The Brain Project, presented by TELUS, is now open to the public. One hundred sculptures designed by a diverse group of artists, designers and celebrities, including Mr. Brainwash, Karim Rashid, Ekow Nimako and Gary Taxali are scattered throughout the city of Toronto.
The Brain Project encourages the public to get out, explore the city and start a conversation while supporting care and research into aging and brain health at Baycrest Health Sciences. You can join The Brain Project’s #noblankbrains movement by texting the word “BRAIN” to 45678. Every $5 donation will be matched by TELUS up to a total of $50,000.
Brain sculptures can be found at 50 Toronto locations including landmarks such as Union Station, Nathan Phillips Square, First Canadian Place, the Distillery District and TELUS House.
Medium and message unite as certain pieces take on new life in their locations, including Miyoshi Kondo’s sculpture, “synaptic seedlings,” which will grow throughout the summer under the care of the Evergreen Brickworks team.
“I’m honoured to be a part of this incredible project,” said Kondo. “It’s been an amazing journey watching the creative designs come together, uniting artists of various mediums behind one universal message. I am eager to see what grows from The Brain Project: what literally grows from my seedling, as well as the impact this has on the future of brain health.”
Head to Ryerson University to see a sculpture by celebrity photographer George Pimentel; stop by MaRS Discovery District and take in how Barry Oretsky celebrates the power of the imagination; visit Brookfield Place to see Samara Shuter’s suit and tie clad sculpture; or stroll through St. Lawrence Market, where Erin Rothstein gives food on the brain new meaning.
As a special bonus, additional brain sculptures will be revealed throughout the summer, including a piece by the Toronto Raptors, the team that made franchise history by advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time this year.
“The Baycrest Foundation is thrilled to share The Brain Project with Toronto”, said Garry Foster, President and CEO, Baycrest Foundation. “We encourage everyone to explore the city this summer, experience the incredible artwork on display and help spread the word on the importance of brain health.”
Select sculptures from the summer-long exhibit will be auctioned off on Paddle 8 this fall with proceeds going to support Baycrest Health Sciences.
More about The Brain Project? The Brain Project, presented by TELUS, serves as a vehicle for fundraising in support of care and research into aging and brain health at Baycrest Health Sciences. Brain sculptures designed by world-renowned and emerging members of the arts community – spanning fashion, culture, music and visual arts – and sponsored by philanthropists and corporations will be on display in Toronto in June 2016. The Brain Project is proud to work with a number of community partners including: Sandra Ainsley Gallery, MOCA, The Gardiner Museum and OCAD University. To learn more about The Brain Project, please visit brainproject.ca.
More about Baycrest? Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. As an academic health sciences centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides an exemplary care experience for aging clients combined with an extensive clinical training program for students and one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience. Through its commercial and consulting arms, Baycrest is marketing its sought-after expertise and innovation to other healthcare organizations and long-term care homes, both in Canada and internationally. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. To learn more about Baycrest, please visit baycrest.org.
