Summer in the City

And just like that, summer is over. Personally, I am beyond excited for cooler temperatures and many guilt-free evenings spent on the couch. Below are a few things I got up to over the summer:

The Toronto Mac & Cheese Festival in Liberty Village. I got to experience udon-inspired macaroni and cheese, mac and cheese ice cream, and mac and cheese sushi - a deep fried roll of mac and cheese encrusted with spicy Doritos and topped with a dollop of ketchup and drizzle of Sriracha. Too good.

Admiring the summer flowers in my parents' garden. 

Brunch at Cluny, a Parisian-inspired bistro in the heart of the Distillery District. 

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A late August wedding at the Palais Royale, overlooking Lake Ontario. A big congratulations to the newlyweds Jason and Caroline!

Saying so-long to summer (and welcome home to a good friend) at Sugar Beach during the Labour Day weekend.

everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything

One of the most discussed art exhibitions of 2015 is Douglas Coupland's everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything. Douglas Coupland is a Canadian contemporary artist and writer, known for his best-selling novels JPod and Hey, Nostradamus!, as well his notorious public art around the country (think Canoe Landing Park in Toronto).

An exhibit originally hailing from the Vancouver Art Galleryeverywhere is anywhere is anything is everything is Coupland's largest display of work in fifteen years. It was exhibited in Toronto through a joint partnership between the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art and the Royal Ontario Museum, two very different venues that helped to showcase Coupland's recent work in an exciting way.

The MOCCA exhibition was based around the notion of Canadiana and Canadian cultural identity, while the exhibition at the ROM featured much larger works that discussed 21st century technology, popular culture, and the influence of social media on our world today. Unlike the majority of art exhibitions, visitors were encouraged to use their phones to take pictures and engage in social media, a phenomenon in which Coupland has commented, "I don’t think its possible to have people not take photos... people are just strip mining museums for Instagram and wallpaper and stuff, which is kind of funny actually because it gets people involved”. 

everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything ended this past month after a three-month run, but a Google Street View of the Vancouver exhibit is online here for those interested.

Towers, 2014

Towers, 2014

345 Modern House, 2014.

345 Modern House, 2014.

Harris Maligne Lake, Sampson-Matthews Variant, 2011

Harris Maligne Lake, Sampson-Matthews Variant, 2011

The Brick Wall, 2004 - 2014

The Brick Wall, 2004 - 2014

905 Hutch, 2013

905 Hutch, 2013

Trans Canada Hutch, 2013

Trans Canada Hutch, 2013

Canada House, 2003 (detail)

Canada House, 2003 (detail)

Spectra Four Seasons, 2010

Spectra Four Seasons, 2010

The National Pantry, 2014

The National Pantry, 2014

Liquid Video Game Pop Head, 2010

Liquid Video Game Pop Head, 2010

Tokyo Harbour, 2000

Tokyo Harbour, 2000

Slogans for the 21st Century, 2011 - 2014

Slogans for the 21st Century, 2011 - 2014

Mountain Landscape, 2014.

Mountain Landscape, 2014.

Love Will Tear Us Apart, 2007 (part of the Penguins series)

Love Will Tear Us Apart, 2007 (part of the Penguins series)

The Brain, 2014 (detail)

The Brain, 2014 (detail)

Aids, 2013 (detail)

Aids, 2013 (detail)

The Douglas Coupland Reading Room.

The Douglas Coupland Reading Room.

The World, 2013  -2014 (detail).

The World, 2013  -2014 (detail).

Brilliant Information Overload Pop Head & Liquid Video Game Pop Head, 2010

Brilliant Information Overload Pop Head & Liquid Video Game Pop Head, 2010

Slogans for the 21st Century, 2011 - 2014

Slogans for the 21st Century, 2011 - 2014

Better Living Through Windows, 2013

Better Living Through Windows, 2013

Word Clouds, 1993 - 2013

Word Clouds, 1993 - 2013

Brilliant Information Overload Pop Head & Liquid Video Game Pop Head, 2010

Brilliant Information Overload Pop Head & Liquid Video Game Pop Head, 2010

Talking Sticks, 2009

Talking Sticks, 2009

The Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Toronto, ON
M5S 2C6

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
952 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
M6J 1G8