Nathan Phillips Square is a large city square in downtown Toronto (12 acres) that is the home of Toronto City Hall. It is a place of numerous activities–skating rink, farmers’market, concerts, demonstrations. There is often lots going on here, but at other times it is eerily empty.
It is a place that I rarely went to for an event; I was usually just passing through. So my photos are usually just little glimpses of what was happening there. Looking back at my contact sheets from the 1980s it seems that I passed through Nathan Phillips Square a few times a year. It was a good place for photos–lots of open space, interesting architectural details, plenty of concrete, and human activity.
These photos were just random moments at the time, but mean a lot more to me now as I rediscover the past life of my 20s. It reminds me that life is short and we must Carpe diem— “sieze the day.” For me, having a camera in my hand at all times helped me remember, You only get to do this once. We have to take time and see it, as clearly as we can.
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Nice glimps to the past with these quality photos..
Thank you, Pavel.
Great memories of downtown Toronto. Although I grew up there, I went to City Hall for a few CHUM concerts, some political stuff (a neighbourhood group once dumped loaded garbage bags at the main door to protest a prolonged civic workers’ strike in 1972), to occasionally skate and attend a few public events. Just before we moved west, my then 6-year old son loved to ice skate there. He was thrilled one Friday night when Brian Orser skated as part of a promotional show for Bell’s new invention – cell phones. He was thrilled when he spoke to his grandmother in Victoria, BC.