FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Release | October 27th, 2023
Media Contact: Fran Quintero Rawlings | hi@methodcollective.ca

"Space for Grief" Returns - An Exploration of Community Healing through Immersive Public Art, Open to the Public Saturday November 4th - Friday November 17th, 2023, 9am-5:30pm daily. 

TORONTO - The innovative and evocative immersive public art installation – "Space for Grief" – which aims to destigmatize expressions of grief, is coming back to engage audiences at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto, Ontario. 

“Space for Grief” launched as a nine-day experimental public art experience this past spring in downtown Toronto. Thousands of visitors came to Toronto Reference Library, the main branch of North America’s busiest library systems, many of whom left heartfelt notes expressing the importance of the interactive exhibition and its messages. Media coverage included CBC, Newstalk 1010, Spacing Magazine, Sheridan College and more, along with feature spots at Jane’s Walk Toronto 2023 and Placemaking Canada’s annual conference. Following this moving community response, the Space for Grief team has launched phase two, driving its expanding mission forward with the next installation. at Evergreen Brick Works. 

"Space for Grief" serves as a poignant reminder of life's inevitable transitions and losses, along with the importance of community healing through these times. Conceptualized and brought to life by Toronto-based studio Method Collective, the initiative is rooted in ethnographic research as well as learnings from the consultancy’s work across cities, and with governments and community-based organizations. 

Visitors are invited to explore a variety of landscapes where remnants of industrial machinery contrast the softness of organic plant material along a journey where architectural features and prompts act as subtle guides for moving through one space and emotion to another. Both indoor and outdoor experiences will weave together to create a surreal environment primed for individual and collective reflection.

Soundscapes have been composed specifically for the installation by Ziyan Hossain and Rakat Zami of the  Space for Grief team. These tracks are meant to serve  as a soundtrack for your memories and reflections. An updated version of the soundscape also features collaborations with Toronto musicians Kurt Swinghammer and Kevin Lacroix.

“Space for Grief” is sponsored by Mount Pleasant Group with additional financial support provided by Canada Council for the Arts, OCAD University’s Super Ordinary Lab, Evergreen Brick Works and private donors. The installation is presented in partnership with Dixon Hall, Scarborough Arts, CP Planning and the Toronto Shelter Network. 

“The Mount Pleasant Group is honoured to help support Space for Grief,” says John Monahan, President and CEO at Mount Pleasant Group, a presenting sponsor of the upcoming installation at Evergreen Brick Works.  “It can be very comforting to come together and experience community through shared explorations of death and loss. These can be difficult conversations to hold, but they can really enhance our understanding of the human condition and foster greater empathy across age, culture and identity.” 

With each installation, the team aims to create communal spaces for gathering to better understand grief – its causes, manifestations, and purpose within our lives, including cultural rituals around the experience. Their core mission? To ignite meaningful conversations in public space, foster empathy for each other and ourselves, and strengthen the support networks within our families, workplaces, and communities. 

The exhibit is a must-see experience. To stay up to date, follow the exhibit’s Instagram account, Twitter account or sign up for their newsletter. Visitors should bring headphones to support a more immersive experience. 

About Mount Pleasant Group, a Presenting Sponsor of “Space for Grief”:  Founded in 1826, the Mount Pleasant Group (MPG) is a not-for-profit provider of cemetery, funeral and cremation services to people and families across the GTA. MPG currently operates 10 non-denominational, non-sectarian cemeteries (including the landmark Mount Pleasant Cemetery and Toronto Necropolis), as well as 9 funeral centres and 4 cremation centres. For more information, visit https://www.mountpleasantgroup.com/

About Evergreen: Evergreen is a national nonprofit charity that is committed to transforming public spaces in our cities for the health of people and our planet. For over 30 years, Evergreen has worked with communities to build great public places that help improve our health and wellbeing, tackle the climate crisis, empower the local community and reconnect us to nature and each other. Its head office, Evergreen Brick Works, is located in Toronto, Canada in the Don Valley, and was once a brick factory. Today, it has been transformed into a magical space, Canada’s first large scale community environmental centre and a cultural hub.

Event Details: 

Venue: Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave. 

Dates: Open to the public November 4th to November 17th, 9am-5:30pm. The installation will be open for two evenings, Tuesday Nov 7th and Thursday Nov 16th till 8:30pm. 

Groups: Please contact hi@methodcollective.ca if you would like to bring a group of 15+ people. 

Accessibility: If the cost of public transportation is a barrier for your group please contact  hi@methodcollective.ca as we may be able to provide some financial support. 

For media inquiries, artist interviews, or further information, please contact hi@methodcollective.ca.