Toronto Photo Essay: My Industrial Playground

Photos and writing by guest contributor ~EvidencE~.

Don Valley Brickworks ~ My Industrial Playground

Two years before joining Flickr, I came across the work of a photographer named "sigma." and his photos of the Don Valley Brickworks. So amazed by the stunning light rays, I was inspired by his work and I craved to go there.

My first visit to the Brickworks came on a Sunday morning back in 2005. Walking in for the first time and adjusting my eyes to the darkness, the sounds of silence and the musty, industrial scent were memorable. I stood in awe watching the light rays stream through the holes in the roof. Seeing them and being there for the first time was truly magical, and knowing that so much important Toronto history was sitting there abandoned really affected me.

Since that morning, most of my Sundays have been spent shooting the Brickworks. I can never get enough. Each time I go to play at what I now call "My Industrial Playground" (which is also the title of my photo book coming out in 2009) the light always paints a new picture. I have met people from all over the world in there, some from as far away as Germany.

Although it's one of the most photographed abandoned places in Toronto, I will continue to play there until it closes. Aside from its historical significance, and inherent beauty, it will also be a very special place for me forever because as it was the last place my father and I visited together before he passed away.

This series is viewable larger via this fullscreen slideshow.

Toronto Photo Essays are visual, themed collections of photographs submitted by readers of blogTO and members of the blogTO Flickr Pool. We embrace the interactive, collaborative nature of this column, and encourage readers to submit photo essays for future consideration.