A few buckets of paint. Two paint brushes. Hundreds of spray cans. That’s what it took for UK street artist Phlegm to complete the massive 8-storey mural that now rests on the west side of 1 St. Clair West. It’s truly a sight to behold. From a distance, the 8-storey  human form can clearly be seen sitting back in a contemplative pose. But the power of the piece is in the details that slowly emerge as you draw closer. Let’s explore how the St. Clair mural came to be.

Phlegm is an anonymous street artist hailing from the United Kingdom’s own Steel City, Sheffield. Phlegm originally gained prominence through his ink drawings and comics that portrayed highly detailed figures and characters that drew the viewer in. It was not until he started painting his creatures as murals that he received more widespread fame. He has received worldwide recognition for his fantastical scenes of curious beasts, mystical contraptions, and shrouded figures. His pieces can be found all around the world – across England, Germany, Norway, Australia, and now, Toronto, Canada.

Over the course of just twenty-eight days Phlegm arrived to the site and painted from 8AM until the sun baked him and his assistant, Stephanie Bellefleur, off the wall. Phlegm would burn through around 10 spray paint cans a day, adding detail to the mural at a rapid pace while Bellefleur assisted with the logistics, such as working the swing stage, managing supplies, and providing an artistic second opinion when needed.

But how did this project come to be?

In partnership with the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto program, the project was initially conceived and co-funded by Slate Asset Management, which owns all four corners at Yonge + St. Clair. Slate was looking for something big to kick off a campaign that will revitalize the neighbourhood and foster a new vibrant culture. “We saw a tremendous opportunity as the whole  area  had  been  overlooked –  we  didn’t  see  any  reason  for  that,”  said  Slate Managing Director, Lucas Manuel.

With StreetART, Slate also brought in award-winning public arts organization, the STEPS Initiative, to produce the public art landmark on the western wall of their 12–storey building. STEPS is a Toronto-based organization that allows citizens to take action in creating more vibrant and connected communities through what they call ‘public space ARTivism.’ CBRE, CIBC, Rexall, and Dulux paints also generously supported the project, with Ward 22 City Councillor Josh Matlow giving a strong endorsement. “Yonge and St. Clair is one of Toronto’s most desirable neighbourhoods, and creating a landmark piece of public art in collaboration with one of the world’s most influential street artists, reflects the area’s unique geography.”

In regards to the piece itself: “I chose to work with the human form because it’s really what the city is,” explained Phlegm during an interview with STEPS prior to the project “We view it from the inside as a small part looking out at this huge, almost unfathomable complex network. Like a body, a city has all its functions.” Phlegm sought out to create a piece that integrates the natural urban elements and lush landscape of the Yonge + St. Clair community as an important part of Toronto.  Amidst iconic Toronto landmarks like the CN Tower, Royal Ontario Museum, and Gooderham Building, sits the local Yonge + St. Clair pub, Scallywags – a nod to the neighbourhood and the venue sitting right below the piece, with a direct view from their rooftop patio.

“Roads move through it like arteries.” Phlegm continues, “the geology of land informs the shape of the city like a skeleton. Buildings fill the space like skin and muscle. The movement of water and waste, the parks and green space like lungs.” With STEPS, Phlegm’s design was surveyed with extensive outreach to the Yonge + St. Clair community to help determine how the piece can best reflect the neighbourhood. The pensive figure is the collective result of hundreds of community input surveys, conducted both online and in person. With the addition of Toronto landmarks, the city’s extensive ravine system is also represented in the work.

“I like to imagine the huge population of a city, not just now but by everyone who has ever lived to make it what it is today,” finishes Phlegm. “A city is really just a mark left by all those billions of people that added to it and made it what it is.” And now Phlegm has left his mark on this city.

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To read more about the project, please visit the news section of YongeStClair.ca.

This past week, the Yonge + St. Clair Blog visited the offices of IBI Group at 55 St. Clair West to speak with Architect David Hastings about his firm, architecture, the Yonge + St. Clair community, and his favorite lunch spot. David has been practicing architecture in Ontario for over 30 years and oversees the firm’s architecture and interior design practice for the Greater Toronto Area. He is a recipient of the Governor General’s Medal for Architecture in Canada.

