Parkettes occupy a transitory space in the city. Lots never built on, becoming informal ‘commons’, then being officially recognized as such. I find these small ‘assertions’ of nature (in) their compact uniqueness, to be representatives of this city, 
with its’ diverse, locally centered but also fluid cultural diversity.

There is a subtle and unconscious side to the development of neighbourhoods. Conscious community decisions and government involvement often come after a process that has occurred slowly and quietly. An urban village, which has attracted families and businesses with a particular nationality is given a name on the map, local MPs fight to maintain the community, the local library stocks up on books written in certain languages.

Richard Preston works in a variety of media, often employing found materials, like those of his kitchen icons and bicycle sculptures. In Shorelines Preston uses found objects from the natural world to create earthworks in the midst of the city. The topography of his location, Huron Washington Parkette, will help to shape the installation. The performance will echo both the movement of peoples and the gradual recognition of particular green spaces in Toronto. 

In Shorelines Preston uses a collection of small coloured boxes to create what resembles a miniature city in the midst of the larger one. The topography of his location, Huron Washington Parkette, will help to shape the installation. The performance will echo both the movement of peoples and the gradual recognition of particular green spaces in Toronto. This will be accomplished through the migration of an intermixture of tan, white and mauve boxes across the green hills of Huron Washington over the course of two days.

The commingling of the coloured objects represents the interaction between the city’s populations and habitations. While Mcdonald examines conflict related to immigration, Preston depicts migration and integration with a Taoist calm, evoking the certainty of geological change. The performance element of his piece is slow and meditative. Like Tea Garden the aesthetics of Shorelines is as much about the cultivation of harmonious social interaction as it is about visual composition.