Bayview Village Art Gallery, Toronto Shopping Mall, Canadian Architecture News, Design Images
Bayview Village Art Gallery, Toronto
Shopping Mall in Ontario design by Reza Aliabadi architects, Canada
11 Feb 2013
Bayview Village Art Gallery in Toronto
Design: Reza Aliabadi
Toronto, Canada
Art Gallery in a Toronto Shopping Mall
“We work the clay in the shape of a vase, for it is precisely where there is nothing that the effectiveness of the vase resides. We make openings for doors and windows to make a house, for it is precisely where there is nothing that the effectiveness of the house resides. Thus, we think that we benefit from things that are tangible, but it is precisely where we do not perceive anything that true effectiveness resides.” – Lao Tzu
photos from architect
A void cannot exist without a mass, and the multipurpose art gallery designed by atelier rzlbd is an expression of this realization and a representative of its design philosophy. Located in Bayview Village shopping mall the gallery explores the challenges of integrating shopping experience with public and private events that promote contemporary art and architecture.
The atelier splits into two separate rooms that complement one another by their immediate contrast: a void and a mass. The void is a gallery space; a spacious 2000 sqf room that has been cleared of any distractive elements. The room is surrounded by white drywalls installed as presentation boards on reinforced plywood. Washed with concealed natural light linear fluorescent bulbs, there is hardly any conventional gallery accessory to distract the artworks.
Apart from the massive entrance door built with anodized aluminum sheets everything else stays invisible in the gallery to ensure the appreciation of the work. At the other end a cozy space that lives behind a two-sided pivot door created the mass for the void. The room consists of a kitchenette and a work area surrounded by black paint and populated by minimal furniture and built-in millwork.
photos from architect
The small intimate think tank appears to be in a mental competition with the gallery outside, yet they are a cooperative couple as they aim for the same vision: to create and celebrate art. While their appearances are opposite in a direct and sudden manner, their curious coexistence resembles a passionate waltz, where one leads the other, puts it in danger by holding it in the air, but then proudly protects it from falling, and they both continue to dance. – Lailee Soleimani
Bayview Village Art Gallery – Building Information
Design: Reza Aliabadi [rzlbd]
Mechanical & Electrical: Sandor Kosa [CRONNOX INC.]
Construction: Royal Falcon Inc. & mrail Inc.
Operation Supervisor: Jim Irvine
Architectural Photography: borXu Design
Location: Toronto
Design: 2012
Completion: Winter 2013
Bayview Village Art Gallery images / information from Reza Aliabadi
Atelier Reza Aliabadi > rzlbd Architects
Location: Bayview Village, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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