What sets IBI Group apart from other architectural firms?

We’re more than architects. IBI stands for “Intelligence, Buildings, and Infrastructure.” We bring a multi-disciplinary approach to everything we do, from architecture to city planning. This is an approach that began right at the outset. When the firm was founded in 1974, we already had four domains of practice: Urban Development, Architecture, Land, and Transportation.

Of course, over time, we have only built upon and added to those domains. What started as two offices in Toronto and Vancouver has grown into 63 offices all around the world. The IBI Group is now the fourth largest architecture firm in the world.

How is life as an architect at IBI?

As an architect at IBI, I’ve always found it fascinating to be involved with projects that I wouldn’t get close to in a traditional architectural practice – sometimes I’m doing transportation and sometimes I’m doing systems planning. I also think that this opportunity allows me to be a better architect, because it gives me a much broader perspective. Each element is a piece in a much larger framework.

What is your architecture design philosophy?

I always look for context in anything we build. Stand alone architecture as a sort of trophy is questionable to me.

I’m always pushing our architects to broaden their horizons and think about the context in which they’re designing and building. Elements of urban planning, transit, landscape architecture, the local culture, and much more have to be considered.

It should never be architecture for architecture’s sake. It’s a balance between respecting the local context and also creating something that advances the building of a community.

 What has been your favourite project to work on over your career?

Up until a few years ago I had never worked on a healthcare project. Then and I was fortunate to be involved in the repurposing of the Sherbourne Health Centre that now serves many marginalized groups in the area (Sherbourne and Carlton). This project was a result of the Wellesley hospital shutting down. A lot of their clientele got either siphoned off to St. Michaels, or was left homeless, both literally and figuratively.

It was really meaningful to provide architectural and design services to an effort that was providing that kind of support for the community. Trying to make an environment that is conducive to healing and quality living has been very rewarding.

IBI has over 150 LEED accredited professionals on its roster, and with projects like Women’s College Hospital and Delta Toronto being LEED Certified, sustainability is an important element in IBI’s work. What is your attitude towards LEED and sustainable design?

The LEED accreditation has been monumentally important in changing people’s attitudes towards sustainability – as both a philosophy and technology. At IBI, we use the term ‘biophilic design’ which has to do with going through and thinking about the biology of what it is we’re building and how we fit into that ecosystem. LEED is big part of sustainable design and is a major philosophy attitude in my work.

 What drew IBI to establish their Toronto Global Office at Yonge + St. Clair?

Before we moved into 55 St. Clair 2 years ago, we had made ourselves homeless by selling our building downtown. It took us well over a year to find the right building in the right area. A big thing was finding a place with big floor plates that wasn’t really possible downtown, and after looking at over 30 locations this building really stood out for us.

What is it about 55 St. Clair West that stuck out?

We‘re sitting in a building that was built in 1982 – technologically the building is 1982. But it has very forward-thinking attributes. The physical layout of the building, the access to natural light, the big floor plates, and the indoor/outdoor terraces surrounding our space are all very current in design thinking today.

The view isn’t bad either [laughs].

 What are your thoughts of Yonge + St. Clair?

Yonge + St. Clair has been a neighbourhood in transition and that’s very interesting to us as professionals. We have witnessed firsthand its evolution and have been able to compare it to our old neighbourhood downtown.

When I lived here, a long time ago [laughs], the retail was a lot of high–end shops and the restaurants were very boring. But then the shops left and the area became a little seedy. There have been some ups and downs over the decades.

Now, with all of the investment being made in the area, it‘s ripe for a new generation to come in and make their mark on the food, culture and retail scene.

Speaking of food, what’s your favourite lunch spot?

I really like the Italian places along Yonge Street. There are a few of them down there and they’re all good. What Yonge + St. Clair really needs is a good greasy spoon.

There’s always Holy Chuck Burger.

 Oh really? I’ll have to check it out.

[Laughs] It’s good and greasy! Thanks David.

 My pleasure.