Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there’s art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway
Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there’s art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway
By Matthew Hague | February 12, 2014
By Matthew Hague | 02/12/2014
By Matthew Hague
(Image: Derek Shapton)
Astrid Bastin recently gutted her century-old, midtown ravine-side house. Just about everything was updated—except the barn-shaped gambrel roof, which she maintained. Bastin, who was born in Bogotá, runs AB Projects, a cultural exchange program for established Canadian and Latin American artists. She mainly works with avant-garde mixed media artists and often gives them a live-work space in her home for a few months, then helps sell their work; the commissions are invested in the organization. As a result, the first floor of the house is a showcase for experimental pieces. A tiny TV shows a blinking eye, for example, and a series of speakers play noises such as crunching gravel. Even her driveway is an installation, with a piano that plays Chopin every evening from 5 to 7 (the tunes are quiet enough not to irk the neighbours). The renovation, by Dean Goodman of LGA Architectural Partners, was tailored to highlight the ever-changing assortment of artwork. The expansive walls are MoMA white and there’s plenty of room for the crowds of curators, collectors and art lovers Bastin often entertains.
259345 <strong>Astrid Bastin</strong> completely gutted the century-old house—except the barn-shaped gambrel roof, which she maintained (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-10.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-10/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-10 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259336 Astrid works with avant-garde mixed media artists and often gives them a live-work space in her home (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-01.jpg 1000 667 {"copyright":"\u00a9 Derek Shapton"} https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-01/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-01 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
259337 The fireplace, by <strong>Stûv,</strong> divides the living and dining rooms (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-02-e1392130640255-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-02.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-02/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-02 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
259338 <em>Foundation,</em> the tree stump, is by Colombian artist <strong>Miler Lagos.</strong> It’s made of thousands of newspaper pages layered together, then sanded into shape (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-03-e1392130657322-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-03.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-03/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-03 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
259339 Most of the interior walls are MoMA white, but a citron-hued accent wall adds a pop of colour (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-04-e1392130803327-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-04.jpg 667 1000 {"copyright":"\u00a9 Derek Shapton"} https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-04/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-04 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
259340 The digital sketch by the stairs is the work of Colombian artist <strong>Cesar González.</strong> He couldn’t come to Toronto to install it, so he helped Bastin apply the decals to the wall over Skype (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-05-e1392130677482-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-05.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-05/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-05 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
259341 The red tire, by Canadian sound artist <strong>Gordon Monahan,</strong> is embedded with a speaker that plays the sound of tires crunching over gravel (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-06-e1392130697300-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-06/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-06 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
259343 (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-08-e1392130823151-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-08.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-08/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-08 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259344 Lagos created this collage, <br />
<em>Tree-ring Dating,</em> by layering more than 400 pages of Canadian newspapers<br />
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-09-e1392130718207-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-09.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-09/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-09 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259346 <em>A Piano Listening to Itself–Chopin Chord</em> is by <strong>Gordon Monahan.</strong> Since its installation in 2012, more than a thousand people have dropped by to see it. Recordings are transmitted by six piano wires attached to the roof peak (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-11-e1392130738339-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-11.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-11/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-11 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259347 Like the rest of the house, the master bedroom is airy and uncluttered (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-12-e1392130846968-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-12.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-12/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-12 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259348 The ornamental fireplace is from the original 1912 house (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-13-e1392130759173-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-13.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-13/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-13 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259349 The caution tape, by Canadian artist <strong>Barbara Balfour,</strong> reads “Danger—<br />
I Think I’m Falling <br />
in Love With You” (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-14-e1392130780125-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-14.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-14/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-14 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)
259342 The hot tub in the backyard gives soakers a ravine view (Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame) Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway Great Spaces: inside a Midtown home where there's art on the walls, on the floor and in the driveway https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/great-spaces-the-showpiece-07.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/style/great-spaces-the-showpiece/slide/great-spaces-the-showpiece-07/ great-spaces-the-showpiece-07 0 0
(Image: courtesy Ben Rahn/A-Frame)