The Beacon

The temporal installation by João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva in Toronto is wrapped in aged wood, inducing the ambiguous feeling that it always belonged there.

The Beacon sets to capture the essence of a traditional lighthouses and trigger an emotional response from the local community, thus creating a surprising experience at Woodbine beach. The concept translates into the archetypical lighthouse conical shape, reduced to the simplest expression and conformed to the lifeguard stand proportions. The structure is wrapped in aged wood, inducing the ambiguous feeling that it always belonged there.

João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva, The Beacon, Toronto, 2017
João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva, The Beacon, Toronto, 2017
João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva, The Beacon, Toronto, 2017
João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva, The Beacon, Toronto, 2017

  With the support of selected local charities, The Beacon is established as a temporary drop-off location for non-perishable items such as canned food or clothes. The lower section of the structure acts as a repository for such items, with strategically placed openings at different heights. The Beacon represents an opportunity to establish a permanent network of donation hotspots in Toronto, and a great addition to an urban park environment. It may also be repurposed as a wildlife observation tower, a wilderness shelter or a fire lookout tower.

João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva, The Beacon, Toronto, 2017