Tommy Truong Brings a Green Perspective to Yonge-Dundas Square

The old T.O. Tix booth at Yonge-Dundas Square used to be a place where locals and tourists alike would purchase discounted tickets to various productions occurring across the city. Fast forward to 2021, where it makes space for creative expression and adds cultural vitality to the downtown community.

Inspired by the structure of plants and the idea of co-existence, Temporary Hedged is a digital illustration by Tommy Truong that seeks to examine themes of community and precarious moments of joy in our current time of confusion, and uncertainty.

As I walked down a quiet street in Downtown Toronto, a small shrubbery planted by the sidewalk stopped me mid-step. A small opening on the lower middle of the bush gave me an eerie feeling of seclusion, almost as if the hollow space inside the plant was restricted and can only peer through the small opening to observe the environment around it. While feeling slightly anxious over the isolated inner space, I noticed the fine details of the plants and leaves. The small netted veins I noticed gave me a sense of appreciation and a brief moment of joy - this washed away the anxiety. - Tommy Truong

Fostering this small seed of joy, Temporarily Hedged focuses on the fluidity of mark-making, and the organic quality of the plants. I positioned the perspective of this illustration within the hollow space of the bush, and wrapped this small void around the façades of this building structure. Í I invite everyone to enjoy the stillness of this work, the vibrant and saturated palette of the greenery, and to reflect on the smaller details to help free our minds from the temporary physical restrictions.

Captured by Kelvin Leung.

Captured by Kelvin Leung.

Captured by Kelvin Leung.

This work will be exhibited for the duration of summer 2021 at Yonge-Dundas Square.