Last month, it was announced that a major mural by renowned Spanish street artist Okuda San Miguel would be painted on the side of the 23-storey Parkside Student Residences at Toronto's Jarvis and Carlton intersection. Work began on Monday, June 18th on the multicolour background of the large work, to be known as Equilibrium, and soon the first signs of progress started to materialize on the building's blank east facade over Jarvis Street. By June 25th, enough colour was being added to form blue, green, yellow, and orange fields.

"Equilibrium" at Parkside Student Residences as seen on June 25th, image by Forum contributor Rascacielo

Just shy of a week later, two more fields have been completed for the background, now covering the upper third of the tower's east facade and adding a bold shot of colour to city views. Diamond Schmitt Architects designed updates t the building that converted the former hotel property into a student rental residence two and a half years ago.

"Equilibrium" at Parkside Student Residences as seen on June 28th, image by Forum contributor Rascacielo

The mural is the result of a partnership between the STEPS initiative, the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) program, and Parkside Student Residences property owner Knightstone Capital Management. Ward 27 City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam worked closely with STEPS “for a number of years to bring art and community to our downtown streets."

The completed mural is expected to be revealed in time for Okuda San Miguel’s two-week-long residency in Toronto, where his work will be the focus of an upcoming exhibit opening in early July. Upon completion of the installation, a time-lapse video summarizing the mural's realization will be released by STEPS.

Equilibrium mural, image via stepsinitiative.com

You can learn more about the Parkside Student Residence by visiting our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

Related Companies:  Diamond Schmitt Architects, entro, Multiplex