Tag: canada

The Don Valley Brickworks operated for nearly 100 years and provided bricks used to construct many well-known Toronto landmarks such as Casa Loma, Osgoode Hall, Massey Hall and the Ontario Legislature. In 1928 the factory was sold and the name changed to the Toronto Brick Company. This change in ownership also saw the factory reach peak production of 25 million bricks per year. The kilns have been closed since 1984 and the property is currently owned and being revitalized by Evergreen.

“With some initial leads thanks to filmmaker Catherine Annau, I was able to make contact with some of the former workers who were employed when the factory shut down in 1984.

I visited each subject at the their home and I shot portraits of these proud men and installed their images in the factory’s Kiln Building.

To create the brick pattern, I worked with my assistant, Joe Cornfield, to cut everything out on-site as the bricks were of different sizes and the mortar various widths and heights. An arduous task for sure, but a testament to the men who helped to build Toronto, brick by brick.”

Check out the video of the installation: Brick by Brick Video

First seen on the Show & Tell Gallery blog.

Dan’s upcoming projects include a group show at the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art this July and his first solo exhibition this September at Show & Tell Gallery.