Greetings! This week I took a cue from Mother Nature and decided to do a Wave-themed walk to photograph wave-themed artwork that has been installed in the last ten years in downtown Toronto. The city has been growing so there are always new things to discover. On this beautiful sunny day let me share some interesting artwork with you.
The Real Waves
Here we are at the start of Yonge Street where the 0 km Toronto sign is located on the sidewalk. Yonge Street used to be listed as the longest street in the world in the Guinness World Records until 1999. Can you see the small waves in Lake Ontario and the shadow of the curved railings?
The WaveDecks
Further west along the waterfront there are three WaveDecks named Simcoe WaveDeck, Rees WaveDeck, and Spadina WaveDeck. The WaveDecks are meant to give urban dwellers a feel for life at the lake.
Simcoe WaveDeck opened in June 2009. The design of this and the other WaveDecks was inspired by the shoreline of Ontario’s great lakes and the Canadian cottage experience.
Rees WaveDeck opened in July 2009. The wavy benches and wooden path are right by a small marina where canoes, kayaks, and sailboats launch in late spring through to fall.
Spadina WaveDeck opened in September 2008. It has received numerous design awards. On a spring day, it’s nice to sit on the curved bench facing the lake while mallards and ducks swim below our feet.
Wave Side Sculpture
From Spadina WaveDeck, we head north west to see the Wave Side sculpture designed by Toronto-based artists, Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins. This artwork was made of stainless steel and was installed in 2011. It references a wake of waves, the ribs of a ship, and the shape of the waves inspired by ship curves.
Shoreline Sculpture
Now we head east to see the Shoreline Commemorative sculpture designed by Paul Raff, a Canadian architect and artist. This artwork was made of glass, bronze, limestone, and sandblasted brick and installed in 2014.
The text on the red brick wall states: “For 10,000 years this was the location of Lake Ontario’s shoreline. This brick wall stands where water and land met with a vista of horizon”.
Why Do These Waves Make Me Smile?
- They are accessible and free to the public.
- They enhance the public space appearance.
- They soften the angles of concrete buildings.
- They connect the land and the lake.
- They are about water movements and water is essential for life.
I hope that despite the grim pandemic news you continue to stay healthy and find bits of joy in your day. I also hope you enjoy the virtual walk with me and find the artwork through my lens interesting. Be well!
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Natalie the Explorer 
Oh wow! These waves made me smile too, Natalie. Thanks for the fantastic walk! Stay well.
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I’m glad these waves made you smile, Jill. Thank you for stopping by. Stay well!
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I love this! I’ve been to Toronto a dozen times and never seen these. On my list now!
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I’m glad to share something new with you, Dar. Thank you for stopping by.
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I’m ahead of the game this week, Natalie, and went to include this one for tomorrow before I remembered your Spring walk 🙂 🙂
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That’s super, Jo. Thank you for including my walk. Stay well!
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Well, that was a lovely walk among waves. Thanks for taking us along. Take care.
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Spring walks are wonderful. Thank you, Suzanne, for stopping by. Stay well!
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The waves are beautiful. I’m glad to see no crowds in your photos. We still have groups of people gathering on our waterfront (not keeping the recommended distance).
Stay safe!
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Hi Donna, We’ve had a lot of event cancellations and business closures since March 13 here. The city centre is much quieter than normal and I’m pleased to see no crowd where I walk. I hope people continue to follow public health advice to keep everyone safe and slow the virus spread. Stay well!
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Cool post!
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Thank you, John and Susan.
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Love the wave walk Natalie. Fortunately for me I see the real ones each day but I love the sculpture and wave theme on your walking tour. Getting out when we can during this time is so important and if we take precautions we can still enjoy nature. #lifethisweek
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Seeing real waves every day is fantastic, Sue. I feel fortunate to still be able to walk outdoors without a crowd at this time. Thank you for stopping by.
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I love all your examples of waves! I don’t remember seeing the WaveDecks when we were in Toronto in 2016… I guess we didn’t get quite that far when we strolled along the waterfront. Next time!
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It’s a long waterfront to explore on foot. When you visit Toronto next time, if I’m in town, I’d love to show you a few gems in the city. Thank you, Janis, for stopping by.
