PHOTOS: A look at the newest selfie spot in Mississauga

This summer isn’t business as usual by any means, but it’s had its high points for outdoorsy types who like to take some unique, Instagram-worthy photos.

Mississauga selfie seekers might be pleased to hear that Lakeview Community Partners Limited (LCPL) recently unveiled an outdoor artist installation at the Lakeview Village site. The completed works were created by a group of 19 GTA artists who were tapped to animate the area during the construction process of the future Lakeview Village Discovery Centre (which will be launching in 2021). 

Etude by Aitak Sorahitalab

The site, which also boasts one million sunflowers, is now open to the public and can be enjoyed while practising physical distancing. The sunflowers, planted by the developers behind the Lakeview Village project, first began attracting people from all over the GTA (because who doesn’t want a gorgeous photo in a field of tall flowers?) in 2019. 

LCPL says the sunflowers are set to reach peak bloom alongside the art pieces this summer, so the photo opportunities are pretty much endless. 

As for how the site came to be, LCPL, in collaboration with Artscape, put out a call for local artists in April 2020. The selected artists were announced in June. 

LCPL says Ryan Longo (sculptor), Raquel Da Silva (visual artist), Lynn Taylor (painter), Duke Redbird (poet), Daniela Rocha (a visual artist who also uses the alias Planta Muisca), and 14 muralists—including several from Mississauga—were chosen to animate the Lakeview Village site with art. 

Time to Let the Flowers Bloom by Caitlin Taguibao

“We are extremely excited to unveil these unique art installations and to welcome back the community to experience the stunning work of local artists,” said Brian Sutherland, Director of Development, Argo Development Corporation, and development lead for Lakeview Village, in a statement. 

“The integration of arts and culture is an important component of our current and future vision for Lakeview Village. We are seeking to create a vibrant and highly livable community and unparalleled all-season destination on Mississauga’s waterfront.”

The installations include the Sunflower Lane Murals with A Message, created by 14 artists. The murals were created over the course of four weeks in June and July and share the message the artists “believe the world needs to hear right now.”

Consume Less, Create More. by FaithFetish

LCPL says Raquel Da Silva has transformed construction hoarding on the site with her abstracted flipbook concept entitled “Follow the Eagle”, which explores humanity’s connection to water and the theme of reconnecting with the surrounding nature, specifically that which is native to the Mississauga community.

Canadian-Colombian artist Daniela Rocha (Planta Muisca) has painted a nature-inspired mural called “Let Nature Guide You” that features vegetation and animals native to the Mississauga region, including a fox as a totem.

Land Acknowledgement by Lynn Taylor

Mississauga-based Lynn Taylor has created a visual land acknowledgement that honours the Indigenous people who have inhabited the land for thousands of years. The nations represented in this land acknowledgement are the Anishinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Ojibway/Chippewa, Métis and The Mississaugas of The Credit. 

Welcome by Peru143 

Artist Ryan Longo is creating an interactive sculpture named “The Light Within” that will be installed in the near future at the top of the soon-to-be sunflower field. 

“I am deeply impressed by the work of our local artists who have produced incredible pieces that honour Mississauga’s waterfront, while creating a safe and enlightening experience outdoors. This creative use of a development site, while providing employment opportunities for artists, is inspiring,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie in a statement. 

“I am excited by the tremendous potential and what the future holds at this site. This transformation of Mississauga’s waterfront will create highly livable, walkable and connected communities that drive quality of life, employment, tourism, and economic growth, attracting the best and brightest to our city.”

Crombie at the site

LCPL says Lakeview Village will be Canada’s most transformative mixed-use waterfront community.

The 177-acre project will feature transit-connected housing, office space, retail, restaurants, trails, parks, green space and cultural and recreational amenities. The community will also be connected to the nearby 64-acre Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area, named for the late city councillor who worked to bring the project to fruition.

The artistic works and sunflowers are located at 800 Hydro Road.

Cover photo: Connecting with Nature by Daniela Rocha (Planta Muisca)

All photos courtesy of LCPL