Project turns a derelict building into a world of myth

How one aging art deco building became an art exhibit

From the outside, The Corleck Building doesn’t look like much these days. The art deco building started life as the corporate offices for the Canada Malting silos — those enormous abandoned monoliths on Toronto’s waterfront, next to Billy Bishop Airport at the foot of Eireann Quay. After the silos ceased operations in the 1980s, it was taken over by the City of Toronto, and by the Parks and Recreation department. Then it was used by the airport, and in fact, one small corner of the building still houses the airport security break room. But for the most part, the Corleck Building has just been left to rot. Until now.

Earlier this year, the Canada Ireland Foundation signed a lease that will make the building both the foundation’s new headquarters and Toronto’s newest cultural space.

According to William Peat, the foundation’s executive director, the multi-million dollar rehabilitation of the building will start next month.  But in the meantime, Peat says, “We wanted to do something with the building while it was still in its raw form.”

What they did was turn it over to eight artists — four solo artists, two duos — to create an exhibit called Miotas/Myth. (Miotas is the Irish word for myth.) Each artist was given a room to interpret the theme.

Read the full article published by CBC Arts