Toronto is filled with vibrant street art and graffiti culture, but some of the city’s most interesting street culture comes in a much smaller form: stickers.
On Saturday, Torontonians can take a closer look at that tiny, often-overlooked layer of the city during a Sticker Culture Tour & Print. This all-ages downtown walking tour will be led by Toronto educator and self-proclaimed urban explorer Alex Sein, aka BeardedProf416, and will explore what he calls “slapper culture,” the sticker subculture that exists within graffiti communities, where people leave little pieces of themselves throughout the city. Bonus: participants will have a chance to make some art of their own at the end of the tour and maybe even slap a few stickers around town!
Sein has made a specialty of examining the smaller details of Toronto’s streets, including graffiti, stickers, signage and public art, looking at how they influence the way people experience and connect with the city. Earlier this year, he led a Jane’s Walk exploring those same hidden layers of the city, taking participants through streets and alleys to look at street art and even QR codes (although Saturday’s outing will focus specifically on stickers).
Once the walking is over, participants will head to Mackenzie House, where they’ll get hands-on with the museum’s historic 180-year-old printing press and print their own stickers to take home!
The Sticker Culture Tour & Print takes place on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon at Mackenzie House, 82 Bond St. The event is all ages and pay-what-you-can, with registration required.
Follow @beardedprof416 for more info.