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City of Brampton Public Art Window Activations

The Brampton Main Street Window Activation Pilot Project began in 2021 with the City of Brampton and STEPS Public Art to animate empty storefronts with vibrant artwork celebrating the cuisines found in the city. 

This project continued in 2023 to engage with more local Brampton artists in creating public art activations for windows across the downtown core.

Project at a glance

Location: Downtown Brampton, Ontario

Artists: Jenn Liv, Julia Louise Pereira, Meegan Lim, Neha Ray, Sabbie Narwal, Saphera Peters

Documentarians: Herman Custodio, May Shi

Year: 2021-2023

Services: Cultural Planning, Public Art Management

1

animation artist

4

illustrated banners

5

artists

7

animations activations through augmented reality

14

activated storefronts and city buildings

15+

community stories shared

About the 2021 Pilot Project

Beyond the Plate by local Brampton artist Meegan Lim was the first project by the City of Brampton (led by the Cultural Services Department) and STEPS Public Art as part of the Main Street Window Activation Pilot Project. Six city-owned and vacant storefronts in Brampton’s downtown core were animated with colourful illustrations that celebrate the diverse cuisines and food practices in Brampton. 

From Filipino and Portuguese to Bengali, Beyond the Plate explored the histories tied to each of the cuisines and encouraged the viewer to reflect on the way they connect to food. Through the artwork, the artist conveyed whether purely through taste or sustenance, the food on one’s plate can be a catalyst that holds onto much more.

Free Public Art Tour: A green storefront with large window mural of illustrated food

Filipino Kamayan Flavours

30 Main Street N

Photo of a Brampton storefront featuring the artwork of Meegan Lim, the artwork shows a Portuguese chicken feast with rice, potatoes, kale and more. Parts of the sidewalk, building and road are visible.

Fiery Portuguese Feast 

54 Main Street N

Photo of a CyclePath storefront that features vinyl mural on the window showcasing Indigenous foodways and foraging foods

From the Land/Indigenous Foodways

60 Main Street N

Photo of a Brampton Storefront with red wood panelling, featuring artwork by Meegan Lim. It showcases Jamaican foods on a light blue background. Part of the side walk is visible.

Jamaican Favourites

70/74 Main Street N

Photo of a person walking past a Brampton storefront featuring the artwork of Meegan Lim that shows different Bengali sweets on a lilac purple background.

Bengali Desserts

76/78 Main Street N

Photo of Brampton storefront featuring artwork by Meegan LIm, showcasing a Punjabi Thali meal. Parts of the sidewalk, buildings and road are visible.

Punjabi Thali

80 Main Street N

Filipino Kamayan Flavours

30 Main Street N

Fiery Portuguese Feast

54 Main Street N

From the Land/Indigenous Foodways

60 Main Street N

Jamaican Favourites

70/74 Main Street N

Bengali Desserts

76/78 Main Street N

Punjabi Thali

80 Main Street N

Filipino Kamayan Flavours

30 Main Street N

Fiery Portuguese Feast

54 Main Street N

From the Land /Indigenous Foodways

60 Main Street N

Jamaican Favourites

70/74 Main Street N

Bengali Desserts

76/78 Main Street N

Punjabi Thali

80 Main Street N

“Moving back to Brampton, I wouldn’t have guessed that there was going to be support for emerging artists. In a way, this project was a surprise welcome-home gift. Reconnecting to this city through these six cuisines has been incredibly fulfilling. I hope they encourage folks to reflect on the role of food/cuisine in their lives, and the complex histories that come along.”

Meegan Lim

2021 Artist

About the 2022 Augmented Reality Animations

The City of Brampton and STEPS Public Art explored ways to engage the local community further and add an interactive layer to Beyond the Plate. A community survey was circulated to Brampton residents with the question, “What does cuisine mean to you?”

Community responses were collected and incorporated into an augmented reality (AR) experience. Illustrator and motion designer Jenn Liv animated Meegan Lim’s artwork with moving images and combined the collected community audio stories from the survey to shape the AR component.

Through a mobile device and instructions found at each participating storefront, visitors could scan and download the free Artvive app to activate the AR technology for an immersive and audio-visual experience that brought Beyond the Plate to life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Food is my family’s love language — it was a way my parents showed their love as words were often harder to come by.”

