I have my share of fandom for the Gladstone Hotel – warm wood paneling, intricate welcome furniture, and boutique, historical elements complete this far, far Queen West Hotel. With Parkdale at the other side of the bridge, the Gladstone Hotel is in the middle of the booming and blossoming.

I started my packed Saturday with the Gladstone first – it’s always a good feeling to begin at something so familiar and inviting. After a quick sneak into the Art Bar and finding the wrong display (though it was lovely nonetheless), I tiptoed up the creaking stairs, and eyed the manual elevator following suit. Martie Giefert’s “reconstruction” was at the forefront.

The remarkable part of this exhibit was how intentional the staging of the art was. It was deceitful on the eyes. Being an exhibit about the setting itself (meaning the pictures were of the design of the floor of the Gladstone), it recreates “spatial encounters”. Deja vu, of the spatial kind. You’d have to see it to believe it.

What I enjoyed was walking through the hallways of the open gallery space, and marveling at the floor’s “Inception”-like qualities. Leo would be proud.

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