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Captured by Tanja-Tiziana
BAY 2
Captured by Daniel Huszar
PUMP HOUSE
Captured by Augustine Wong
STEAM PLANT
Captured by Stephanie Avery
INSIDE ON THE OUTSIDE
This project features photographs of four buildings on the Downsview Lands captured by four photographers. The Central Heat Plant No. 1, Bay 2, the Quonset Hut, and the Pump House have long been off-limits to the public. Interest was keen and the photographers were selected by a panel of photography experts from over 90 submissions. The panel elected to support emerging talent, while also curating a finalist group that will deliver aesthetic excellence and diversity. The four pairs of fresh eyes that captured these buildings were: Stephanie Avery, Augustine Wong, Daniel Huszar, and Tanja-Tiziana. The images were shared in this online gallery, on the buildings themselves or adjacent fences, and in an exterior exhibition.
QUONSET HUT
Captured by Tanja-Tiziana
A.K.A. “Building 6,” the Quonset Hut is a utility building made of laminated wood beams covered with a skin of corrugated metal. It was built for the former Downsview Military Base — CFB Toronto.
This quonset hut is not the only one. These prefab structures were built in the hundreds of thousands during World War II. Found all over Canada and the United States, the name refers to the location where the first hut was placed: Quonset Point in Davisville, Rhode Island.
The half-cylindrical construction leaves lots of flexible space inside. This allowed for all kinds of military uses and provides for all sorts of possibilities today. This one is still in service and is used by Downsview Park to house mountains of salt.
Location
43.749636, -79.476010
Quonset Hut, captured by Tanja-Tiziana
Quonset Hut, captured by Tanja-Tiziana
Quonset Hut, captured by Tanja-Tiziana
Quonset Hut, captured by Tanja-Tiziana
“Stepping under the curved roof of the Quonset Hut, felt like entering some kind of vessel. Not quite the hull of a ship and not quite the roof of a spaceship, its curves led me in towards the sight of a white mountain — a huge pile of road salt, stored there to use on site. After a laugh, the vision of a giant salt mountain inside an other-worldly vessel was plenty of inspiration for a strange and magical visual journey.”
Tanja-Tiziana is a pro photographer, mixed-media artist, and writer from Toronto. Her work examines our notion of time in the bustling modern metropolis. With both analog film and digital processes, Tanja bends and shapes the field of view in order to present images that defy reality and question our perception of what is past and present. Tanja’s work has been published internationally and was awarded two silver medals by Canada's National Magazine Awards. Her book, Buzzing Lights: The Fading Neon Landscape of North America, was published in 2016. She regularly releases new prints and photo zines at Doublecrossed.ca
BAY 2
Captured by Daniel Huszar
Airplanes of all sizes and types have been built in this vast assembly bay. It is part of a network of bays on these lands, which work on different elements of aircraft. Bay 2 is currently used as a manufacturing hall where an airplane’s first components are put together.
The 80,000 sq ft facility was built by de Havilland in the 1950s. The airplane manufacturer moved to Downsview in the late 1920s and was nationalized in the 1940s to support the war effort.
The local hangars produced many notable Canadian aircraft for both wartime and peacetime uses. This includes the Mosquito — often referred to as “the plane that won WWII” — and famed Canadian bush plane, the Beaver.
Location
43.736420, -79.469668
Bay 2, captured by Daniel Huszar
Bay 2, captured by Daniel Huszar
Bay 2, captured by Daniel Huszar
Bay 2, captured by Daniel Huszar
“The building felt very historic, despite the modernized manufacturing techniques and aircraft being assembled. The hangar-style doors can still be fully opened with the original chain-driven function and slide and pivot motion. It’s a real unique glimpse at what was cutting edge in the mid 20th century when the building was constructed. The building isn’t open to the public, but the plaques, banners and artwork inside point to the level of pride the people who work here have in the history of the building and its manufacturing.”
Daniel Huszar is an emerging artist specializing in architecture and landscape photography. With a background exploring the constantly changing urban jungle of Toronto, where he was born and raised, Daniel seeks to capture moments and vistas which define the built environment. A goal of his work is to prompt viewers to question the permanence of the structures and landscapes in frame, and how they clash or mesh with the realities of our world today. He is currently working on his fourth print project — a book of concept art named Bayview Chronicle.
PUMP HOUSE
Captured by Augustine Wong
Small but mighty, this mechanical building is filled with the pipes, gauges, valves, and levers. Built in 1954 as the de Havilland fire pump house, it also contains huge water reservoirs used to supply water to the local fire ring.
Unlike many buildings on the site, it remains in its original condition. It is now used as an informal storage shed for all kinds of things — decommissioned fire extinguishers, bicycles, and other miscellany.
Location
43.737125, -79.467994
Pump House, captured by Augustine Wong
Pump House, captured by Augustine Wong
Pump House, captured by Augustine Wong
Pump House, captured by Augustine Wong
“The Pump House is a tiny space crammed with hydroworks which snake around the room, or hover above the floor. Moving around was a bit of an obstacle course. There’s a sense of latent energy embodied within and underneath the building because of its history and purpose to act as a huge catharsis of water in case of an emergency. This inspired my approach in this project and my use of light painting as a contrast to the typically static nature of architectural photos. I really tried to capture the building’s kinetic moments that I understood by delving into its purpose and history.”
Augustine Wong is a photographer whose passion originates from an architectural studies background at the University of Toronto. As no building is permanent in Toronto's urban socioeconomic landscape, he seeks to combat ephemeral entropy in architectural works by preserving and raising awareness of unique urban spaces at risk. This approach lies in the practice of urban exploration, which often entails documenting the decay of abandoned spaces through photography. As an urban explorer, Augustine hopes to encourage long-term preservation by using photographic films that will act as durable witnesses to these spaces within specific moments in space and time.
STEAM PLANT
Captured by Stephanie Avery
While it looks like a building, this is actually a massive machine.
Now an artefact and a landmark, the Steam Plant was created in 1953 to heat more than two million square feet of local buildings. It was built as part of Downsview’s military base — CFB Toronto — as part of extensive infrastructure developed so the base could subsist off the grid.
Though much of what’s inside remains hidden from the exterior, the four chimneys rise from the huge boilers inside. Also called “Central Heat Plant No. 1,” you can find this structure in Downsview Park.
Location
43.746209, -79.481833
Steam Plant, captured by Stephanie Avery
Steam Plant, captured by Stephanie Avery
Steam Plant, captured by Stephanie Avery
Steam Plant, captured by Stephanie Avery
“Walking into the Steam Plant was like entering a version of the future without humanity. The building was absolutely pristine in its state of decay. Because it had been empty and untouched for so long, there was time for the paint to peel, and the rust to emerge, and the robins to come in — and the raccoons too. This produced a tension between the industrial and the organic, and a surreal quality in the images.”
Stephanie Avery is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist with a degree in visual art from York University. With an emphasis on interactivity and empowerment, Stephanie's practice intervenes with familiar spaces, objects and imagery to imbue her subjects with new meanings and narratives. Being especially interested in our collective relationships to the spaces we inhabit, Stephanie explores the world with an equal balance of joy, curiosity, and skepticism: a balance she strives to represent in her practice. Her work is both playful and critical, and nothing she does is without a hint of mischief.