Meet the newest addition to Toronto’s ample portfolio of street art—a giant, 8-storey mural on the side of an office tower at Yonge and St. Clair. The piece was funded and developed by public-arts organization The STEPS Initiative, in collaboration with the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) program and Slate Asset Management.
The mural is by Phlegm, a UK-based street artist who was selected from a shortlist of 10 artists around the world. He spent the month of July in residence in the city—he and his assistant visible on swing stages as they completed the massive work, often in extreme-heat weather conditions.
In this time-lapse video, watch the form take shape: it is a body made up of the built and natural environments of Toronto. According to a press release, the figure was the result of several community consultations, and represents the city’s ravines as well as the Royal Ontario Museum, Old City Hall, St. Lawrence Market and the CN Tower, which “comprise the form’s skin.”
