TO//B4&NOW

Toronto was first incorporated as the township of York in 1793. Since then, the city has undergone massive expansion and changes, which have been documented through maps, paintings and photographs. Elements of Toronto’s past are still apart of the city albeit surrounded by change.

This project aims to highlight Toronto's transformation, and give a fresh and different look at Toronto’s past and present.  The artist, Lauren Bridle, collected archival photographs and visited the location of each photo to record present-day digital footage. Using these two medias, the final outcome is a single blended looping .GIF image. The black and white, still, portion is the archival photo while the coloured, moving, portion is recent footage. Each image is accompanied with the dates and location.

The audio-narrative that plays as you scroll through the website is a collection of interviews conducted with short-term and life-long Toronto residents. The audio mix plays with volume and panning from left to right to seem as if you're overhearing conversations on the streets of Toronto.

This project will be updated regularly with new images in an attempt to depict an overall picture of Toronto's past and present.