Bloordale Beach existed in the Bloor and Dufferin area of Toronto’s west end from May 26, 2020 until September 23, 2021. A beach in that location may come as a surprise for someone familiar with the city’s geography, since that’s nowhere near a permanent body of water. The beach did, however, have a low point where water would collect after a heavy rainfall. Clearly, Bloordale Beach was not an ordinary beach.
This beach was created on a vacant, fenced-off lot, property of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), where construction had been stalled. One community member had been removing fence panels, but these were routinely replaced by the TDSB. On May 26th, Bloordale resident, Shari Kasman, noticed someone lying on the gravel-filled lot, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, which gave her the idea to turn this space into Bloordale Beach. That evening, she and her collaborator created and hung signs, and instantly, the lot became a beach.
Bloordale Beach was created as a way to draw attention to the site and entice others to use it. However, the beach became much more than that. It offered levity during those dark days of the pandemic lockdown and it was a community space where people could gather outdoors, socially distanced, when most indoor spaces were off limits. Plus, people performed and recorded their dance routines, performance art, music videos, and other projects at the beach, and in 2021, there was a community garden on the site. This beach was an inspiration for many—two documentaries were created about the beach and five songs were written about it, too. Fans of the beach reminisce about it, to this day.
Through a mix of signs, ephemera, photographs, and recordings, this exhibit offers documentation of Bloordale Beach, tells its story, and explains its importance as a notable, community-led guerrilla project within a city that’s largely known for its many by-laws and its reluctance to embrace humour or fun placemaking initiatives.
Shari Kasman is an artist and writer based in Toronto. Her work has included printed matter, including a photobook about Galleria Mall and another book, Rocks Don’t Move and Other Questionable Facts, which compiles 100 fact submissions she collected from a box outside of her house, in exchange for books she was giving away. She has enjoyed posting spoof TTC route diversion signs and was recently one of the co-curators of The Museum of Bad Gifts.
Curated by:
Shari Kasman