STACKT — a Love Letter
to the Great Lakes
Stackt — Toronto, Ontario
Stackt: Love Letters and Murals
My dear friend and colleague, Jacqueline West, invited me to become one of the first artistic residents at Stackt Market. At the time, she was the artistic director of their creative programming.
Stackt is North America’s largest shipping container market, designed entirely out of shipping containers. It is located at the intersection of Front & Bathurst, in the heart of King West.
The marketplace is a vibrant cultural hub with shops, a microbrewery, top chefs, city views, and community programs.
Love letters to the great lakes
Jacq, along with Amy Peebles, Derek Akers, and myself were partners in the creation of the Love Letters Project (LLP). It was a grassroots organization fusing art with activism, driven by a passion for fresh water protection.
Fast forward to the residency. Here, we decided to amplify some of the critical issues facing the Great Lakes. We invited locals to author their own ‘letters’ to the lakes, guided by a few important questions:
– What is your relationship to water? Are your feelings strong, faint, unknown, or even neglected?
– Do you have something you need to say or express to the Lakes?
We selected five letters for their heartfelt honest, whose words became the typographical content of a truly enormous ‘mural’ extending along the street-facing sidewalk and the connected STACKT parking lot.
This beautiful project was an invitation to emotionally reconnect to the lakes and rivers that bring life to the whole region, emphasizing the sacredness of all water as one.
ephemeral in action
I’m sure little trace of these blue and white lines still exist in that place by now. Canadian winters are tough on things left on the ground.
Much of my work is temporary, which is part of the unique power of street art.
This transient quality evokes awe at its beauty and a bittersweet contemplation of life’s impermanence.
Because the work is temporary, it evokes in the viewer a sense of urgency and deeper connection to the art. Engagement is crucial for deepening our appreciation for the environment and describing our connection to nature.
a couple of letters…
I was afraid. I can’t swim. I jumped in anyways and trusted you. It’s cold and dark down here. But you embraced me and lifted me up. The light appears and I take a breadth. Exhilarating. You’ve made me rise and face my fears.
— Yogini
Dear Huron,
— Diane
I miss those summer days frolicking in your waves, exploring what lay beneath you, long walks on your beach, and having my father toss me into your arms just to hear me laugh.
Now you are pulling away, your levels going down each year, exposing your sunken treasures to the sun destroying them for future generations to discover. And it makes me wonder… will other children love and remember you the way I do?
— Altr —
These Toronto-based projects were made possible by the incredible support of best-selling author and general jack-of-all-trades Nicole Gallucci. Her production team (and family)—ALTR—worked tirelessly on the production and promotion of this event. Aside from the predictable painting of murals and panels, we explored everything from t-shirt designs to old-school handmade button machines.
ALTR’s mission is to help creators and brands commercialize and build sustainable businesses, from co-creation to management, deployment, and representation.
The photos on this page were provided by the extremely talented Denis Limpman. Hit that man up!
