Past, Present, Future: The Dreams of the Commodity Economy in Liberty Village
Benjamin states, “In the convulsions of the commodity economy we begin to recognize the monuments of the bourgeoisie as ruins even before they have crumbled” (162). I wish to focus on the ‘monuments’ of a previous economic boom in Toronto which involve the abandoned factories of industries found in the west end of the city: The Carpet Factory, The Toy Factory, and the surrounding buildings. Within the last few years these buildings have become the focal points of what has been named “Liberty Village” – a growing artistic community including non-profit organizations like Artscape and the CFMDC, along with countless design, photography, music, and visual art related businesses. While they have created spaces for artists to “live. work. play.” as the Toy Factory Loft’s exclaim, they have also evicted previous artists who lived and worked in these spaces undisturbed prior to the imminent gentrification of the area. Benefiting from these former Fordist industrial structures has allowed developers to not only create these luxury dream spaces, but also brand them by creating a specific mold of artisan to dwell within it.
As Benjamin describes in “Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth Century” the arcades of Paris gave way to the resurgence of classic architecture in their construction. Similarly, the renovations of the Liberty Village factories allow the past, present, and future to coexist by using the original outer shell of these buildings as a nostalgic echo to the former economic success of the area. The branding of these structures is accompanied by the title “Liberty Village” which evokes a North American dream of prosperity for all, although the boundaries of the development clearly dismiss the brimming activity of the neighbouring community of Parkdale. Liberty Village has taken the idea of the loft or the condominium in downtown Toronto to a new utopic level in such that it has fetishized its own sanitized version of the artistic aesthetic – taking the bohemian and turning it into the upscale commodifiable cosmopolitan business. All the amenities of life are provided in this new microcosm, which houses its own café’s, bakeries, salon, movie store, and a high end grocery store amongst other things. By promoting the individualistic idea of ‘art nouveau’ that Benjamin discusses, developers have compartmentalized these spaces so that they may become the dream space or an individualized artistic aesthetic for each tenant - although there is still the overarching umbrella of what Liberty Village represents. ‘The Market’ building asks its future tenants “Are you in the market?” lacing its double meaning with a “scene and be seen” tone. Or as the Liberty ad reads “It’s being in the right place at the right time.”
While the exclusiveness of Liberty Village may not seem to foster the common warmth found in such artistic communities such as Kensington Market or many of the cities collectives, it does carry the esteem and the rank of the Art & Design District that resides north on Queen St. West. While some artists resent the labeling of the area, others are prospering from the defined identity. Liberty seems to be fostering the same goal: an area strictly for creative and artistic use. One can see the results of the efforts made through thoughtful public spaces in the area – the communication bench, the artwork of Mina Arakawa at the Liberty Village Benchmark which asks, “Have you ever sat on a masterpiece?” and other artistic markings surrounding Artscape’s building. Lamp posts are cluttered with advertisements for pottery classes, renovated rooms to rent, and open studios. Yet, what struck me the most was the graffiti on an adjacent building which read “Past Present Future” which for me echoed Benjamin’s statement that these commodifiable dreams of the “creative class” to reference Richard Florida, will fall as every scene or economic trend must. It is the architecture that withstands this crumble. As Benjamin states in his essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” “Architecture has never been idle. Its history is more ancient than that of any art, and its claim to being a living force has significance in every attempt to comprehend the relationship to the to the masses to art” (240).
Benjamin states, “In the convulsions of the commodity economy we begin to recognize the monuments of the bourgeoisie as ruins even before they have crumbled” (162). I wish to focus on the ‘monuments’ of a previous economic boom in Toronto which involve the abandoned factories of industries found in the west end of the city: The Carpet Factory, The Toy Factory, and the surrounding buildings. Within the last few years these buildings have become the focal points of what has been named “Liberty Village” – a growing artistic community including non-profit organizations like Artscape and the CFMDC, along with countless design, photography, music, and visual art related businesses. While they have created spaces for artists to “live. work. play.” as the Toy Factory Loft’s exclaim, they have also evicted previous artists who lived and worked in these spaces undisturbed prior to the imminent gentrification of the area. Benefiting from these former Fordist industrial structures has allowed developers to not only create these luxury dream spaces, but also brand them by creating a specific mold of artisan to dwell within it.
As Benjamin describes in “Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth Century” the arcades of Paris gave way to the resurgence of classic architecture in their construction. Similarly, the renovations of the Liberty Village factories allow the past, present, and future to coexist by using the original outer shell of these buildings as a nostalgic echo to the former economic success of the area. The branding of these structures is accompanied by the title “Liberty Village” which evokes a North American dream of prosperity for all, although the boundaries of the development clearly dismiss the brimming activity of the neighbouring community of Parkdale. Liberty Village has taken the idea of the loft or the condominium in downtown Toronto to a new utopic level in such that it has fetishized its own sanitized version of the artistic aesthetic – taking the bohemian and turning it into the upscale commodifiable cosmopolitan business. All the amenities of life are provided in this new microcosm, which houses its own café’s, bakeries, salon, movie store, and a high end grocery store amongst other things. By promoting the individualistic idea of ‘art nouveau’ that Benjamin discusses, developers have compartmentalized these spaces so that they may become the dream space or an individualized artistic aesthetic for each tenant - although there is still the overarching umbrella of what Liberty Village represents. ‘The Market’ building asks its future tenants “Are you in the market?” lacing its double meaning with a “scene and be seen” tone. Or as the Liberty ad reads “It’s being in the right place at the right time.”
While the exclusiveness of Liberty Village may not seem to foster the common warmth found in such artistic communities such as Kensington Market or many of the cities collectives, it does carry the esteem and the rank of the Art & Design District that resides north on Queen St. West. While some artists resent the labeling of the area, others are prospering from the defined identity. Liberty seems to be fostering the same goal: an area strictly for creative and artistic use. One can see the results of the efforts made through thoughtful public spaces in the area – the communication bench, the artwork of Mina Arakawa at the Liberty Village Benchmark which asks, “Have you ever sat on a masterpiece?” and other artistic markings surrounding Artscape’s building. Lamp posts are cluttered with advertisements for pottery classes, renovated rooms to rent, and open studios. Yet, what struck me the most was the graffiti on an adjacent building which read “Past Present Future” which for me echoed Benjamin’s statement that these commodifiable dreams of the “creative class” to reference Richard Florida, will fall as every scene or economic trend must. It is the architecture that withstands this crumble. As Benjamin states in his essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” “Architecture has never been idle. Its history is more ancient than that of any art, and its claim to being a living force has significance in every attempt to comprehend the relationship to the to the masses to art” (240).
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