#PULSETO heartbeat of the city
PULSE TOPOLOGY is presented by The Bentway and Exhibition Place. This is the Canadian premiere of a stunning interactive light and sound installation by Mexican-Canadian media artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (running October 2 to 31). Marking The Bentway’s inaugural collaboration with neighbouring Exhibition Place, Lozano-Hemmer’s installation will take over a massive, enclosed storage chamber nestled beneath the Gardiner Expressway, inviting the public to discover a striking, industrial part of the city for the first time. 3,000 lights will be suspended from the interior of the space and, using touchless biometric technology, will react in real-time to the pulse of visitors’ heartbeats. The artwork will change and evolve with every visit, offering a unique sensory experience.
HeART Lab has partnered on this initiative to better understand the connections between public art, wellbeing, and community building.
Meet the Heart of the City Champions
The Bentway and Exhibition Place partnered with community neighbour the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to celebrate extraordinary healthcare providers at the launch of Pulse Topology. These providers, nominated by their peers, were the first to provide their heartbeats to the exhibit. As the city emerges from our collective experience of the Covid-19 pandemic we are reminded of what connects us.
Dr. Javed Alloo
“Javed’s incredible energy, sense of community, and commitment were incredible to watch over the pandemic. When others flagged, he leaned in. When others lamented, he spread compassion. He was a connecting force on our team and beyond.”
Family Physician and Medical Educator on ECHO Ontario Mental Health
Denise Canso
“Denise demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment, mobilizing hundreds of clinicians across CAMH to ensure that we could continue to provide care virtually. Denise was tireless, setting in motion extraordinary transformation that ensured that we could continue to meet the needs and support the mental wellbeing of patients and families. With her, the CAMH community was apart, but not alone.”
Manager of Virtual Care and the Ontario Psychiatric Outreach Program at CAMH
Sandria Allen
"Sandria has worked as an RN in Geriatrics for many years and has been a dedicated member of the team. In the midst of the pandemic she made the transition into the Team lead role and left the comfort of what she knew and the team that she worked with for over 12 years to join our other unit. This was a time when taking on new challenges would likely be avoided by many; but Sandria embraced the challenge and has been leading her colleagues with grace." Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, when older adults were disproprtionately impacted, having strong, dedicated colleagues and advocates like Sandria has been so critical.”
Nurse and Team Lead in Geriatrics at CAMH
Lee Steel
“Since the start of the pandemic, Lee has been a radiating force, always recognizing and appreciating the work of others, while amplifying the voices of other family caregivers, and bravely identifying new concerns, pressures, and challenges. . . Lee has done all of this part time, from her laptop computer, while working from home. She is a loving caregiver to her adult son who has developmental disabilities, and like so many other adults, he has been left with a harsh absence of supports during the pandemic. We are grateful that Lee has been able to adapt her role with us while also pandemic parenting, because it has been crucial that we understand the realities of families, and her personal experience and connection to so many other families has helped us to do this. Lee always finds the time to listen to any member of our team and any family that needs guidance or simply needs to feel heard. She is highly respected and a passionate leader and partner in the work that we do.”
Peer Support Worker at CAMH
Karleigh Darnay
“Karleigh has been spectacular throughout the pandemic, working with our team of youth with lived experience to generate 'for youth by youth' resources to support COVID coping ... Karleigh does this all with a compassionate, quiet, competent leadership style that evokes confidence from colleagues (youth and adult), collaborators and senior leadership.”
Youth Engagement Coordinator at CAMH
Dr. Donna Kim
“Dr. Kim is one of the most dedicated physicians I have known. Her detailed assessment and discussions with the patients and families are second to none. She holds herself and her team to the highest standards, and her patients and the team reciprocates with tremendous appreciation and support. If a family member needed geriatric mental health support, Dr. Kim would be on the top of my list.”
Psychiatrist, Geriatric Program at CAMH
Diane Longboat
“You have broken ground in new initiatives as well as providing exceptional leadership and support for local, provincial and national efforts. This visionary leadership has advanced ideas to support the integration of Cultural Values and Care Concepts for coping with Covid-19, which have been disseminated across Ontario. Your partnership with many organizations, including Chiefs of Ontario, Centre for Wise Practices, the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC), Anishnawbe Health Toronto (AHT), and the Indigenous Health Program at University Health Network (UHN), among others, is paving the way for important changes within healthcare, improving care for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis patients and families at CAMH, across Ontario, and nationally.”
CAMH Elder and Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives for Shkaabe Makwa
Explore what others are saying about Pulse Topology
We surveyed those who attended the Pulse Topology Exhibit to learn more about their perspectives on public art, mental health and wellbeing, community, and the impacts of the pandemic.
This Word Cloud displays the thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the Pulse Topology installation. The larger the word, the more frequently it was shared in open text responses. Move the scroll bar to increase the number of words displayed.
Interact with this Link Visualization to explore the interconnectivity of thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the Pulse Topology installation.
We asked attendees how creativity and/or the arts helped them cope during COVID-19?
Move the scroll bar to increase the number of words displayed.
More about the Pulse Topology Partnering Organizations
The Bentway re-imagines how we build, experience, activate, and value public space together. Of the city; about the city; for the city.
The Bentway Conservancy is an independent charity, a not-for-profit profit powered by vital partnerships with the City of Toronto, residents, supporters, artists, creatives, city-builders, and dreamers.
Our work is anchored by a new and growing site located under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, which we operate, maintain, and program as a platform for creative practice, public art, and connected urban life. As a new model for public space in Toronto and a forum for social engagement, The Bentway continues to evolve amidst the changing landscape of the city, developing opportunities and partnerships that address the key issues of our time.
Exhibition Place
Get in touch
Connect with the team who supported the Pulse Topology evaluations