Toronto artist constructs disco tree to slow down traffic
A Toronto resident constructed a “disco tree,” made out of 650 hard drive platters, to solve a local traffic problem.
“I originally started to put large pieces of art on my front lawn because it helped people to slow down. They would stop and think,” says Paul Fegun.
Since 1971, Fegan has lived on Brenda Crescent in Scarborough. In recent years, he noticed cars would accelerate on the formerly quiet residential street. Often, he says, traffic on Danforth Road or Kennedy Road and St. Clair Avenue results in speeding and congestion in the neighbourhood.
Paul Fegun constructed a disco tree on his front lawn to slow down traffic.
For three weeks, Fegan gathered and deconstructed hundreds of hard drives, which he estimates contain between 600 and 1,000 terabytes of data. Then, he loosely screwed them onto the tree outside of his house. Like chimes, the hard drives sway in the wind.
“It’s like looking at a sequined dress,” he says.
Paul Fegun constructed a disco tree on his front lawn to slow down traffic.
Fegan notes that the tree has been dead for a decade, but due to childhood nostalgia, he decided to give it an afterlife, rather than knock it down.
Prior to becoming an artist, Fegan worked in IT for 25 years, which explains why much of his art is made up of electronics. “Now, I dismantle the stuff that gave me headaches,” he says.
This afternoon, Fegan spoke to his local city councillor to discuss potential solutions to slow down the traffic. They discussed putting up city signage encouraging drivers to slow down, but Fegan decided, “I’ll just make my own [signs],” he said. “They’ll be big.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Thousands of civilians evacuated from northeast Ukraine as Russia presses renewed border assault
Thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar fire, officials said Sunday.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.