I will be happy if there's enough cohesion that I can from spot to spot under this section of the Gardiner without having to dismount from my bicycle to go around barriers — other than possibly having to cross at another spot at Bathurst, either a bit north or south. A succession of spaces is fine with me as long as they each provide some interest. No doubt they'll be judged by different people to have achieved differing levels of success. Based on the amount of money available for public realm improvements in this city, the most master planning we can expect from them is good flow from one to the other. There are so many things for us to spend money on, that while I want good infrastructure, I am not expecting unrealistically high levels of perfection.
Call it an art dump, and you're setting yourself up for disappointment: your negative attitude will present you with exactly what you are looking for. Conversely, understand that every developer is hiring a public art consultant who, like any professional, wants to prove their worth by delivering clever, well thought out artworks, and your more receptive attitude will have you looking for the delight that's waiting to be uncovered.
The delivery of public art in the city is a competitive process. There are a number of fine public art consultants in the city who have proven their expertise by delivering lots of interesting works of the last several years. These are highly educated and creative people who have a passion for what they do. Typically for any project several artists are invited to submit proposals to a jury for evaluation. Artists from across Canada compete with the best from around the world, and winning submissions come from home and abroad. Art consultants then pair the artists with local fabricators to create the pieces, and liaise with developers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, and the City as the development moves from notion to reality. It's nobody's art dump.
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