Monday, September 04, 2006

This isn't a thimble, it's Turkish nipple armor.*


This is a nine feet tall sculpture in Toronto, Canada, called Uniform Measure/Stack, essentially a large bronze thimble on a neat stack of six colored buttons. Created in 1997 by artist Stephan Cruise as part of the Spadina Avenue LRT Public Art Program, it is in the city's fashion district at the northwest corner of Spadina Avenue and Richmond Street, as "a reflection on the contributions of the workers & on the presence of touch in the making of garments...." It received significant funding from The City of Toronto Fashion Industry Liaison Committee. There are two large button benches adjacent to the work and a bas relief measuring tape in the pavement bordering the area. There has been some criticism of the sculpture. No, it is not Michelangelo's David. News flash: Toronto isn't Florence.

*Dick Solomon, Third Rock from the Sun.

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