XOXO Downsview

Wind Rose

Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021–2022 is a year-long celebration of Toronto’s exceptional public art collection and the creative community behind it. This exciting new initiative supports artists and art projects that reflect Toronto's diversity and creates more opportunities for the public to engage with art in their everyday lives. XOXO Downsview is a celebration of public art, culture, and local heritage launched in coordination with Toronto's Year of Public Art. It involves dynamic installations, murals, multimedia works, and an audio walking tour on the Downsview Lands and in Downsview Park.

An invigorating climb to the summit of Downsview Park’s largest mound of earth will be rewarded! On top you’ll find the Downsview Wind Rose: a dynamic installation that celebrates the wind, the view, and the Indigenous connections to this place. This interactive structure, created by Future Simple Studio, features a circle of vibrant blue flags attached to a radial network of 32 square arches, arranged in a compass-like formation that resembles a huge wind rose.

A wind rose is a time-honoured tool invented by meteorologists to map the direction, speed, and frequency of wind in a specific location. The wind rose for Downsview, depicted on the concrete bench at the installation’s center, is specific to the Downsview airport, and shows the local area’s prevailing northwest winds.Where those winds prevail, you’ll find the jewel of the Downsview Wind Rose: a set of flags designed by Mi'kmaq artists, Chris and Greg Mitchell, who lead the Born in the North design studio. The work, titled “The Turtle and the Traveller,” is based on the history of these lands and the local area. The flags are positioned at the installation’s northwest, therefore one is white, representing north on the medicine wheel, and the other is black, representing the west.

The white flag depicts a traveller, honouring Indigenous people's historic use of this place as an important route for trade and travel. The turtle on the black flag represents the land—Turtle Island—as well as the local wildlife. Its shell references a medicine wheel to highlight traditional teachings. The style is reminiscent of petroglyphs from the Eastern Woodlands people.

2021年秋季至2022年秋季間，是加拿大的多倫多公共藝術之年（Toronto's Year of Public Art）。在這一年間，多倫多這座城市邀來各界藝術家共襄盛舉，旨在日常生活中創造市民與藝術裝置互動的機會，藉由探索城市，發掘無所不在的創造力，並藉此活絡社區鄰里，復甦城市經濟。其中，XOXO登士維藝術季（XOXO Downsview）是以此為前提，融合當地文化遺產的活動慶典，主展場座落於登士維公園（Downsview Park），展出作品包含動態裝置、壁畫與多媒體作品。

走上登士維公園最大的小山丘頂端，不僅讓人精神抖擻，還會覺得非常值得。因為踏上丘頂，將會看見由Future Simple Studio所設計的互動裝置：登士維風玫瑰（Downsview Wind Rose）。這組動態藝術裝置歌頌著風、景觀、原住民與在地的連結，最引人注目的特色在於由32支掛著亮藍色旗幟的方拱，以放射狀排列成一個圓，其排列方式宛如羅盤，綜觀看來就如同一座巨大的風玫瑰圖。而風玫瑰圖存在的歷史相當悠久，其由來是從前天氣學家所發明的工具，用以表示某特定位置的風向、風速與頻率。在這座公共藝術裝置中央的混凝土底座上，便畫著屬於登士維機場的風玫瑰圖，可以看出這一區盛行著西北風。

當西北風吹起，將會瞥見座落於登士維風玫瑰圖中的核心寶藏：一套米克馬族（Mi'kmaq）原住民藝術家所設計的旗幟。創作這套旗幟的藝術家是「生在北方設計工作室」（Born in the North）的克里斯與葛雷格・米契爾（Chris and Greg Mitchell），他們將旗幟取名為《烏龜與旅人》（The Turtle and the Traveller），訴說著這一帶風土民情與區域歷史。這套旗幟其中一面是白色，代表北美原住民傳統藥輪（medicine wheel）的北方，另一面黑色旗幟則是代表西方，呼應西北風的自然特色。

白色旗幟上畫的是旅人，彰顯出這裡曾是原住民重要的貿易與旅行路徑。黑色旗幟上的烏龜代表這塊土地——龜島——及當地的野生動物。龜殼設計指涉著藥輪，以突顯出傳統所教導的知識。整體作品風格都令人想起東林地部落所留下的岩刻，深具文化歷史意義之餘，也透過公共藝術創作，讓現代人重新認識屬於在地的故事。