“TO DO” in January

This January the Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is back with the fourth installment of the much-anticipated weeklong celebration of all things design. With over 60 participants – ranging from exhibitions and events to parties and window installations – the fourth annual Toronto Design Offsite Festival will show the best in Canadian design Jan. 20-26, 2014.

For 2014, Festival will also see a number of participants greater than any preceding year. From unexpected prototypes to immersive installations, festival-goers are in for real a treat.

Participants can explore the Junction Triangle neighbourhood where they will be able to celebrate Festival week at the TO DO Opening Party at SMASH; get their hands dirty at the Junction Train Platform; check out a new collaboration between Luca Nichetto and Mjolk; or get involved at Curiocity’s crowd-sourced exhibition.

Dundas Street West will see some tried and true favourites. At Not Forkchops at #Hashtag Gallery, the audience holds the fate of a designer in their hands. Running from Bathurst to Grace Street, storefronts show works as part of Do Design. Plus, further west is LIGHT IT UP, an exhibition of new lighting concepts from the individuals that brought us Shiny Pretty Things, The Associates, and Tools.

Queen Street West will showcase both new and familiar faces, from the OCAD Student Gallery, where festival-goers will see how students approach Tables, Chairs and Other Unrelated Objects, to the Gladstone Hotel’s much-anticipated Come Up To My Room. Also worth noting: Capacity’s showcase of talent in its annual all-women exhibition; and two exhibitions exploring the impact of technology on design and craft: “Digital Promises” and “Hand & Machine.” There’s no shortage of fun and exciting things to experience.

Click here to see the full line-up.

Always aiming for the best Festival-to-date, this year there will also be a Festival Hub; programming at Graven Feather Gallery;  and a hot new party venue.

FESTIVAL HUB AT BOSLEY As a central location for festival information, participants can start their explorations here: talk to festival representative to learn more about what’s happening; plan a route; check out a showcase installation “Patchworked in Canada” by Dear Human, a creative studio founded by Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell; and test drive concrete Tuftit benches by PARTISANS.

GRAVEN FEATHER GALLERY TO DO occupies Graven Feather this January to provide festival-goers with some unique programming. Graven Feather will be the home to STRING THEORY’s exhibition “patternpattern,” where textile designers Lysanne Latulippe and Meghan Price revel in and reveal their methods for designing knit and woven textiles.

FESTIVAL LAUNCH PARTY AT SMASH Festival week starts on Monday, but kicks off mid-week at the TO DO Opening Party at SMASH, in the heart of Toronto’s historical Junction neighbourhood. Participants can find out what the festival is about; meet local designers; experience amazing salvage furniture and curiosities at SMASH; and dance with the amazing community that makes the Festival happen. Also to be enjoyed: craft beers from the Indie Ale House Brewing Co., and music by DJ Joe Blow.

ALL ABOUT TO DO

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is an annual city-wide, not-for-profit, independent, design festival. Celebrating and promoting design in Toronto, from workshops to installations and prototypes, to design parties and curated shows, we form a creative network and community of exciting events and exhibitions.

For more info, visit www.todesignoffsite.com