Thomas Brasch

Kenneth Zeller was a teacher of the Toronto Board of Education (before the provincial amalgamation).  It took a lot of consideration as to what I would choose for the source image.  For other pieces, I have used the courthouse - a place where justice is usually achieved.  After I read a story in Toronto Life, I realized that justice was sub par for Kenneth Zeller.  True justice wasn't fully realized in this case and the defendants had a light sentence.  

I had trouble locating the original building.  Research led me to 155 College Street, which now belongs to University of Toronto.  Although the building is now part of the medical school, it still shows some signs of the past.  The carving on the external west side of the building is a figure kneeling in front of the “lamp of learning”.  This symbol is common in  education.  One of the major premises of this series is to educate as well as communicate.  Starting at an early age, children can be taught about the dangers of exclusion and conspiracy theories.

The Death of Kenneth Zeller - a catalyst for change in the education system.

A kaleidscopic abstraction based on a source image of a relief sculpture on the side of the old Toronto Board of Education office.  In this image, you can see a figure kneeling in front of the "lamp of learning".  This is multiplied several times to produce the kaleidoscopic abstraction.  Kenneth Zeller was a teacher in this Board.  As a consequence of his death, Trustee Olivia Chow (now Mayor of Toronto) enacted anti-discrimination policies and training for teachers as well as advocating for LGBTQ positive curriculum.

A street-level pop-up display in the heart of Toronto's Gay Village which presented six abstract photography pieces that dealt with the topic of homophobia and consequences, both negative and positive