Love conquers all, it would seem. At least that appears to be the case when it comes to Toronto and its relationship with love locks.
After years of enduring the heartbreaking pain of having their relationships figuratively cut, the city’s lovers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. A new installation located in the Distillery District allows anyone to plant a love lock with the knowledge that it won’t be cut down sometime in the future. The 9-foot sign, which spells out “<3 Love,” was erected last month and already has several locks attached to it.
In the interview with the Toronto Star, the installation’s creator, Mathew Rosenblatt, said, “We have no plans on taking it away. I think we want to see it grow and see what becomes of it both aesthetically and in terms of how people continue to be engaged by it.”
Planting a love lock as a sign of a couple’s eternal love is a trend that has grown in popularity around the world; what started in cities like Florence and Paris has quickly spread to almost every major urban centre, and even far flung landmarks like the Great Wall of China.
In Toronto, the trend manifested itself with countless locks showing up on the Humber Bridge. However, the city, in one of its classic anti-fun stances, had staff hack the locks offs about once a year. In hindsight, it was probably a wise move.
In Paris, for instance, the city had to take drastic measures to save its Pont des Arts footbridge from a swell of love locks. Not only was an emergency excavation ordered to prevent the bridge from buckling under the weight of all those countless padlocks, the city also started to ask anyone considering adding another lock to take a selfie instead. City officials are encouraging selfies, yes, you read it right.
If this is the kind of thing you and your significant other are in to, then head over to the Distillery District before there’s no more room to put a lock on. There’s even a nearby store, Biltmore Domicile, that will sell you a lock for about $5. Just don’t make things more awkward than they already are for everyone else by making out in front of the installation. Seflies are totally fine, however. [via Toronto Star]
Image via Flickr user Garry Knight.
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Igor Bonifacic is the managing editor of Toronto Standard. Follow him on Twitter.
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