May 11 - 'Mind Fatigue', inmate graffiti on the inner side of the east boundary wall (1880s) of the 'Provincial lunatic asylum' (now CAMH), 1001 Queen st. W., Toronto
Comments in graffiti by asylum inmates include "It's a casual madness", "Get me out of here", and "They killed me", scrawled or carved on these bricks from the 1880s to the 1970s.
- "These patient-built walls are a testament to the abilities of the people whose unpaid labour was central to the operation of asylums in the colony of Upper Canada and the Province of Ontario during the 19th and 20th centuries. The asylum on Queen street first opened in 1850 and was overcrowded within a few years. The initial idea of work as therapy gave way to the reality of work intended to save the provincial government money through unpaid patient labour. Men worked outdoors on construction, maintenance and farm work, including building and repairing many of the structures behind which they were confined, including the still existing boundary walls on the south side of this property, built in 1860, and the east and west boundary walls built in 1888-89. ... Seen by many as the physical representation of prejudiced attitudes towards people with a psychiatric diagnosis, the walls which still stand today are historical monuments to the exploited labour of all psychiatric patients who lived, worked and died on these grounds since 1850." (a plaque)
- You can hear an audio description at (416) 535-8501, ext. 1530.
- I took a tour here on the 'Doors Open' weekend led by Geoff Reaume, ethics Prof. at York U., 'psych survivor', and a passionate man. Here he is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwRZ2j2ytg&playnext=1&li...
May 11 - 'Mind Fatigue', inmate graffiti on the inner side of the east boundary wall (1880s) of the 'Provincial lunatic asylum' (now CAMH), 1001 Queen st. W., Toronto
Comments in graffiti by asylum inmates include "It's a casual madness", "Get me out of here", and "They killed me", scrawled or carved on these bricks from the 1880s to the 1970s.
- "These patient-built walls are a testament to the abilities of the people whose unpaid labour was central to the operation of asylums in the colony of Upper Canada and the Province of Ontario during the 19th and 20th centuries. The asylum on Queen street first opened in 1850 and was overcrowded within a few years. The initial idea of work as therapy gave way to the reality of work intended to save the provincial government money through unpaid patient labour. Men worked outdoors on construction, maintenance and farm work, including building and repairing many of the structures behind which they were confined, including the still existing boundary walls on the south side of this property, built in 1860, and the east and west boundary walls built in 1888-89. ... Seen by many as the physical representation of prejudiced attitudes towards people with a psychiatric diagnosis, the walls which still stand today are historical monuments to the exploited labour of all psychiatric patients who lived, worked and died on these grounds since 1850." (a plaque)
- You can hear an audio description at (416) 535-8501, ext. 1530.
- I took a tour here on the 'Doors Open' weekend led by Geoff Reaume, ethics Prof. at York U., 'psych survivor', and a passionate man. Here he is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwRZ2j2ytg&playnext=1&li...