Building and monument's lighting design in your city

[WhipperSnapper]

Check my history. I find most programmed LED installation tacky. LED is just too bright and focused and then they add colour changes in the mix.

Dundas Square is what it is. It's inherently tacky as a tribute to mass consumerism. Comparing it to an arts and culture district is absolutely ridiculous. Stop taking everything so personal.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Check my history. I find most programmed LED installation tacky. LED is just too bright and focused and then they add colour changes in the mix.

Dundas Square is what it is. It's inherently tacky as a tribute to mass consumerism. Comparing it to an arts and culture district is absolutely ridiculous. Stop taking everything so personal.

But Dundas Square and Place de Festivals perform the same functions - concerts, movies, festivals, demonstrations etc. They're both square(ish), they're both downtown and they both have fountains. That's where the similarities end.

I went to a NXNE concert at DS and left halfway through. Dinky stage, bad sound, horrible sightlines (made even worse by a plethora of sponsor booths), bored crowd and of course, the ubiquitous 'drinking stockade' that you had to line up for over an hour to get into, surrounded by fencing and security guards. I didn't bother.

My visit to the former Stasi HQ in Berlin was a more joyful experience.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

But Dundas Square and Place de Festivals perform the same functions - concerts, movies, festivals, demonstrations etc. They're both square(ish), they're both downtown and they both have fountains. That's where the similarities end.

I went to a NXNE concert at DS and left halfway through. Dinky stage, bad sound, horrible sightlines (made even worse by a plethora of sponsor booths), bored crowd and of course, the ubiquitous 'drinking stockade' that you had to line up for over an hour to get into, surrounded by fencing and security guards. I didn't bother.

My visit to the former Stasi HQ in Berlin was a more joyful experience.

Well anybody who enjoys music should never go watch a performer at DS, even if it is free. Bored crowd go figure, a bunch of people who probably didn't even know who was performing. The place is a tourist trap and meant as a bit of a break on busy Yonge Street from the crowds. Still I'm glad we have DS, for all it's tackiness it will never make up for the kilometers of eccentric tackiness on Yonge lost to gentrification. I can't wait for the SAM the Record Man signs to be added at the Square this year. It only makes sense that a square dedicated to all things commercial be set up on Yonge, after all it was in 1870 just a few blocks south Toronto's first establishment lit up it's buildings with a garish display of lights to promote their business.


Any comparison in away way of DS and PFP is utterly ridiculous.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Well anybody who enjoys music should never go watch a performer at DS, even if it is free. Bored crowd go figure, a bunch of people who probably didn't even know who was performing. The place is a tourist trap and meant as a bit of a break on busy Yonge Street from the crowds. Still I'm glad we have DS, for all it's tackiness it will never make up for the kilometers of eccentric tackiness on Yonge lost to gentrification. I can't wait for the SAM the Record Man signs to be added at the Square this year. It only makes sense that a square dedicated to all things commercial be set up on Yonge, after all it was in 1870 just a few blocks south Toronto's first establishment lit up it's buildings with a garish display of lights to promote their business.


Any comparison in away way of DS and PFP is utterly ridiculous.

But that's what I don't understand. Beyond the "Why hold a music festival in a shite location", which is baffling on its own.. Why would you intentionally design a prime downtown public space to be tacky and ugly. I've never received a satisfactory response to that question. The usual is "Well, it may suck but it's better than what was there before". What? This sucks but it sucks less than previously? I'm sorry but that simply does not compute.

Again, why would you purposely design a city square to be tacky, ugly and not do anything well?

Why would you do that?

[Rico Rommheim]

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[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

place des festivals has great potential, but one thing it doesn't have is a high profile. Nobody outside the city knows about it, hell half the people i know in this town can barely register the name.

I truly believe that this can change once it is fully surrounded on all sides by iconic buildings.

I don't understand this either. So what you're saying is: "The incredible artistic events that occur at Place des Festivals have no profile, we need only erect some buildings and it will become famous!"

So why not simply erect some buildings and forget about all that artsy stuff?

I think this is indicative of the unique perspective of Skyscraperpage fans who think that more than .1% of the world's population give a flying fuck about 'skylines from this angle' or 'urban canyons' or 'how tall is your city's biggest erection'.

Believe me, nobody cares about this shit other than a few tinfoil constuction helmetted fanboys.

