Downfall

Group: Andrew Doran, Veronica Lok, Justin

Lowfer, Jessie

Ng, Marian Ocampo

ProposalBefore

-Titled “Downfall” to represent the downfall in the economy- wanted to make a serious issue more humorous and entertaining- participants walk to the top of the stairs and slide down going directly through the statue at the bottom- when sliding through participants will enter through a dome-like-slide and will be able to see the stock numbers actively changing- this idea would be temporary and possibly a piece for Nuit Blanche

Proposal

Social Use- People relax on the stairs

- Eating, chatting, talking on the phone- Old City Hall acts partially as a museum- Courthouse- People walk across for easy travelling (short cut- method)- Homeless sleep on steps

Historical Research• Old City Hall was designed by Architect Edward James Lennox, which nearly took him 3 years (1886-1888).• Old City Hall was Toronto’s third City Hall ever built and it was the biggest structure in the city at that time.

- In 1989, Old City Hall was declared a national historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Historical Research II•The original budget of Old City Hall was 6 hundred thousand dollars and was finished about 2.5 million dollars. •The construction took nearly 20 years.•Transferring materials from New Brunswick and River Valley took 1,360 train-car loads for the deliveries.

Historical Research III• The construction of Toronto's fourth and current City Hall, Old City Hall was threatened with demolition during the planning of the Eaton Centre. Community activists, known as the "Friends of Old City Hall", convinced the city to preserve Old City Hall as an important landmark that complemented Osgoode Hall and the current City Hall.

Historical Research IVLennox choose Old City Hall to be Romanesque courthouse design. Shortly subsequently, Old City Hall and courthouse decided to share the building.

In 1989, Old City Hall was declared a national historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

In 1999, the building celebrated its 100th birthday.

Background Research(1) Wild Ride, 2009 | Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan | Performance Art/Multimedia Installation | Bay Street, T.O. at Nuit Blanche | Rides owned by Funland Outdoor Amusements | -Bay street, the financial generator of the country, is experiencing an economic crisis-It consists of two midway rides which are Fun Slide and Avalanche, and distribution of cotton candy - FREE for the public to access. -It allows the audience to experience the ups and downs of the recent economic downfall.-Carnivals express: FREEDOM, RISKS, ABANDONMENT and POSSIBILITIES. -The idea of spending money in the wrong places, which exists in financial industries. -The economy becomes a metaphor for a wild ride.

Background Research(2) Frank Gehry`s Projects Hit Hard By Economic Downturn -Frank Gehry`s architectural firm, Gehry Partners lost half of its staff, due to economic downfalls-2 major projects had to be downsized and put on hold:

-(1)The Grand Avenue Project in Los Angeles-(2)The Atlantic Yard in Brooklyn

(3) The Warhol Economy | Elizabeth Currid | Princeton University Press, 2007 -The relationship between art and business, and how it is beneficial towards the cities’ economy.

Background Research-Aspects of an Economy:

(i) What is being produced (ii) How many jobs is being produced(iii)How much money is being produced.

-Creative industries contribute thousands of jobs and revenues to the cities.

-E.g.) nightclubs, concerts, fashion shows, music festivals, and trendy restaurants

-Attracts tourists -The importance of social networking within creative industries.

-Helps mobilize and advance careers of cultural, creative producers.

Background ResearchInterview with Elizabeth Currid by Ben Tate, Princeton University PressPart 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoIuUDClcDAPart 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA1o1ce05-8Part 3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDv8bz92xQ

Brainstorm/Process

Brainstorm/Process

- Our first idea was to have a restaurant Located directly on the City Hall staircase

- chairs and tables would be designed to properlybalance on the stairs- even perhaps including a small café or a bakery for people to eat

- - This design (to the left) was specifically designed for Remembrance Day -The door would be pouring blood for an artistic touch- people would march up the right side and exit down the left-poppies would be literally everywhere with people throwing them

Brainstorm/Process

-The third and final idea was to build archways and columns to make City Hall more aesthetically pleasing- the idea would be a permanent suggestion- The columns and archways themselves would be covered in intricate historical designs - The designs would preferably have something to do with City Hall

Brainstorm/Process

Bibliography•http://www.toronto.ca/old_cityhall/index.htm

•http://www.toronto.ca/old_cityhall/history.htm

•http://www.toronto.ca/old_cityhall/old_cityhall_tour.htm

•http://www.toronto.com/attractions/listing/124389

•http://www.123toronto.com/old-city-hall.htm

•http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/79.php

BibliographyGlaister, Dan. “Architect Frank Gehry‘s Projects Hit Hard By Economic Downturn.” Guardian.co.uk. 3 Mar 2009. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/mar/03/frank-gehry-economy- architecture>. Tricia. “Traveler: Carnival Rides as Public Art at Toronto‘s Nuit Blanche.” Amusing the Zillion. 10 Oct 2009. <http://amusingthezillion.com/2009/10/10/traveler-carnival-rides-as-public-art-at-toronto%E2%80%99s-nuit-blanche/>. Whelan, Christine. “Learning from Andy Warhol.” The American: The Journal of the American Enterprise Institute. 7 Sept 2007. <http://www.american.com/archive/2007/september-0907/learning-from-andy- warhol>.