Public spaces are where people interact, discuss, teach, learn, participate, proclaim, and protest. Public space is essential for democracy, yet it seems to be shrinking.
We live in a society where cars rule the road while big box stores and mega-malls encourage us to stay in them. Downtown, Toronto’s newest public square is surrounded by the highest concentration of ads in Canada, and comes complete with explicit rules, private guards, and security cameras to make sure the public expression that occurs there stays in line. Even one of our oldest forms of public communication, postering, is now under attack.
It is from these concerns that the idea to start a magazine entirely devoted to public space sprang to life. Spacing is a project of the Toronto Public Space Committee, the activist group responsible for Guerrilla Gardening, Variance Vexation, Art Attack, as well as being the most vocal opponent of Toronto’s proposed anti-postering by-law.
On December 4th, Spacing will launch its first 40-page issue. It will feature stories on issues such as postering, public art, and Dundas Square, as well as some of the people, places, and events that make living in Toronto interesting. Issue number one was designed and art directed by m@b comic artist Matthew Blackett, and includes contributions from The Middle Stories author Sheila Heti, Toronto Life and Marketing Magazine journo Ryan Bigge, former eye weekly news editor Jennifer Prittie, illustrators Matt Daley, graphic artist Mark Ngui, and photographer Kevin Steele.
Spacing aspires to raise awareness and create a dialogue about Toronto’s public space. Ultimately, we want to provide citizens with more tools, information, and resources to get out and start Spacing.
