Starting Block - The 10th anniversary of Block
Starting Block If you are an avid reader and consumer of Block magazine, first, thank you, and second, you may notice this issue is a bit different than the rest.
A not-comprehensive list of highlights from the past 10 years of Block.
Issue 1, 2013
Before there was Artist’s Block, there was, for one issue only, The Work, a commissioned installation by Nadia Belerique and Jennifer Rose Sciarrino inspired by Block and Allied’s philosophy conçu pour durer, which means “built to last.”
Art by Nadia Belerique and Jennifer Rose Sciarrino
Issue 3, 2014
In 2014, The Globe and Mail’s resident architecture critic, Alex Bozikovic, introduced readers to a radical innovation in tall building design: wood. At the time, cross-laminated timber (CLT) was just emerging as a structural solution. Nearly 10 years later, CLT is being used in contemporary building design across the country.
Art by Yvetta Fedorova
Issue 12, 2016
Tokyo-based artist Tatsuro Kiuchi’s urban infill is pure joy. Before branching into editorial work, Kiuchi illustrated children’s books. His first picture book, The Lotus Seed (with text by Sherry Garland), has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide.
Art by Tatsuro Kiuchi
Issue 21, 2020
Amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, Block profiled Siphesihle November — then the newest member of The National Ballet of Canada—from his Toronto apartment: “I dance to move people, whether that’s to make them happy, to make them think or to make them feel something that I’m feeling.” Soon after, November was promoted, making him the youngest and only the second Black principal dancer in the company’s history.
Video by Siphesihle November
Issue 25, 2022
Kabloona’s second-ever wall hanging, Uvagut (which means “all of us” in Inuktitut). Kabloona has since achieved some remarkable milestones, including a collaboration with Uniqlo and designing a Canada Post stamp as part of a Truth and Reconciliation series.
Photo courtesy of Canada Goose, Inc.
Issue 25, 2022
Brad McCannell and Kristen Habermehl from the Rick Hansen Foundation discussed with Block the often-unseen impacts of making spaces accessible. We learned that 57% of people with physical disabilities “who are willing and able to work are unemployed because of barriers in the workplace.” Imagine the increased agency — and the benefit to the economy — if workplaces could support people of all abilities.
Photo by Maxime Brouillet
Issue 22, 2021
Block checked in with master mason Kostas Kotoulas, who was leading the efforts to restore the caryatids and copper dome atop Vancouver’s Sun Tower. In the pandemic-era issue dedicated to the theme of caring, Kotoulas shared, “You must be passionate and care for a building the way you care for yourself.”
Photo by Martin Tessler
Issue 26, 2023
The Montreal Mile End-focused 1KM Guide, illustrated by Sean Lewis, centred on Ubisoft’s Canadian headquarters and celebrated the great community that surrounds it. While it’s one of the city’s busiest corners, Lewis captured the intimate atmosphere and beloved local haunts that draw people from all walks of life.
Illustration by Sean Lewis
Issue 25, 2022
Shepard Fairey — the creative force behind Obama’s presidential campaign “HOPE” poster — created another socially minded and meaningful piece, titled Paix et Justice, for Montreal’s 2022 MURAL Festival. Emblazoned on the side of an Allied building, the larger-than-life ode to justice calls attention to some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Photo by Jon Furlong, courtesy of MURAL Fest
Issue 26, 2023
For decades, famed photographer Edward Burtynsky has been pulling the veil off industrial landscapes to reveal how they affect the planet. He welcomed Block into his Toronto studio for an intimate look at his process and most recent book, African Studies, sharing the reach — and impact — of globalism on the African continent.
Photo by Derek Shapton
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