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Lovely photos and enjoyed the walk. I’ve never been to Toronto, looks beautiful there and it’s so interesting all the art and how things flow together! Thanks for sharing, made me smile! 😃 Diana ❤️
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Thank you, Diana, for your visit and comment. I’m glad my post and photos made you smile. Have a wonderful week!
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The Shoreline Commemorative is my favourite. It’s really quite clever and exquisite. It looks so real.
It’s great that the work there was coordinated into a theme. I always hear amazing things about Toronto and its creative community!
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You have a good eye for sculpture, Deb. I was pleased to discover the Shoreline Commemorative as it’s not visible unless you walk by it. I think Toronto is very strong in arts and entertainment, up there with New York and London.
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Natalie, thank you for this beautiful escape from the world of lock downs we’re now facing in Sydney. It’s happened so suddenly.
SSG xxx
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You’re welcome, SSG. I hope you and your son stay safe and well. I’m grateful that I can still go outside for a walk while keeping a safe distance from other people. We’ve had many event cancellations and business closures since March 13 to slow the spread of the virus so the city centre has been quiet and empty. I hope to bring something nice for my blog readers to see even if it’s just a brief distraction from the grim pandemic news.
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I really like that – It’s a lot like the Henderson Waves in Singapore. I wonder if the same architect designed it?
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Good question, Lydia. I’d look it up. Some of the architects and urban planners for major sights in Toronto are international.
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And #MLSTL It was https://rsp.sg/ in Singapore so no – but weirdly similar.
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Thanks, Lydia, for the information. Have a great week!
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WOW! You have an incredible eye for the details. Beautiful.
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Thank you, Antoinette, for your visit and comment. The sunlight and clear blue skies helped 🙂
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You are a breath of fresh air, Natalie. This is a very creative post and a great idea. The wavedecks are a really cool effect. All of the waves actually make me smile. You are just what I needed, Natalie, before I head to bed. You remind me of the beauty we still have accessible to us. Thank you! You stay well!
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Hi Erica/ Erika: We’re fortunate to have access to so much beauty and space. I’ve put my positive thinking hat on and intend to stretch my creativity during this pandemic. Glad to know you and your family are well. Stay safe.
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You are very creative, Natalie. You are also a bright part of my day. Continue to share. Thank you!
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Will continue to share. Thank you for your encouragement, Erica/ Erika.
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Visiting again from #MLSTL and sharing SM. Natalie, on our walk today, I was telling my husband about your post. Appreciate your photos and you sharing something interesting and beautiful. xx
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Erica/ Erika, That’s so sweet that you told your husband about my post. I do this type of themed walk as my “art therapy” and learning something new at the same time. Have a wonderful weekend!
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I loved your wave themed post and the walk around your area Natalie! Thanks very much for sharing and like Erica, they amde me smile too. Great to hear they’re all free too. #lifethisweek
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I’m glad my post and photos made you smile, Debbie. We’ll get through this. Stay safe and be well.
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Beautiful wave photos, Natalie! You are right – they do connect the land and the lake. They make me want to come back to visit Toronto again. I hope it can be soon!
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I’m glad you liked my wave photos, Laurie. I hope you and your family are safe and well, and that you can visit Toronto again soon.
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I did see this earlier – great photos. The wave deck is very cool.
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Thanks, Trent, for your comment. Hope your day is going well.
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Love your photos!
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Thank you, Maj and Sher, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you liked my photos.
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These sculptures have so much movement to them and I love that cities such as Toronto make them free and accessible. As you say, water is essential to life – and it’s also extremely photogenic.
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Glad you liked these sculptures, Jo. I admire these artists who design waves out of hard materials.
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Absolutely – to get the sense of movement into a solid structure is a skill indeed.
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Wow! I’m so glad you shared these awesome waves on your walk! That deck is just incredible to see.
I’m so happy you are a part of ‘My Corner of the World’ this week!
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Glad to share my wave-themed walk with you, Betty. Have a wonderful week!
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Wonderful photos of a glorious, warm walk, Natalie! I love all that architecture and use of movement and lines!
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Thank you, Terri, for your comment, especially since you’re a photography expert. I think the artists have done a great job with these wave designs.
