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Waterfront Toronto today officially opened the portion of Sherbourne Common north of Queens Quay. Marked most dramatically by 'Light Showers', three 9-metre high fountain fixtures designed by Vancouver-based artist Jill Anholt, the park provides playground space for children and both visual drama and breathing space in an area of Toronto that is on the cusp of billions of dollars worth of private investment.
Waterfront Toronto Charmain of the Board Mark Wilson led ceremonies which included speeches by Peter Kent, federal minister of the environment, Glenn Murray, provincial minister of innovation, and City Councillor Norm Kelly.
Amongst the sizeable crowd in attendance at the event were Greg Smallenberg, chief landscape architect of the park and parter at Vanouver-based Philips Farevaag Smallenberg, Stephen Teeple, architect of the award-winning pavillion in the south end of the park, and fountain artist Jill Anholt. Former City Councillor Joe Pantalone, who was a major proponent of the new Waterfront parks, was also in attendance.
Smallenberg, Anholt, and Teeple appear to the left of and behind the speaker above, while Pantalone appears in baseball cap at right.
Anholt's Light showers fixtures dramatically drop water into a channel that sends it south to the lake. The water, local runoff collected from around the neighbourhood, is first treated with ultraviolet light to purify it, in a cistern below the Teeple-designed pavillion on the south side of the park. Ontario has become a world leader in purifying water with this method.
A night the fountains and waterfalls are lit with lights respond to the movement of people through the park. In the wintertime, Light Showers will feature a glistening sheet of ice.
While the ceremonies were underway, children were busy having fun in the new park, content with their new corner in the universe.
At night the park lights up with underwater illumination, adding colourful visual drama to the water features.
