Doors Open + Liminal Space Tour
Doors Open: The Liminal Safari
Come join Yes Toronto for a journey through the "in-between." For this year’s Doors Open, we are skipping the shiny new skyscrapers to explore Toronto’s most surreal liminal spaces—those places that feel suspended in time, eerily quiet, and strangely familiar. 📍 The Journey We will be visiting a curated selection of sites that define the "Backrooms" aesthetic, starting in the suburban west and moving into the heart of the downtown core:
Woodbine Mall & Fantasy Fair: Our starting point is a 1980s time capsule. With its indoor amusement park and quiet corridors, it captures the peak of "dead mall" chic and nostalgic surrealism.
Cumberland Terrace: A legendary downtown spot. This space is a masterclass in liminality, featuring mirrored ceilings, vintage signage, and gold-toned hallways that feel disconnected from the modern city outside.
Osgoode Hall: From the mall to the maze. We’ll explore the echoing, ornate corridors and the "Labyrinthine" Great Library of this 19th-century legal landmark. 📅 Event Details
Date: Saturday, May 23rd
Time: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Cost: Free (Please have your PRESTO card ready for the transit leg) 👟 What to Bring & Wear This tour involves a significant amount of walking and navigating both suburban and urban environments.
Comfortable Shoes: We will be covering a lot of ground; sneakers or supportive walking shoes are a must.
Presto Card: We will be using the TTC/GO to transition from Woodbine to the downtown core.
Photography Gear: Whether it’s a professional DSLR or just your phone, these sites are a dream for capturing symmetry, shadows, and the uncanny. We will be meeting at 12:00 PM sharp at the Fantasy Fair entrance inside Woodbine Mall. We plan to be back in the downtown core by late afternoon and will wrap up around 7 PM. Plan is to have dinner together after. Commentary about the sites and their "liminal" history will be provided during the visits. Please call or text me at 647-524-7146 if you have any issues!