Community Survey Response

“Growing up, food has always been the way to my heart, but also the center of many memories. Whether it’s family get-togethers, sleepovers with friends, or even late night parties for myself, a key component is food, especially food from my own land/culture.”

Community Survey Response

About the 2023 Window Activations

With the success of the public art pilot project, the City of Brampton worked with STEPS again to refresh the downtown storefronts with new artwork. This presented an opportunity to engage with more emerging Brampton artists while keeping the main streets vibrant and reflective of the surrounding community members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arts and Culture by Saphera Peters

30 Main Street N

New Beginnings by Julia Louise Pereira

54 Main Street N

Summer in Brampton by Saphera Peters

60 Main Street N

Summer Nights by Julia Louise Pereira

70/74 Main Street N

Flower City by Saphera Peters

76/78 Main Street N

The Love of the Arts by Julia Louise Pereira

80 Main Street N

Brampton Unveiled: The Charms of My City by Neha Ray

2 Wellington Street

Foodies of Brampton by Sabbie Narwal

102-41 George Street S

Arts and Culture by Saphera Peters

30 Main Street N

New Beginnings by Julia Louise Pereira

54 Main Street N

Summer in Brampton by Saphera Peters

60 Main Street N

Summer Nights by Julia Louise Pereira

70/74 Main Street N

Flower City by Saphera Peters

76/78 Main Street N

The Love of the Arts by Julia Louise Pereira

80 Main Street N

Brampton Unveiled: The Charms of My City by Neha Ray

2 Wellington Street

Foodies of Brampton by Sabbie Narwal

102-41 George Street S

About the artists

Jenn Liv

Jenn Liv

2022 Animation Artist

Jenn Liv (Jennifer Liu, She/They) is an award-winning Chinese Canadian-American illustrator based in Ontario. Since 2015, she has worked with a wide variety of notable clients including Google, All Nippon Airways, The New York Times, and many more. Jenn also has a keen interest in emerging technology, particularly in mixed reality, searching for new and innovative ways to expand upon her artistic practice through interdisciplinary methodologies.

@jennliv
jennliv.com

Julia Louise Pereira

Julia Louise Pereira

2023 Artist

Julia Louise Pereira is an artist and illustrator who grew up in downtown Brampton. Inspired by folklore and fairy tales, she uses whimsical imagery to tell compelling stories about the meeting place between humans and nature. She has a Bachelor of Design in Illustration, and works in watercolour, gouache, mixed media, ceramics and digitally.

@ohlordyitsjulia
julialouisepereira.com

Meegan Lim

Meegan Lim

2021 Artist

Meegan Lim is a Brampton-based illustrator and arts facilitator striving to nurture community growth and healing through visual arts. Her multidisciplinary practice primarily focuses on the intersections of food and cultural identity manifesting through detailed gouache illustrations, digital paintings and risograph zines. Meegan’s work has been featured in Chatelaine, Eater, Broken Pencil Magazine and in the book, What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings.

@meeganlim
meeganlim.com

Neha Ray

Neha Ray

2023 Artist

Bula! My name is Neha Ray, a multidisciplinary Indo-Fijian artist based in the GTA. I draw inspiration from fashion, textiles and design and seek beauty in the everyday.

@sagwa.jpg
neharay.com

Sabbie Narwal

Sabbie Narwal

2023 Artist

Sabbie Narwal is a Brampton-based illustrator specializing in traditional and digital illustration, and multi-media art. Her work is known for its warm, whimsical and inviting nature, as she aims to uplift and comfort people through her art. Sabbie is the founder of The Paper Narwhal, an art goods brand specializing in stationery and illustrated gifts.

@thepapernarwal
thepapernarwal.com

Saphera Peters

Saphera Peters

2023 Artist

Saphera Peters is a Brampton-based illustrator who brings her vibrant South Asian culture to life through bold colours, fluid movement, and fun imagery. Growing up, she noticed a lack of positive representations of herself in popular media, which inspired her to use art as a means to rewrite that narrative. With every creation, Saphera aims to spread positivity, offering a joyful experience for all who engage with her artwork.

@sapherapeters
sapherapeters.com

Partners and Funders

The Pilot Project was supported by My Main Street funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

City of Brampton public art project funder logos for My Main Street and the Federal Government of Canada in English and French

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