A group of interdisciplinary researchers from diverse faculties at the University of Toronto and other instutions have come together to launch 6Place Toronto, a new working group which seeks to examine the intersection of media and architecture in public space. 6Place Toronto was co-founded by Petros Babasikas (Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, at Daniels Faculty), an architect and writer whose work focuses on connections among architecture, storytelling, media and public space. The project is being helmed through The Faculty of Information’s McLuhan Centre for Culture and Technology, and includes Assistant Professor Charles Stankievech, Associate Professor Jesse LeCavalier, and lecturer Mark Sterling from Daniels Faculty, as well as contributors from U of T’s School of Cities.

Over the next year, the group will be conducting series of six “investigations” into various aspects of Toronto’s urban space, offering a deeper understanding of how we interact with places such as the downtown waterfront or Etobicoke’s industrial parks. 6Place Toronto elaborates on their website:

From the Portlands to South Etobicoke, these are contested, iconic, dormant places, currently subject to major speculation and diverse visions for the city of the future. This project investigates urban history, networks, image, building stock, landscape, infrastructure, data and meta-data. Engaging faculty and students in Architecture, Urbanism, Information, Art History, Politics, Anthropology, Media and the Visual Arts, 6PTo’s methods of documentation and dissemination include mapping, lens- and drone-based imaging, drawing, stratography, archival and media research, walks, talks, workshops and seminars. Each of the six investigations is a pilot for an interdisciplinary, layered urbanism and civic broadcast, ultimately testing the potential of Public Space in the North American Metropolis.

One upcoming investigation, "Work/Inventory" is scheduled for March 29-30 and includes a talk by Jesse LeCavelier & Shawn Micallef, moderated by Mark Sterling, as well as a walk and workshop in South Etobicoke. Read more about the work of 6Place Toronto.

Images by:
Timothy Neesam
Mike Falkner
Dieter Janssen