Building and monument's lighting design in your city

[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.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by Acajack

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.

What? Portage and Main? Oooh, it IS windy! Isnt it the Chicago of Canada? but I don't think it's exactly world renowned, or even nationally renowned. (It hasn't appeared on American TV)

People may not know the exact street corner(s) that that they played at the Jazz or Francofolies or MUTEK or JFL or whatever but they certainly know that the best show that they ever played was Montreal, in front of 100,000 plus screaming fans.

It's not about corners. PDF has four corners, QDS has ??? which one do you want to pick?

[SignalHillHiker]

Celtic Hearth has unveiled its new exterior.

Before:



After:

[le calmar]

I admit I had no idea Portage and Main was famous. I doubt if I ask any of my relatives they would reply positively either. I am not trying to discredit your claim here, I am in all honesty only genuinely curious, but what makes this intersection famous? Upon looking on streetview, I see a nice historic building, but the rest is mainly made up of generic towers. I expected a vibrant intersection with commercial outlets and animation at street level but it seems to be devoid of any animation or commercial presence whatsoever.

[Rico Rommheim]

I'm pretty sure that Portage and Main's claim is something from another generation. It's something you would learn by watching Peter Mansbridge or an article in Canadian geographic. I doubt millennials today ever heard of it.

[Acajack]

I don't think it's ubiquitously known, but I do think that if you asked Canadians to name the most famous intersection in the country, Portage and Main would come up at the top of the list. Not a majority but a "plurality". Maybe 20-25% of people would name it, and the next one might have barely 10%. My point was just that. I didn't mean to overplay it.

[Rico Rommheim]

Possibly 20%. But given how big Toronto has become, I think you have just as big a chance to get that 20% figure for whatever famous intersection Toronto has? (Young and Bloor?)

You'd think with the history St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine has, it'd be better known, but then again Geographical features and landmarks of Montreal never made their way to popular Canadian lore and knowledge.

I'll add this: I find Canadians for the most part unbelievably ignorant of their own country, especially of their own cities. Especially the younger Canadians.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Possibly 20%. But given how big Toronto has become, I think you have just as big a chance to get that 20% figure for whatever famous intersection Toronto have? (Young and Bloor?)

.

These days it would be Yonge and Dundas, which kind of proves the point. There isn't really one that stands out in that city, but a few.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I'll add this: I find Canadians for the most part unbelievably ignorant of their own country, especially of their own cities. Especially the younger Canadians.

How can you possibly think this and be an SSP Canada regular? This notion is denied and disproven () at every turn on here.

Canadians - even the younger ones - know their country and its history and culture inside and out.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by Acajack

How can you possibly think this and be an SSP Canada regular? This notion is denied and disproven () at every turn on here.

Canadians - even the younger ones - know their country and its history and culture inside and out.

You're right. I keep forgetting: SSP Canada = reality.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

You'd think with the history St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine has, it'd be better known, but then again Geographical features and landmarks of Montreal never made their way to popular Canadian lore and knowledge.
.

You're right. There are few in Montreal (Ste-Catherine and St-Laurent, St-Denis and Mont-Royal, Peel and Ste-Catherine) that are relatively famous in Quebec but this renown does not really go beyond the borders of the province.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

You're right. I keep forgetting: SSP Canada = reality.

You know me well enough to know I was being sarcastic, right?

SSP Canada actually has a level of interest and knowledge in Canadian geography, society, culture, politics and history that is eons above what you find out there in the real world.

[Rico Rommheim]

Um yeah, I was playing along...

[Acajack]

Though I wasn't being sarcastic with what I said about SSP Canada.

[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.