::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::THANK YOU!!!::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the TUEAM at the opening night of our exhibit! There was an excellent turnout and I think I won't be talking out of school to say that everyone had a good time. The photographs were excellent and the service at the Charlotte Room was wonderful (as usual! Thanks again guys!). We had a bit of a surprise yesterday when Tammy was contacted by the Toronto Star for an interview to discuss our group and the show, so we spent about half an hour to an hour talking to Isabel from the Star - her article was printed in today's edition (September 15, 2005) in the GTA section. www.thestar.com

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event a success! The opening night may be over, but the photographs will be on display at the Charlotte Room for at least a month (likely longer!) So if you're in the neighbourhood, check it out!

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ENEMIES OF THE

ORDINARY

The Toronto Urban Exploration

& Adventure Group

Photographic Exhibit

Explore the world as revealed by the Toronto Urban Exploration and Adventure Group Photographic Exhibit. Varied passions and photographic styles provide an opportunity to view the world from a new perspective.

Re-discover the wonders that surround us.

Opening Night

Wednesday Sept. 14, 7:00-10:00 p.m.

Location: The Charlotte Room

19 Charlotte St., Toronto, ON 416-598-2882

**********

:::Group biography, discussing the exhibit:::

The Toronto Urban Exploration and Adventure Group started in its current form in February 2005, under the leadership of organizer Tammy Hoy. The inaugural outing comprised a small but hale group of five, who braved the ice floes of Lake Ontario on the ferry and wandered through the beauty of Ward's Island in winter. Today, the group numbers over 200 and is growing every day. The TUEAM group was formed with the intention of giving hardier folks an opportunity to explore the strange and wonderful aspects of the urban landscape of Toronto. Lately, it has even begun to probe the environs of surrounding towns and cities.

We find in this group an assemblage of people with diverse interests, ranging from raucous, gas mask-wielding tunnel-jumpers to the most refined of artists. The reasons people have for joining this group are as varied as the members themselves, but one thing remains constant: the desire to experience something a little beyond the everyday; to explore in-depth a part of the world that most people only glimpse in passing. The people who take part in the TUEAM group are not the sort who are content to have the world brought to them; they must seek it out for themselves. No TUEAM event could possibly be successful if not for the enthusiasm and daring of the members themselves. Knowledge is exchanged, friendships are formed, and experiences are shared.

What stands out the most, however, are the sites themselves. They represent moments preserved through time, and they manage - despite the years spent battling the elements - to retain vestiges of their former selves. These are indeed forgotten places; ordinary places that were perhaps paid no notice during the time of their use. Now they stand as a testament to bygone times. Some of the favourite haunts of the TUEAM have already vanished forever, the land having been reclaimed for newer things.
Featured here is a small cross section of the wonderful images collected on some of the TUEAM outings. There are images from places close to home, such as the Toronto Brickworks factory and the abandoned Whitby Psychiatric facility (recently razed); there are also some from more distant places like Parry Sound, the destination of a recent ghost town exploration weekend.

The future of the TUEAM group is becoming more ambitious, with planned trips to Buffalo to explore the Central Terminal, the abandoned train station in Rochester and the haunted buildings of the Niagara region.

We are,

Enemies of the Ordinary