Sparkles in the Snow

February 2, 2017 · by publicartoftoronto · in Exhibit, Sculpture. ·

Winter Diamonds, 2017
ARTIST: Platant
LOCATION: Music Garden East
WEBSITE: http://platant.dk
EMAIL: info@platant.dk
Copyright 2017, Public Art of Toronto. All rights reserved.

Who doesn’t like the sparkle of new fallen snow? I love it. It’s one of the things that make winter bearable in my mind. So what happens when there is no snow?

You go visit Winter Diamonds located in the Music Gardens, our third installation in the Ice Breakers exhibit.

Winter Diamonds was created by the Danish design firm Platant who specialize in the strategic development of urban environments. Their practice focuses mainly on the relationships between people and resources, societies and cities.

Winter Diamonds, 2017
ARTIST: Platant
LOCATION: Music Garden East
WEBSITE: http://platant.dk
EMAIL: info@platant.dk
Copyright 2017, Public Art of Toronto. All rights reserved.

I really enjoyed this installation. It really fit in well with its environment; it was visible to foot traffic so it would draw pedestrians in to view it. Platant designed the piece to be modular, which allows them to change its conformation depending on the requirements of the locale where they are exhibiting. Winter Diamonds is also illuminated. As such, it’s reminiscent of the fireplace I was longing for while I spent time in Polymétis’ Icebox. This is a very nice follow-up to that piece, which makes me feel a little kindlier towards it.

The result is an installation that can be seen and appreciated regardless of the time of day. And that is my one quibble with this particular work. It would be nice if it was noted somewhere in Ice Breakers’ documentation that Winter Diamonds is a lighted piece. Thankfully I have the option of going back to visit during the evening so I can fully appreciate it, but not everyone will. It would be useful if people had the means to plan their visits in such a way that they can take full advantage of the art’s distinctive nature.

All five Ice Breaker installations are available for viewing from January 21 to February 26, 2017. For more information, please visit The Waterfront BIA website for more information.