Not dumping on you personally, just an observation.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

I don't understand this either. So what you're saying is: "The incredible artistic events that occur at Place des Festivals have no profile, we need only erect some buildings and it will become famous!"

So why not simply erect some buildings and forget about all that artsy stuff?

I think this is indicative of the unique perspective of Skyscraperpage fans who think that more than .1% of the world's population give a flying fuck about 'skylines from this angle' or 'urban canyons' or 'how tall is your city's biggest erection'.

Believe me, nobody cares about this shit other than a few tinfoil constuction helmetted fanboys.

Not dumping on you personally, just an observation.

In fairness, neither Yonge-Dundas Square nor the Quartier des spectacles-Place des festivals have a high degree of renown.

I mean, let's not forget the most famous intersection in the country is probably Portage and Main in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

But that's what I don't understand. Beyond the "Why hold a music festival in a shite location", which is baffling on its own.
Again, why would you purposely design a city square to be tacky, ugly and not do anything well?

Why would you do that?

It's all about marketing, it's less about the band then it is about the event or bands CD release. DS was never meant to be a music venue. You're missing the point about Dundas Square, it's meant to be in your face tacky flashy bright lights big city, a place for marketing and promotions at the the heart of the cities shopping district. You might see it as ugly but it's still a crowd pleaser and a huge tourist draw that will continue to evolve over time.

[Acajack]

I have noticed that in Montreal and Quebec in general you do see more high-profile artists performing free shows compared to Ontario. And simply more free shows in general.

The arts do receive substantially more provincial government funding in Quebec compared to Ontario. So this is probably part of where that money goes.

I wonder if in Toronto and also other places in Canada there isn't an attitude that "if it's that good, people should be willing to pay for it", so why would we provide the show for free?

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I wonder if in Toronto and also other places in Canada there isn't an attitude that "if it's that good, people should be willing to pay for it", so why would we provide the show for free?

You've touched on something interesting. I listened to an interview with a MTL artist who regularly attends shows in both cities. She has a catalog that she gives out free. When she first began going to Toronto, few people were taking catalogs and she was told to "start charging for them" because "nobody will think them worthwhile unless there's a monetary value attached." So she still gives them out free in MTL, charges 10$ in Toronto, and the catalogs now fly off the shelf in both cities.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

But Dundas Square and Place de Festivals perform the same functions - concerts, movies, festivals, demonstrations etc. They're both square(ish), they're both downtown and they both have fountains. That's where the similarities end.

Are you kidding me? You think Toronto's art scene amounts to corporate events hosted at Dundas Square?

Stop trying to make a comparison where there isn't one. You're just digging a deeper hole for yourself.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Are you kidding me? You think Toronto's art scene amounts to corporate events hosted at Dundas Square?

Stop trying to make a comparison where there isn't one. You're just digging a deeper hole for yourself.

So you have difficulty with reading comprehension? Is English your 3rd language? Where did I say that?

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

So you have difficulty with reading comprehension? Is English your 3rd language? Where did I say that?

Another personal shot. Ironic too.

Of course you implied it when you said Dundas Square and Place de Festivals perform the same function. They don't. They are open hard surface spaces with entirely different functions. Dundas Square is all about making as much money by leasing it to as many private corporate events as possible. Nathan Phillips Square is not the same either but, at least it's comparable to Place de Festivals.

You'll hit China soon.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Another personal shot. Ironic too.

Of course you implied it when you said Dundas Square and Place de Festivals perform the same function. They don't. They are open hard surface spaces with entirely different functions. Dundas Square is all about making as much money by leasing it to as many private corporate events as possible. Nathan Phillips Square is not the same either but, at least it's comparable to Place de Festivals.

You'll hit China soon.

Oh dear, I should have issued a trigger warning! I'll refrain from replying to you until you've had time to emerge from your safe space.

[Acajack]

It would be helpful if there wasn't so much one-upmanship here and especially denial of the fact that Montreal and Quebec obviously do certain things fairly differently.

I still think of the famous discussion I had with Gerrard about full-frontal male nudity on the 6 o'clock news. "We do that in Toronto TOO!".

Yeah right.

Anyway, it detracts from the fact that it's actually pretty cool to have two cities with somewhat different approaches to things and different cultures in the same country, only 5 or 6 hours apart.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

Oh dear, I should have issued a trigger warning! I'll refrain from replying to you until you've had time to emerge from your safe space.

Pathetic. All you can do is throw insults.