Chronicling the momentous changes from the ongoing revitalization of Toronto’s Port Lands, artists Vid Ingelevics and Ryan Walker have spent years creating a photographic record of the changes in this corner of the city.

Their work captures many of the complexities of this important construction project, including landscape changes and portraits of the workers, and through their images, connect Torontonians to the most significant infrastructure project the city has ever undertaken to build climate resiliency on our waterfront. Through their camera lenses, explore the Port Lands’s transformation from a blank, postindustrial landscape to a restored river valley, and discover how the city is redefining its relationship with the Don River.

Hosted by ROM’s Soren Brothers, this program examines Toronto’s transforming identity as a climate leader in North America, how this project will forever change the city’s waterfront and our relationship with the iconic Don River, and the significance – and importance – of documenting that change.

Speakers:

Ryan Walker

Ryan Walker is a Toronto-based photographer who specializes in documentary, editorial photography, and visual advocacy. He holds an MFA in Documentary Media from Toronto Metropolitan University and is an educator for the BFA Photography Programs at Toronto Metropolitan University and Sheridan College.

Vid Ingelevics

Vid Ingelevics is a Toronto-based photographer/artist, independent curator, writer, and educator. He currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus in the School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University.

Soren Brothers

Soren Brothers is the Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change at ROM. He is also an Assistant Professor at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. Soren’s research examines the effects of climate change on lakes, and how changes in aquatic systems can influence their greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. More broadly, he is interested in understanding how feedback loops and the transdisciplinary study of lakes can help us better understand and predict global tipping points that may accelerate anthropogenic climate change.

Event captured on January 21, 2024.