Venice Bienniale venue in Cambridge?

[rdaner]

Does anyone familiar with Galt know off the top of their heads which building would be suitable for conversion into a large exhibition facility? Any idea where to find pix? If this were Stratford I would say the Cooper Site would be the natural choice.

As for it not being in Toronto, it appears that this is being driven primarily by the long standing connection between UW Architecture faculty and their Italian counterparts. Anyways, as Toronto gets larger and begins to fully emerge into metropolitan scale dynamics with the surrounding region, it is natural that more of these types of facilities begin to appear in the outlaying region. Besides, these make for excellent day trip destinations for culture vultures living in Toronto who will now have another option to add to the Stratford, NOTL, Port Hope, St. Jacobs list.

 

[ShonTron]

There's several old factories in Galt that could be reused. The Tiger Knitting plant would be one. Some of the old factories are now factory outlets, scaled down, from what I recall, from a plan to reuse all sorts of buildings into a factory outlet node, like what Reading, Pennsylvania did with VF outlets.

There's a plant on Concession Road and Highway 24 that would work well.

 

[adma]

Isn't this a bit like hosting the Biennale in Mestre?

Don't laugh. If we're talking about an architectural Biennale, Mestre's not all that implausible a location--at least, from a thematic-potential POV...

 

[Hipster Duck]

Ah, beautiful Mestre! Well, like Cambridge there is the shared similarity of people vacating the historic inner city to live in the most unimaginably ugly industrial surroundings.

 

[jeicow]

Actually, over the last few years, the number of units created/built in the downtowns (mainly Preston and Galt) has been equal or slightly ahead of what's been going in the outer fringes. The problem is that everything is more-less set up for singles/couples, whereas the outer areas are more family oriented, on top of the fact most new businesses are choosing to locate in the outter areas, so the downtowns suffer from higher vacancy rates (in comparison).

 

[adma]

Ah, beautiful Mestre! Well, like Cambridge there is the shared similarity of people vacating the historic inner city to live in the most unimaginably ugly industrial surroundings.

And if you truly wanted a "Biennale in Mestre" equivalent, it would be set up somewhere around Hespeler Road N t/w the 401, not in downtown Galt, Preston, or Hespeler...

 

[TKTKTK]

And if you truly wanted a "Biennale in Mestre" equivalent, it would be set up somewhere around Hespeler Road N t/w the 401, not in downtown Galt, Preston, or Hespeler...

Ugggh, don't even say it. Some poor, well-intentioned civil servant will take it upon themselves to ensure that Hespeler Rd lands something capable of 'putting it on the map'.

Is it important that Cambridge is on the map? Does every city have to be on the map? Is it appropriate to have so many cities in a country of only 35 million people 'on the map'?

 

[JasonParis]

Although, being part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, people may refer to this as "Toronto" anyway. Sort of like how the McMichael Canadian Collection is in Kleinburg, but is often marketed as a Toronto-area destination.

 

[Urban Shocker]

In the future every town will be famous for fifteen minutes.

 

[adma]

Is it important that Cambridge is on the map? Does every city have to be on the map? Is it appropriate to have so many cities in a country of only 35 million people 'on the map'?

Why not? It's only a Biennale, after all.

Besides, Italy has "only" 58 million people, and plenty and plenty of places on some kinda so-called "map". So, by this standard, why not Cambridge?

And of course, as long as it has Preston and Galt and Hespeler, Cambridge isn't all about those "Hespeler Road lands"--even a lot of those "poor, well-intentioned civil servants" know it, at least until they've the gumption to create some Downtown Markham-esque Downtown Cambridge....

 

[TKTKTK]

Why not? It's only a Biennale, after all.

Yeah, and Toronto can't even get that.

Besides, Italy has "only" 58 million people, and plenty and plenty of places on some kinda so-called "map". So, by this standard, why not Cambridge?

Twice the size, and...what...10 times as old?

 

[adma]

Yeah, and Toronto can't even get that.

Big deal. We don't have the Stratford or Shaw Festivals, either.

Twice the size, and...what...10 times as old?

Big deal again. Age ain't nothing but a number.

Are you trying to frame this as an indicator of Toronto's failure? What are you--Miketoronto or something?

 

[TKTKTK]

Big deal. We don't have the Stratford or Shaw Festivals, either.

No, and they shouldn't have them either. Pack it up, and bring it in.

There's a bit of a difference though, those are both homegrown successes. In the case of Stratford, it's also a bit of a names fetish

Are you trying to frame this as an indicator of Toronto's failure? What are you--Miketoronto or something?

Failing against all of Italy's glorious and infamous history is hardly a failure! Even Britain and France come up a bit short

 

[adma]

There's a bit of a difference though, those are both homegrown successes. In the case of Stratford, it's also a bit of a names fetish

If it's a Cambridge-based architecture school as the motivator, wouldn't that count as a "homegrown success" as well?

 

[TKTKTK]

If it's a Cambridge-based architecture school as the motivator, wouldn't that count as a "homegrown success" as well?

Does "the Venice Biennale venue in Cambridge" sound like a homegrown success?