Somber Sights on a Saturday Night
A view of the Gardiner Expressway taken on the Dufferin Street Bridge in Downtown Toronto.
Where it all started.
Many may look at this image and see an eccentric combination of leading lines that congregate along vertical and horizontal gravitational boundaries. Many may see the abstract display of multiple three-dimensional structures to be quite bewildering and others may contend the asymmetrical positioning to be quite offsetting. The ominous presence of the dreary and overcast skies can promulgate very whimsical and often illusive psychological fantasies.
The space preoccupied by bustling city traffic can awaken one to the suppressed memories of being trapped in prolonged and heavily congested traffic jams, the irreparable sounds of vehicle horns echoing through the narrow streets of downtown (often many all at once), and the presence of young adolescents showcasing their admiration for local mumble rap artists (sometimes themselves) by demolishing the speakers of their parents Honda Civic just to assure that none of us feel left out.
Many may direct their attention to the “Exhibition Place” sign and are instantly flooded with cheerful and lively memories of the sights and sounds they experienced with family and friends during the Canadian National Exhibition (when it was still open); an 18-day annual event that swept the nation in a celebratory frenzy and marked the conclusion of many summer festivities (often ending quicker than one desired).
And all of us, unarguably and quite instinctively, could not have strayed away from the mere physical presence of one of the most nationally acclaimed photogenic sites, towering just over half a kilometer in elevation, to ever grace the Instagram feeds of literally every Torontonian on numerous occasions (seriously though, you got to start using a different background). From consciously imagined attributions of the traditional Moncler puffer jacket on the top along with all white Nike air force 1’s on the bottom, to sanguine visions of passionately dedicated, physically versatile, and often humbly affectionate individuals, are all ruminations that race through one’s mind when viewing this image.
Putting all humor aside, there is one distinctive conceptual idea that, in my unpretentious opinion, encapsulates the very ambiance of this complex and subjectively interpretable phenomena: home. This has been and will continue to be the city that I call home. This is a city that has been criticized for its intolerable and often unanticipated shifts in weather patterns (sometimes on a day-to-day basis), skyrocketing rates of population inflation, progressively higher cost of living, and a distressing transit system, to say the least.
However, this is a city that accepted the advent of my family with open arms during the early 1990’s (being that they were immigrants), provided the opportunity for my father to attend college and procure stable and well-compensated employment, and enabled my mother to adopt a sense of courage and tenacity thanks to the willfully compassionate and supportive individuals of the surrounding residency. This is a city where I was able to attend school and encounter all sorts of entertaining and witty personalities, from peers who possessed unique and innate talents to teachers who continuously motivated and believed in the notion that, provided a consistent level of considerable commitment, success for me was on the horizon.
This is a city that consists of people who ooze charisma and ambition. From gifted musicians and singers, to proficient medical and social service personnel, to enthusiastic and valor entrepreneurs, and lastly, but certainly not least, contentious post-secondary students, all wholeheartedly striving to acquire everlasting success and perpetual gratification.
This extensively ambitious nature has inspired me to seek out the hidden treasures that have existed within my spiritual being and nourish this idled potential so that, one day, I will be able to transform into that which I have only daydreamed about thus far. For example, it is this ambition that has inclined me to start writing these profound reflective expositions that apply enhanced philosophical contexts to my selected photos. It has taught me to embrace the fact that I am, indeed, a storyteller at heart.
This is a city that has endowed me with optimism and hope, that there is more to this interminable journey than what can only be visibly examined with the naked eye, and for that I will always be grateful. This is the place that I have and will continue to call home because this is the place where it all started.
