Saturday, May 7, 2016
Pop-up piñata party at the Port Union Waterfront
Monday, June 27, 2016
Part of DESTINATION CANADA at the Scarborough Museum
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Downtown Toronto versus suburbia, urban culture versus the developing suburban environment—there is a constant feeling of polarity with these differing cultures. Amongst those cities neighbouring the outskirts, Scarborough in particular has somehow earned itself a bad reputation with media representations that persistently depict it as a place high in crime, violence and poverty. This misinformation often goes unchallenged. In terms of the art community, downtown Toronto has seen a surge of galleries interested in the contemporary conquer Queen, Dundas and Dupont streets, whereas Scarborough hasn’t yet earned its bragging rights given its modest art scene.
Striking Scarborough seeks to bring attention to the Scarborough landscape by challenging dominant misconceptions about the city, emphasizing its often unacknowledged charm, and generating a buzz around the emerging Scarborough art scene. The thought is simple: Scarborough is worthy of being celebrated. Hence the piñata, a decorated container typically filled with candy that is split open at the time of a celebration. The violent striking of the piñata to release the hidden contents parallels the hard and rough representations of Scarborough that mask its cultural diversity and welcoming atmosphere. Striking Scarborough serves as a way to celebrate the often-neglected suburban landscape.
