Toronto is a metropolis of modern culture – a vibrant hub of business, art and creativity. But there’s a dark side to the city of towering skyscrapers: very few places in Canada reflect the divide between the rich and the poor quite like Toronto.
Toronto’s homeless population is around 5,000 people – and that number is steadily increasing. High rental prices and low wages are too often forcing people into shelters or worse, onto the streets.
Yet amid this bleak reality, a more positive sentiment is felt by one member of the homeless community. Beneath a busy underpass sits 58-year-old Alex, an ‘urban camper’ as he refers to himself. He smiles at passersby, who admire the growing book collection perched beside him.
The former submariner was the inspiration for Parisian filmmaker Gladys Peltier’s documentary Alex, which explores a new perspective on sleeping rough. “He was reading, surrounded by books, it appeared that he was living there,” says Peltier, “he was so at peace. He was magnetic.”
After an initial introduction, Alex accepted Peltier’s invitation to take his portrait. “I simply couldn’t stop staring at him,” Peltier admits, “I wanted to know him, listen and learn more about him, understand him, watch him, photograph him and film him.”
Alex features a soundtrack by wordsmith and beatmaker duo Ed Scissor & Lamplighter from Brighton indie hip hop label High Focus, who collaborated on the film with Peltier.
Peltier’s eight-minute film documents a day in the life of a man who, at least outwardly, has found contentment living on the streets. His fate was his own doing, choosing a simpler life that allowed him to feel more immersed in Toronto society. “I’m a lucky guy,” he confesses in the film. “I’ve had a lot of good opportunities in my life.”
No one can deny the struggles faced by those sleeping rough, but a love for people resonates from Alex and his outlook on living on the streets is one to be admired. “If I’m not happy doing it, I’m not doing it,” he says. “I’m not here to be sad or miserable.”
Ed Scissor & Lamplighter’s Tell Them It’s Winter is out now on High Focus records.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home
From Sayan to Savoie — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. First up, the Siberian-born, Paris-based composer and synthesist.
Written by: Maria Teriaeva
Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day
PCC forever — The Soho institution has claimed its landlord, Zedwell LSQ Ltd, is demanding the insertion of a break clause that would leave it “under permanent threat of closure”.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Remembering Taboo, the party that reshaped ’80s London nightlife
Glitter on the floor — Curators Martin Green and NJ Stevenson revisit Leigh Bowery’s legendary night, a space for wild expression that reimagined partying and fashion.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
A timeless, dynamic view of the Highland Games
Long Walk Home — Robbie Lawrence travelled to the historic sporting events across Scotland and the USA, hoping to learn about cultural nationalism. He ended up capturing a wholesome, analogue experience rarely found in the modern age.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The rave salvaging toilets for London’s queers
Happy Endings — Public bathrooms have long been contested spaces for LGBTQ+ communities, and rising transphobia is seeing them come under scrutiny. With the infamous rave-in-a-bog at an east London institution, its party-goers are claiming them for their own.
Written by: Ben Smoke
Baghdad’s first skatepark set to open next week
Make Life Skate Life — Opening to the public on February 1, it will be located at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city centre and free-of-charge to use.
Written by: Isaac Muk