Tracing the Waters: Discovering Rowntree Mills Park

When it comes to public art, Etobicoke North remains one of the least adorned districts in the city, a fact that unsurprisingly reflects the district's socioeconomic status. Despite a lack of elaborate sculptures and metal placards, the area isn't without its landmarks: Rexdale is home to the exquisite Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, with its sacred architecture and fragrant gardens, and if you prefer the allure of dead mall kitsch, there’s the strangely charming eighties relic, Fantasy Fair, billed as the world’s largest indoor amusement park. Navigating the streets of Rexdale, one might spot the occasional painted mural, which does indeed brighten up the landscape, but as new development projects break ground, the impermanence of concrete canvases can be all too evident in the face of construction and environmental strain. 

 
Perhaps the most long-standing landmark of all is the Humber River, which still flows today and has proven especially resilient to change, having been systematically buried, reshaped, and redirected repeatedly over the city’s history. Putting a spotlight on the Humber’s significance is From The Weeds We Grow, a project launched in 2020 that explores the river as a place of learning, community building, and storytelling. The project centres on Rowntree Mills Park, where a large section of the river is situated, and features creative workshops, videos, and performances from members and leaders of the Rexdale community. 

The extensive body of work assembled for From The Weeds is accessible in the form of a web application, featuring a digital map that invites the public to trace the Humber while discovering the stories, memories, and hopes of Rexdale’s inhabitants. 

A quick survey of some of the work: James Carpenter/Grey Cloud’s series of medicine walks serve as an invitation to be guided by the senses, read nature’s signs, and become aware of the value of Rowntree Mills Park’s flora and fauna. In video format, spoken word artists Tracey Kayy and Zara Rahman respectively evoke their personal relationships to the park and draw out collective memories from their communal backyard. Meanwhile Bina Israni’s audio vignettes, in Hindi and English, tell stories of arrival in the community, friendship, and appreciation of nature. Overall, the interactive experience weaves between something like a guided tour, open mic, and convivial stroll. Even though the project is presented in digital format, the end result somehow manages to retain a strong sense of intimacy and even an air of spontaneity- something that usually gets lost when translating this kind of work into the digital sphere. 

The 2021 rendition of From The Weeds We Grow is in partnership with Myseum, and builds on the foundation laid last year, this time featuring a handful of participatory events, including a birch basket weaving demonstration, poetry workshops, and dance performances. 

The project, facilitated by STEPS (Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space) is unique in that there’s a strong sense of direct, ongoing community involvement across the board. Despite not being firmly bolted to the ground, or neatly definable in terms of authorship, it’s clear that From the Weeds is a work of public art aiming to do something deeper than simply beautify the landscape. By asking the community to come together, share their stories, reflect, and imagine the future, From The Weeds serves as a rare example of how public art can be used as a platform for meaningful discussion and communal expression.