Meet Me Under the Bents [Design Observer, December 2022]
There are now more than 25 so-called “infrastructure parks” in North America, the most well-known of which is New York’s High Line. Public art commissions—both temporary and permanent—can help draw attention to the boundaries of what we identify as ‘infrastructure’ and the space we label ‘park,’ and indeed, the most successful of these are those that provide leisure space for city dwellers and tourists while also fostering a conversation about the nature of urban form. A case in point is Canada's Bentway, which opened to the public in 2018. The mile-long Toronto park is pierced by half a dozen streets running north from Lake Ontario..
Located below the busy Gardiner Expressway, The Bentway is the primary recreational space for some 200,000 people living in adjacent vertical communities. The Bentway Conservancy, which administers the park’s public art programs, has commissioned a number of (primarily Canadian) artists, set designers, and dancers to test out a series of engaging questions and ideas on the site. From its inception, the Conservancy has commissioned artists and event sponsors who actively engage with park users, whether through dance, sports, or even dining events. MacArthur-winner Mimi Lien installed a parade of bright traffic signs; choreographer Noémie LaFrance designed a “deambulatory” performance on a walkway; and sculptor Esmaa Mahmoud built a colorful (and invitingly-skewed) basketball court.
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