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"Take Your Seat" Murals at Toronto Pearson Airport
Take Your Seat shares the ongoing journey of a director’s chair, connecting us all to each other, our planet, and our best selves.
As you explore the exhibition, look for the red-and-white director’s chair in every photograph: a universal reminder to direct our actions to not just see the world, but change it for the better.
The murals featured in this exhibition are some of our largest artworks ever created. You are invited to Take Your Seat!
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Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
"Emerald green waters caress volcanic sand. Jungle palms sway to the rhythm of a coastal breeze. The setting sun pauses on the horizon to catch a lasting glimpse of nature’s union of rainforest and ocean. Both fragile and inspiring, Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula calls to our camera and our mutual connection with nature."
Behind-the-Scenes
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Na-Me-Res Powwow, Toronto
Translation and ReadingLiz Osawamick, Osawamick G’Tinaaning
00:00 / 00:09
Mnaajtoodaa odenaa enji-baayaang.
Let's honour the town we come from.
"The annual Na-Me-Res Powwow shares an ancient connection to Mother Earth. Our chair and all of Toronto are invited to embrace a history that transcends the past. What once was remains the present as we are honoured to watch a living tradition unfold in the heart of the city. One community reaches out to us all. Together, we honour Toronto."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
470x239cm (185x94")
For prints, please contact us.
Fes, Morocco + Gyeongju, Korea
"Close friends take a stroll through a flower field in Gyeongju while romance lights up the shadows on the outskirts of Fes. We capture a Moroccan hilltop and a Korean meadow as they both write their own chapter in the universal human story of love. Our chair is there to capture both."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
934x239cm (368x94") combined size
For prints, please contact us.
65°00'01" N 109°33'03" W, Nunavut
"We glide with flocks of whooping cranes over frozen, nameless lakes. Awestruck, we watch as a timber wolf ambles across a blanket of endless snow. Guided only by GPS coordinates and our helicopter pilot’s instincts, we are acutely aware that this is a Canadian wilderness few get to see. As the tree line fades, our anticipation eagerly approaches."
Behind-the-Scenes
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On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
589x239cm (232x94")
For prints, please contact us.
Hakone + Miyajima, Japan
"We trek through one of Hakone’s ancient forests. As the trees share their world with us, our camera turns to them for inspiration. A path leads us skyward, away from the crowds, away from the everyday. In moments, the melody of our footsteps is all that we hear. Leaf and moss create a universal composition in tune with primal rhythms that transcend geography, that eclipse time."
[...]
"En route to Miyajima, we are mesmerised by the speed of the film being shown to us through the windows of the Shinkansen. The locals sleep, read, or text on their phones. Most close the window blinds to shut off access to a feature film only foreigners can really appreciate. Their familiar is our exotic. They are missing out. We wonder how much we have missed back home. There will be no more blinds in our future."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
1138x239cm (448x94") combined size
For prints, please contact us.
The Grand Palace, Thailand
"There is a heartbeat in Thailand that quickly becomes our own. Temples and tourists, tuk-tuks and skytrains create a rhythm of sights and sounds that our camera eagerly captures. Just outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace, the whirl of modernity gives way to a quiet reverence. Old and new happily mingle. ‘Where to?’ takes on a much broader meaning."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
574x206cm (226x81")
For prints, please contact us.
Singapore + Türkiye
"From our first steps as children we are taught to curb our enthusiasm. As we get older, the joys of life are overtaken by responsibility and oftentimes life’s harsh reality. As a young girl in Singapore soars along with her kite, and an elderly man in Türkiye rides with the wind, we are reminded that joy knows no boundaries. Let joy rule your day."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
813x239cm (320x94") combined size
For prints, please contact us.
The Sahara Desert, Morocco
"By the early morning light of a desert moon, we trek into the Sahara fully trusting in Aamar and his hump-backed entourage. As the moon bows to the sun, dunes in grey shadow become cadmium mountains. With the early morning light, we are now keenly aware of the rare gift Morocco has generously shared with us."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
767x245cm (302x96")
For prints, please contact us.
Chihuahua, Mexico
"It is 5:40 am. We race to catch a sun that has decided to rise earlier than expected. Our truck is engulfed in a cloud of dust as we trail our local guides. After an abrupt stop, the air clears. Sinforosa Canyon shows itself in all its new day glory. Early morning greys begin to warm. Yellows in the foreground grass reflect a golden light. A lone tree shaped by wind and time frames a photograph that hours ago was simply a dream."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
551x245cm (217x96")
For prints, please contact us.
Tofino, British Columbia
"The fog is heavy as it mimics rain. We use our umbrellas to keep the dampness from seeping any deeper into our pores. Five hours wash away. A sliver of light on the horizon offers a sliver of hope for the sun to make her appearance. Then, as if to reward our perseverance, the fog burns off. The sun shines just in time for a spectacular silhouette."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
970x218cm (382x86")
For prints, please contact us.
Svaneti, Georgia
"Neither chair nor horse can speak. Yet the magical foothills of Svaneti convince our imaginations that words are shared. Whatever the exchange, our camera captures a telling moment; one that remains between them, carried away by the fresh mountain breeze."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
386x244cm (152x96")
For prints, please contact us.
Essaouira, Morocco
"Essaouira’s sea of blue feluccas gently rises and falls as if the ocean were breathing. Our own breath quickens in rhythm with the harbour’s as the morning’s first catch arrives. Seagulls wait in anticipation of an errant sardine. We find our place among the boats as we wait for our shot."
On exhibition at Toronto Pearson Airport - IFC Terminal
378x244cm (149x96") combined size
For prints, please contact us.
...and gallery walls throughout!
These large-scale murals are complemented by gallery-quality prints throughout the terminal. Enjoy them here.
Take Your Seat is led by Randy and Spencer VanDerStarren.
Together, this father-and-son team has given a chair a voice; one that speaks a universal language of unity, responsibility, and individual power that is being shared with audiences around the world.
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Take Your Seat and their director's chair have had the privilege of being hosted in 38 countries and counting. We extend a heartfelt thank you for being part of our chair's ongoing journey! Contact us here.
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