Toronto was overtaken by a 2.5 km-long domino trail that toppled its way through the heart of the city.
A collaboration between British performance art and theatre company, Station House Opera and the Bentway, thousands of Toronto residents gathered on Sunday, Sept. 22 to watch a surreally silly event of epic proportions: a lengthy train comprised of 8000 jumbo dominoes snaking its way through various neighbourhoods in the city.
“The Bentway is ultimately a project about making connections and removing barriers,” says Ilana Altman, co-executive Director of the Bentway.
“[…] And we couldn’t have thought of a better project to encapsulate that desire to create new physical connections than Dominoes,” she says, “the way it weaves through neighbourhoods, the way it crosses streets, the way that it brings people together is the perfect encapsulation of our mission.”
She explains that, beyond the obvious physical connections of one domino hitting the next, it’s also about the connections made between the neighbours, business owners and many, many volunteers involved in putting the event together.
@thebentway The countdown is on! 🗓️ Sunday, September 22 🎟️ FREE Admission Join us for Dominoes, a joyful community event where 8,000 human-sized dominoes will wind through 2.5km of downtown Toronto! Witness this incredible display of connection and transformation as the dominoes topple, bringing neighbourhoods together for one unforgettable day.
♬ Ok I Like It – Milky Chance
Running all afternoon on Sunday, the “moving sculpture,” as its been referred to by organizers, was set up by 300 volunteers, who painstakingly set each of the several thousand dominoes before setting off the chain reaction to the glee and awe of numerous onlookers.
Imagine how frustrating it could get setting up a domino run as a kid. Now imagine you have to walk for 45 back to the start if you accidentally knock the whole thing over.
@mikey.you The Bentway’s Dominoes public art project took over the city yesterday!
♬ Walking Around – Instrumental Version – Eldar Kedem
After kicking off — quite literally, the topple was started with a healthy kick from a child volunteer — at Niagara and Wellington, the train then snaked its way throughout downtown Toronto, passing through the Old York Tavern, Stackt Market and across the Bathurst Street Bridge.
@toronto_papi_
♬ original sound – Shauna
It continued to gain momentum, passing through other landmarks like Canoe Landing Park and the Bentway, before reaching its spectacular finale with the final domino careening off the top of a massive pyramid into Lake Ontario.
This marked the first time Station House Opera’s Dominoes project was performed in North America, after similar events were held across Europe, Australia and South Africa.
Brandon Ferguson, courtesy of DMPUBLIC
