Memoire du futur - Toronto, ON
Posted by: 
ras258
N 43° 38.810 W 079° 23.292
17T E 629989 N 4833910
A tower of shining, silver circles and an arrow piercing a rock make up the two parts of this installation.
Waymark Code: WMCMD6
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 09/20/2011
Views: 5
This is a sculpture in two parts in two locations. Although both sculptures are in the same lobby I don't know if everyone realizes they are related to each other. The tower of circles is what first captures your eye as it stands in the centre of the large, open lobby. It is very a very striking sculpture being so tall and so solid looking. The brushed surface of the different sized circle sections add additional interest and depth to the column and although the column looks solid you get the feeling that it just might topple over because the sections are slightly askew and not completely aligned upon each other. Eventually you may look around and by the King Street West window you will see a small garden with a large silver arrow piercing a rock. The surface of the arrow has not been brushed so it appears sharper and harder as it pierces the rock resting in the garden.
This piece is one of the featured works of art (#5) on the City of Toronto's Art Walk - Toronto's Outdoor Art Gallery. Link: (
visit link)
"Memoire du futur
Patrick and Anne Poirier, 1992
The interior lobby of the north tower of the Metro Centre off King Street is dominated at its centre by a large, irregularly sectioned stainless steel column. This iconic and compelling form is the focal point of a multi-component installation titled Memoire du futur. Other components situated nearby, scattered amidst the foliage of the indoor garden are fragments of lintels from the Canadian Pacific Railway terminals, which previously occupied the site of Roy Thomson Hall, visible across the plaza through the windows of the lobby. A large steel arrow is positioned as if piercing one of the marble fragments.
The installation resembles an archeological site and the combination of old and new materials connects the past and the present, as does the title of the work. According to certain mythologies, the arrow is symbolic of the indomitable human spirit. Combined, and within the context of this arrangement, these elements form a site that pays tribute to the vision and persistence of the human endeavours that have shaped the structure and identity of the City of Toronto."
You will find this sculpture on King Street West, on the south side of the street, west of University Avenue and east of Spadina Avenue. It is visible from the sidewalk but you may enter the building to get a closer and better look.
The city of Toronto has listed the business hours below which I think means the building should be open during these hours. I was there on a Sunday morning.
Business hours are Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday and statutory/designated holidays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.