Toronto 2014

Alder Veil is a collaborative proposal between artist Catherine Widgery and Forest and Field Landscape Architecture for the intersection of Islington and Dundas West in Toronto.

A grove of Alder inspired forms stands ghostly and majestic as a gateway and beacon at the heart of the Village of Islington neighborhood. It recalls Mimico Creek that flows beneath the road invisible to motorists today but once a place for leisure picnics in a pastoral countryside. The language of the sculpture is a hybrid of architectural structure and natural patterns. Soaring arcs are repeated like a cathedral open to the sky while stainless steel discs shiver in the wind recalling breezes that once rustled alder leaves over the heads of the Anishinaabe and later, pleasure boaters.

The lines in the paving recall the river currents weaving through the space in and around the feet of the alders as though contained by imaginary banks. The planters are arrayed like leaves that have fallen and are carried by the current of the river. Drought and salt resistant perennial grasses and plants in the planters recall the wild plant life that once lined the banks of the Creek. The swaying grasses respond to the wind and create a landscape of their own at the base of the sculptural structure. Wooden seating is set out in an arc around a central point of the site like a small amphitheater making it possible for community events to be held here.