The winter months shroud Toronto in a split of grey and white that often leaves residents yearning for a splash of colour in their environment, and temporary art installations might be an ideal fix for this temporary gloom.

The Winter Stations are an example of an international annual design competition featuring art installations along Kew and Woodbine beaches in Toronto, tempting residents to explore the outdoors despite the harsh weather.

The Winter Stations have been around for more than a decade but temporary installations can create an outsized environmental impact as they are often thrown out after the event, according to Spacing, a magazine centered around issues that affect urban spaces. 

However “sustainable practices are less common” when it comes to temporary art installations, according to STEPS Public Art, a Canadian charity focused on creating public art structures.

“I think everyone involved tries to make it (materials used for temporary art installation) as sustainable as possible. But unfortunately, most of it is unusable,” said Devam Sheth, an architecture student who worked on a temporary art installation titled Flippin’ Chill near the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. 

Additionally, it is difficult to break down installations and reuse smaller materials that sustain art installations, Sheth said. 

Material mantra: reduce and reuse first, recycle next  

“It’s reduce, reuse, then recycle. So, the first thing is to reduce as much material as you’re using, especially as much new material as they’re using,” said Sydnee Pullman, an environmental science student at University of Toronto. 

Pullman suggested reusing art installations, or parts of them, by transferring the structures to other cities to “reuse the artwork in that space” instead of dismantling them could benefit in reducing waste. 

Such initiatives have seen success in the past. In 2022, one of the installations titled  Wildlife-guard Chair at Winter Stations was displayed in Hamilton before its final stop in Toronto, reports The Architect’s Newspaper. 

“A lot of screws and plastic stuff needs to be carefully disassembled to be reusable, which usually doesn’t happen,” said Sheth. 

Sheth says slabs of wood, screws, plastic, glass, and resin along with other “rudimentary materials” are the most commonly used items towards temporary art installations.  

Recycle Track Systems reports glass and plastic as some of the hardest materials to recycle due to technical factors like their composition and weight. 

Emphasis on local sourcing and funding for sustainable materials 

Toronto has over 400 art installations around the city, according to a map maintained by the City of Toronto.  

“I think it would be really cool to have the government provide a set amount of sustainable materials to an artist,” said Pullman. 

The City of Toronto also launched the Toronto Public Art Strategy – a 10 year plan to increase public art installations around the city – to encourage more sustainable art installation practices around the city.

Moreover, Pullman believes artists should “not buy from conglomerates like Amazon” and knowing the source of your materials to ensure they are procured in sustainable ways is important. 

Read more from the Toronto Observer:

• Families and locals brave the snow to take in Winter Stations exhibits at Woodbine Beach
• Winter Stations festival a stepping stone for future architects, students say
• Centennial College students bring music to Winter Stations

Toronto Art Therapy Institute has a list of local sources to procure art supplies, helping artists move away from companies that might engage in “unethical material sourcing and labour practices.”  

However, a column by CBC highlights that sustainable materials are costlier, posing an additional barrier for artists who are already juggling multiple factors to produce their art. 

Organizers should specifically set aside funding for sustainable materials according to Pullman.

“That way the artist doesn’t have to take on all the responsibility for some new tasks like sustainability, which is a really big field.”