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I love your waves Natalie. Good to see there are no crowds. Walking in stressful times is a great way to clear our heads #MLSTL Sharing
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Hi Jennifer, I’m pleased that I can walk in open space without a crowd. In my city, only essential businesses can stay open and many people stay at home or work from home while schools are closed so it’s been much quieter than normal. BTW, I’ve left comments on your Next Phase in Fitness blog in the last couple of posts and they didn’t seem to appear. I wonder if my comments went to your Spam folder. Thank you for stopping by.
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What a beautiful place. I would love to visit there. Lovely pics. #MLSTL
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Thank you, Patrick, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it.
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Such lovely photos! I enjoyed the walk. I would love to visit Toronto someday.
Happy Wednesday!
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I’m glad you enjoyed my photos and virtual walk. I hope you visit Toronto one day. Thank you, Veronica, for stopping by. Happy Wednesday!
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Hi Natalie – I really liked the shoreline artwork at the end. The wave deck bridges were interesting but that last shoreline one really caught my eye.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 😊
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Hi Leanne – You have a good eye for sculpture. I really like the Shoreline artwork, too. I examined it in detail and took photos at different angles. Thank you for hosting and sharing.
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Love waves and your walk showed me more than I have seen in nature. I saw lots of potential fun for kids on skateboard on the timber waves! Your city looks very quiet. I am getting used to quiet outside and whilst we know it’s for a “good” reason it is still unnerving.
Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week, the optional prompt, is for some, the (Easter) seasonally-based 13/51 Chocolate 30.3.2020. Hope to see you back linking up then too. Denyse.
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Hi Denyse, Before the pandemic, the timber waves usually have kids sitting on their bums to slide down the waves. Since March 13, my neighbourhood and the city centre have been quieter than normal. On the bright side, it makes it easy for me to go out for a walk and keep a safe distance from other people. Stay safe and well!
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Natalie, I like the ways you have collected a number of images on the wave theme. What a great idea! I am grateful for public art that we all can enjoy.
Jude
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Jude, I’m glad you liked my wave themed images. I’m very grateful for public art and this city has a lot of it.
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The wave boardwalks are such fun. But do you have any issue with roller skaters or skate boarders using them as a place to skate? Maybe that is acceptable. I much prefer feminine, curved lines and shapes and these really appeal to me. As does the art. And how wonderful that people can interact with these sculptures without charge. Toronto sounds like a delightful cultural experience.
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Roller skaters and skate boarders are not allowed on the wavedecks. There is a dedicated trail a few steps away for cyclists, runners and roller skaters. The children like to sit and slide down the smooth stainless steel part of the Simcoe wavedeck. I think Toronto is very strong in arts and entertainment, up there with New York and London.
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I like that wave deck.
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Thank you, Frank, for your visit and comment. The wavedecks are pretty cool design considering the materials have to withstand Canadian four seasons and temperature changes.
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I haven’t been in Toronto for many decades. We drove THROUGH it a few years ago, on our way to Quebec, but didn’t have time to stop. Guess we should have! That Simco wave deck is very very cool!
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Dawn, I hope you had a nice time in Canada. Quebec city is beautiful. Toronto has its charms and lots to see and do as well.
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Love all the sea-inspired art! Beautiful compositions. Looking forward to riding a few waves ourselves again when the doors reopen.
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I’m glad you liked the sea-inspired art, Lisa. I love your positive outlook.
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What a great little treasure hunt you went on! So many waves. I’m waving at you now in fact … not that you can see me … but I am 🙂
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I’m waving back at you, Leanne, and smiling 🙂 Thank you for stopping by.
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Thank you for commenting on my blog and sharing this link. Those WaveDecks are fabulous as is the curvy wave sculpture. All created long after my one and only visit to Toronto in 2005 which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a lovely city on a lovely lake and well worth more than the three days I had there.
Jude (https://traveltalk.me.uk/2020/04/26/2020-photo-challenge-17)
My Avatar takes you to my other blog so it can be confusing!
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Thank you for your visit and comment. I’m glad you had a nice visit to Toronto. Look forward to seeing your photos in May.
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A person can walk by these things everyday and not notice the waves in our lives. Thanks for pointing them out and I will be more aware of these shapes in my own area. Great photos.
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Thank you, Geri, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you liked my photos. There is a lot of beauty around us when we focus our attention and look for shapes, colours, textures, etc. Have a wonderful weekend!
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