HOW DO YOU VISUALLY SHOW DISPLACEMENT THROUGH PRINT?

Now & Then is about urban renewal and the loss of community in replacement of infrastructure. In this case, Toronto is undergoing a series of neoliberal changes related to a large regional transit development initiative for the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. This has resulted in the construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line and the accompanying EGLINTONconnects redevelopment plan through the Little Jamaica market area. This development signals the displacement of the marginalized and immigrant community in the Little Jamaica area and its erasure, and follows historical precedents of the erasure of Black spaces in Canada.

Taking excerpts from Gordon Debbie's "The Erasure of Little Jamaica: Exploring the Role of Design in the Gentrification of Toronto’s Eglinton Avenue West", Now & Then takes us through a visual interpretation of displacement through the use of collaging. With a decade of transit construction and nearly a year of the pandemic, it has taken the toll of Eglinton West’s Little Jamaica. The relationship of the people and the construction are physically separated as individual books but are meant to be read as one piece signifying its relationship.

In the 2nd book, we see images of vernacular signages and its typography. Vernacular design is essentially design that overtime creates and preserves local culture. Vernacular design becomes symbols of culture and community. Thus, when these symbols disappear, our sense of place is diminished. By looking at Little Jamaica and its current trend of local businesses shutting down, the neighbourhood shifts and loses its sense of place. You can see this as local businesses are closing and construction takes control over the years.

I chose a monochromatic colour palette to evoke this feeling of nostalgia, almost like you’re looking back at your old neighbourhood and where it has gone.