relationship to the city's sonic environment.

"We're excited to have the opportunity to work in such a singular acoustic environment,"said Akiyama and Peters. "The Gardiner is such an iconic and important entity in the city and we hope to enliven and alter the space in ways that will help to deepen our understandings of sound, space, and the built environment."

This first Artist Residency aims to expand the parameters defining sound art, the types of projects contributing to the discipline, and the way sound shapes the collective creative experience of Toronto. Along with The Bentway, New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA), who have an extensive background in the field of experimental sound, will work with the artists and provide key expertise throughout the process.

Each year The Bentway will support one self-directed onsite residency focused on advancing artistic experimentation around a specified project theme and discipline. Each residency will also respond to a key feature of the site. It is an opportunity for artists or collectives to participate in deeper, long-term research while contributing to the evolution of The Bentway as a creative platform and public space.

The Bentway
Sound and the City
Artist Residency
Mitchell Akiyama and Brady Peters
April - August 2019

The Bentway is a unique and innovative public space that transforms 1.75km underneath Toronto's Gardiner Expressway into a new gathering place for our city's growing population.

The Bentway knits together seven local neighbourhoods with over 70,000 residents, becoming a gateway to the waterfront, while providing access to important attractions and destinations - from Fort York National Historic Site, Ontario Place and Exhibition Place to Harbourfront Centre and the CN Tower. The Bentway offers year-round activities and events, including gardens, a skate trail, recreational amenities, public markets, public art, special exhibitions, festivals, theatre and musical performances, and more. Since opening to the public in January 2018, The Bentway has welcomed over 150,000 visitors to experience free year-round programming including public art installations, performances, festivals, recreational activities, and much more.

The initial phase of The Bentway stretches from Strachan Avenue in the west to just east of Bathurst Street underneath the Gardiner Expressway, this section of The Bentway is located on the lands of Fort York National Historic Site, recognized by the Government of Canada as a site of national significance. The Bentway is maintained, operated, and programmed by The Bentway Conservancy. The Bentway is a proud member of the High Line Network, an international network of projects that transform underutilized infrastructure into new urban landscapes.

About Fort York National Historic Site
Fort York National Historic Site is one of 10 Toronto History Museums operated by the City of Toronto. Since 1793, Fort York has been an important military location and is where Toronto was founded as an urban place. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, this 43-acre heritage conservation district is home to Canada's largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings. Fort York offers permanent exhibits and immersive multimedia displays at the Visitor Centre, ongoing programming and events, site tours, military displays, historic cooking demonstrations, and the annual Indigenous Arts Festival.

Fort York National Historic Site is also home to the first phase of The Bentway. For more information, visit http://www.toronto.ca/fortyork.