Winter Stations kicks off for 2024 with launch of new ‘electrified’ Queen Street Stations on night of Thursday, Feb. 15

Winter Stations 2024 kicks off on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 15, with the launch of the new “electrified” Queen Street Stations at Woodbine Park.

The launch takes place at the northeast corner of Woodbine Park, on the south side of Queen Street East between Eastern Avenue and Northern Dancer Boulevard. The celebration begins at 6:30 p.m.

Queen Street Stations will feature art installations which will be set up in Woodbine Park, Kew Gardens park, and Ivan Forrest Gardens park.

The Beach BIA is one of the sponsors of Winter Stations and Executive Director Paul Bieksa is looking forward to the installations along Queen Street East.

“The passion and dedication it takes to do anything consistently for a decade, let alone an international design competition, is inspiring. To celebrate Winter Stations 10th Anniversary, The Beach BIA isn’t just sponsoring creativity; we are becoming a canvas for it,” he said.

“With three installations being displayed along Queen Street East, we wanted to connect the sandy beach to our business community in The Beach BIA. Come down and make an afternoon of exploring our neighbourhood, seeing unique art and supporting the local businesses that helped make this happen.”

The new installation to be unveiled at Thursday night’s launch in Woodbine Park is Making Waves.

This installation is created by Canadian designers Adria Maynard and Purvanqi Patel

According to Winter Stations 2024, the whimsical installation is piece of furniture that represents the ways that simple actions can ripple outward to “resonate” across time and space.

“The installation takes the form of an exaggerated couch, forming an unusual urban living room where neighbours can gather, play and sit together by the water.” It was inspired by “kinetic sculptures and whirligigs” and is composed of a series of parts that “dance” when cranks are turned. “Wooden slats act as a rippling bench that rocks and moves those who are sitting, and vertical poles tipped with glowing globes bob in the air to signal people from afar. Making Waves pays homage to the 10 years of Winter Stations and the ways that public art can foster shared delight, contemplation, and play that brings together strangers and friends in public space.”

The ”electrified” Queen Street Stations are a new addition to the annual Winter Stations that have been taking place along Woodbine Beach since 2015. The “electrified” reference is to highlight the fact that the three installations making up Queen Street Stations will be illuminated so they can be enjoyed by visitors to the area at night.

While Making Waves is a new installation, the other two exhibits for Queen Street Stations are popular installations that were featured along Woodbine Beach during Winter Stations 2023. The installation to be in Kew Gardens park is Delighthouse; and the installation for Ivan Forrest Gardens is CONRAD.

The Delighthouse installation was created by United Kingdom designers Nick Green and Greig Pirrie. It is inspired by coastal lighthouse across Canada and beyond. Delighthouse is a self-assured landmark guiding visitors to approach,” said the designers.

Delighthouse, shown here on Woodbine Beach as part of Winter Stations 2023, will be on display in Kew Gardens park this year as part of Queen Street Stations.

“While traditionally lighthouses are warnings, this installation is a welcoming beacon of hope, fun, energy, and pride. The confident and colourful pattern, evoking a sense of play, casts onto ground panels radiating out from the tower to embrace visitors. Scaled to house the lifeguard stand, the tower is clad in painted timber boards. Structurally, eight tapered timber frames lean inwards, joined to form the tower, with strength derived from each part coming together as a whole.”

CONRAD, meanwhile, is arguably one of the most popular Winter Stations installations ever. It is a statue that pays tribute to a raccoon that died on hot Toronto street in 2015. It was designed by Canadians Novak Djogo and Daniel Joshua Vanderhorst.

“Conrad was the name of a raccoon that died on the corner of Yonge and Church in the summer of 2015. And though Conrad was just a raccoon, he was human enough to inspire compassion and warmth in the hearts of Torontonians. This is a monument in his honour,” said the designers.

CONRAD, shown here on Woodbine Beach as part of Winter Stations 2023, will be on display in Ivan Forrest Gardens park this year as part of Queen Street Stations.

CONRAD was also featured during the Nuit Blanche celebrations along Danforth Avenue in the fall of 2023 with an installation in the Robertson Parkette.

Shortly after the launch of Queen Street Stations this evening, Winter Stations 2024 will hold its official opening ceremonies on Family Day (Monday, Feb. 19) at Woodbine Beach. A number of dignitaries and artists will be on hand for the opening which is slated for noon on the beach just south of the Donald D. Summerville pools.

For more on the six new installations that will make up Winter Stations 2024, please see our earlier story at https://beachmetro.com/2024/01/17/winter-stations-2024-to-feature-installations-along-woodbine-beach-and-in-parks-on-queen-street-east/

Sponsors for Winter Stations 2024 are The Beach BIA, RAW Design, Northcrest Developments, CreateTO, Sali Tabachi Branding and Design, Meevo Digital, and Micro Pro Sienna.

Winter Stations takes place from the Family Day weekend until early April.

For more on this year’s Winter Stations please see go to https://winterstations.com