Lisa Hirmer Wraps Up as 2022 Waterfront Artist-in-Residence

In This Blog: 

• Lisa Hirmer wraps up her waterfront artist residency in December 2022.  
• Hirmer was the second waterfront artist-in-residence selected by Waterfront Toronto and the Waterfront Business Improvement Area.  
• To address the residency’s theme, climate change, Hirmer created two temporary art installations and a workshop series during her tenure. 
• Stay tuned for news on the next waterfront artist-in-residence in early 2023. 

This month, Lisa Hirmer finishes her 2022 waterfront artist residency. Hirmer was the second artist-in-residence selected by Waterfront Toronto and the Waterfront Business Improvement Area (BIA). During her tenure, Hirmer’s climate-focused public art brought new visitors to the water's edge.
 

“The theme of the residency is climate change, which is something I think about a lot, both in work and in life,” Hirmer told the Waterfront BIA. “Climate change is right here, all around us and I hope art can help us see and contend with that,” she said. “I’ve been so grateful that the residency offered the framework, time and resources to experiment and develop new, unexpected work,” Hirmer added.
 

Hirmer’s residency also overlapped with Toronto's Year of Public Art. Both the residency and ArtworxTO: The Year of Public Art highlighted the waterfront as a major arts and cultural destination. Here’s a look back at what interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hirmer created as the 2022 waterfront artist-in-residence.

Installation: The Atmosphere is Always Still Being Made

During summer 2022, Lisa Hirmer installed innovative carbon-capturing sculptures in HTO Park West. The innovative sculptures, called The Atmosphere is Always Still Being Made, created a space to think about the massive scale of the climate emergency and the possibility that things could be different.

The Atmosphere is Always Still Being Made by Lisa Hirmer, 2022. Photo by Lisa Hirmer.

Installation: Careful Infrastructures for Reassembled Lands

This temporary installation of four laser-cut metal signs was inspired by the Port Lands Flood Protection project. Hirmer collaborated with Sangamithra Iyer, Elwood Jimmy and smudge studio to create Careful Infrastructures for Reassembled Lands. The installation suggests that how we think about a place also shapes how we live there. Each artist created the poetic text for a sign, which was installed along the Water’s Edge Promenade in Bayside, between Aitken Place Park and Sugar Beach. This installation will be up until Fall 2023.

The Atmosphere is Always Still Being Made by Lisa Hirmer, together with Sangamithra Iyer, Elwood Jimmy and smudge studio, 2022. Photo by Lisa Hirmer.

Workshop Series: An Almanac of Narrow Winds

This two-part workshop series explored our relationship to the wind in this era of climate change. In collaboration with Jumblies Theatre, Hirmer led participants through painting, dance and music to explore this relationship.

An Almanac of Narrow Winds by Lisa Hirmer, 2022. Photo by Lisa Hirmer.

What’s Next?

Lisa Hirmer’s temporary artwork created dynamic cultural experiences by the lake. As Hirmer concludes her residency, you can review her residency on warmingdays.ca and continue to follow her work on lisahirmer.ca. In early 2023, stay tuned for news on the next waterfront artist-in-residence. 
 

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Image Gallery: Highlights from the 2022 Waterfront Artist-in-Residence