Signs of Life, Toronto

There was a time when Toronto was known as ‘Toronto the Good’ - dull, conservative, closed on Sundays.

Not any more. Toronto these days is a festival of people and cultures, spilling into the streets, filling shops and restaurants, splashing sound and colour everywhere.

So much so, you’d think that Covid was over.

It isn’t, of course, but the desire for things to seem ‘normal’ again, for life to resume its familiar pattern, is everywhere palpable.

I have been trawling my metaphorical box of photos , looking to retrieve images of the city I have been absent from too long. Armed with my camera, I have been stalking new prey.

Amongst the things that pique my curiosity are the endless ways in which people challenge the anonymity of the amorphous city - the signs and objects they set out in front-yards and on walls, to mark their territory and stamp their identity; the traces of their presence in public spaces; the silent messages they send, via scribblings, posters, graffiti and street art. Who are these people? To whom are they speaking?

These photographs, part of an ongoing series, are personal, not representative; more positive than gritty. They present the view and viewpoint not of a social critic or documentarian but of someone, a citizen and resident, who feels lucky to be here, although aware, I hope, that not everyone in this town is half as fortunate.