Bottoms up for Sonia Day

Sonia Day has a green thumb and a knack with words, but who knew she wrote, well, raunchy stuff?

Her most recent book, The Untamed Garden: A Revealing Look at our Love Affair with Plants, is about sex ... lots and lots of sex.

So much sex, in fact, that the book cover comes with a “plain brown wrapper” that hides a famous painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema of a Roman orgy scene called The Roses of Heliogabalus (1888).

On Monday, Sonia — who I’ve known for more years than I care to admit — won a gold medal for the Best Overall Product from the Gardens Writers Association during their annual award gala in Tucson, Ariz. for her book, beating out 250 other entries, including books, magazines, newspapers, electronic media and trade publications.

The book, published by McClelland & Stewart, had already been named the silver winner for Best Book.

“It was a great thrill to win the fold, as virtually all the 250 entries I was competing against were from the U.S.

“The book is about our sexual relationship with plants,” Sonia told me by email. “Perhaps that’s why it won! It’s not a how-to gardening book; I think people are getting sick of those. I was inspired to write it because I wanted to shake things up a bit. It bothers me that gardeners have an image of being boring old codgers. (It isn't true. Some of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met love growing plants.)

“I gathered together all kinds of sexy tales from legends, botany and myths — running through the raunchy Romans and Greeks to the staid Victorians.”

The stories in Sonia’s book are told through the arc of a love affair — starting with Innocence (the Madonna lily) moving on to lust (orchids) and ending with devotion (the Coco de Mer, a kind of coconut from the Seychelles; "surely the most salacious thing on the planet — it looks like a woman’s bottom,” Sonia says).

I have to admit, it’s one of the sexiest things I’ve read in a long time (and that includes the  Fifty Shades of Grey, which was a real turn off).

Way to go Sonia!

BTW, The Untamed Garden ($26.99) is available at all major bookstores and online at indigo.ca.

The book cover's brown paper wrapper and, below, the full painting.

 

Canadian Shield in Yorkville Park

Anyone who was wondered along Cumberland Ave. is familiar with the hunk of rock that is the centerpiece of The Village of Yorkville Park across from Sassafraz restaurant.

But that isn’t just any chunk of rock; it’s a piece of the Canadian Shield and it weighs a slight 650 tonnes. It’s also the place where, in summer and winter, you can see people lazing, eating their lunch or otherwise enjoying the sights and sounds of Yorkville.

It has become such a central part of the area, the American Society of Landscape Architects honoured David Oleson with a Landmark Award for his work there. Of course, The Village of Yorkville Park is more than just “the rock,” as it has become known. The grounds also feature horizontal fountains, misting fountains and 20 evergreen trees planted in round planters arranged in five rows of five trees. The park features a series of gardens designed to showcase the varied Ontario landscape, including a marsh area with a boardwalk, prairie grass, flower gardens and, of course, “the rock.”

The Landmark Award recognizes a distinguished landscape architecture project completed between 15 and 50 years ago that retains its original design integrity and contributes significantly to the public realm of the community in which it is located.

“Receiving the Landmark Award is a tremendous honour,” says Oleson. “It’s always been a privilege to be part of the design team that brought Toronto such a unique and engaging public space. So to be recognized for the lasting impact of the Village of Yorkville Park is a bonus.”

The Village of Yorkville Park was a collaboration between Oleson’s firm, Oleson Worland Architects, and landscape architecture firm, Schwartz / Smith / Meyer, which was based in San Francisco at the time of the park’s design.

Oleson is the architect behind ART Condos, the 11-storey residence at the corner of Dovercourt and Sudbury Sts. Already nearing completion, Oleson designed ART to embody the creative spirit and the Queen West arts community.

He has also designed several other iconic and award-winning Toronto projects, including the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre, which won the prestigious Governor General’s Medal for Architecture, the beloved Don Valley Brick Works, and Sherbourne Lanes, Toronto’s first midrise, infill housing project.

 

 Photos courtesy Oleson Worland Architects

David Mirvish + Frank Gehry = Spectacular

David Mirish and Frank Gehry.

In my opinion — not that anyone was asking — the proposed three-tower project at King and John, developed by David Mirvish and designed by master architect Frank Gehry, is visionary. Of course, I’m not alone; Toronto city councillor Adam Vaughan in inclined to agree. “This is an astonishing proposition,” he said today at a press conference at the Frank Gehry-designed Art Gallery of Ontario, although he was quick to caution that “this is a big story and will require lots of public debate.”

And debate we will; it’s already started on Saturday when the first inklings of the massive three-tower project (with heights reaching to 85 storeys and an estimated 1,500 units) hit the Internet/Twitterverse/blogasphere.

Many, of course, worry about the density, with 3,000 people more people be added to the precinct. Not to mention the infrastructure improvements that will be required and the traffic nightmares that would follow (especially during construction). Others bemoan the loss of the Princess of Wales Theatre, and others are worried about affordable housing.

After listening to David Mirvish and Frank Gehry explain their plans, however, and Vaughan adding his qualified approval, I am thrilled with the density and the coming amenities that will finally hit a street that has restaurants and hotels and not much else. A piece of urban day-to-day life is just what the doctor ordered.

That this particular piece of real estate is going to be designed by one of the world’s great architects, is just the icing on the proverbial cake.

“These are not just buildings,” Mirvish said today, “They are three sculptures for people to live in.”

The centerpiece will be the 60,000-square-foot Mirvish Collection, a free art gallery that will showcase Mirvish’s large collection of modern art.

“Collections like David’s, are pretty rare,” Gehry said today. “To be a part of this is a great honour.”

The development will also include a multi-floor facility for the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCADU) Public Learning Centre for Visual Art, Curatorial Studies and Art History, including galleries, studios, seminar rooms and a public lecture hall.

After all, this is “about building a city, not building a building,” in the words of Adam Vaughan.

To see a video about the project, go to mirvishandgehrytoronto.com.

View from the southwest.

View from the southeast.

View from the south.

Podium