21 Days

Mackenzie Paul

A small, white building with a red "Cleaners" sign. The building is partially cast in shadow from a tree pictured on the left side of the frame. There are apartment building windows seen above as well as to the left of the cleaners.

2022 recorded the highest number of sexual assaults in Toronto during the last five years. 21 Days provides a visual representation of a minute portion of the sexual assaults that occurred throughout 2022; a mere three weeks of the year. By sorting through data recorded by the Toronto Police Service, I was able to pinpoint approximate locations and times for various assaults. I visited these locations at their respective times of day and documented them one by one. This project serves to represent those whose stories have been reduced to chains of numbers and statistics which sit idle online for all to see. As an assault survivor, It is my hope that 21 Days will help dispel any rape myths which place blame onto sexual assault survivors, or at the very least, spark a conversation.

A small townhouse-style building photographed from across the street. There is a sign on the building white says "LUX NAILS," indicating the building houses a nail salon business. In front of the building, there is a man walking by as well as a parked motorcycle. The light is soft and it appears as though it is sunset.
An all-white LCBO building photographed from across the street. The sun has started to set and there is little daylight left, so the light from the store and the LCBO sign makes it seem like it's glowing. There is one red parked car on the left side of the frame, and the tops of trees are poking out from behind the LCBO.
: A series of townhouse-style buildings photographed from across the road. There are numerous colourful signs strewn across the buildings, as well as an LGBTQIA+ flag being flown. The sidewalk in front of the buildings in empty with the exception of one person and one parked card.
An empty intersection at night. On the right side of the frame is a brick building with a sign that says "Sweat and Tonic." The lights are still on inside the building. On the left side of the frame is a much larger and taller building with various windows and architectural styles that change as you look further into the background. There is an empty crosswalk and no cars.
a mixture of old a new buildings in downtown Toronto photographed from the middle of a crosswalk, looking directly down the path of the road. There are a few cars parked on the right-hand side, with two people walking away from the viewer.
an intersection at night, with two cars driving through. This is a long exposure photograph, so the lights and motions of the cars are very blurred, making them impossible to see clearly. The road and background behind the cars are clearly defined. There is a glass building with white glowing lights on the inside.
The St. George Subway station photographed from across the street. It is late at night and there are no lights coming from buildings in the background. The only light source in the image is from inside the subway station as well as a TTC sign outside on the sidewalk. The doors to the subway station are partially open but there are no people or cars.
A tan-coloured building being bathed in sunlight. The building has many columns of tall windows and a golden sign that says "Fran's" on the side. There is a street sign and a stoplight, but there are no cars on the road. There is light from the building reflecting onto the pavement.
A row of brick, townhouse-style buildings now used for businesses photographed from across the street. The main focal point is a "cash money" business with a yellow banner running outside on the corner. There are modern glass buildings seen in the background.
A snowy park in the winter. The snow on the ground has many footprints in it, and is mostly white but is beginning to be dirtied from foot traffic. There are many trees but they are devoid of leaves. The trees are casting shadows onto the snow. In the background, you can see the silhouette of buildings.
An empty sidewalk outside of the Rogers Centre. The Rogers Centre is on the left, with a bronze statue of a man on the right. The base of the CN tower can be seen behind the statue, as well as some buildings in the distance.
The College Park building photographed from a corner across the street. The intersection in front of it is devoid of cars, and the three crosswalks closest to the viewer are empty. The fourth crosswalk in the background has two people using it. There are tall, blue glass buildings depicted in the background.
The College Park building photographed from a corner across the street. The intersection in front of it is devoid of cars, and the three crosswalks closest to the viewer are empty. The fourth crosswalk in the background has two people using it. There are tall, blue glass buildings depicted in the background.
Two businesses across the street. One has a sign that says "Nails" and the other says "Jimmy's Coffee." In front of the businesses is an empty sidewalk and powerlines. The sky is blue and clear.
Two businesses side by side: a pizza restaurant and an audio and video equipment store. The pizza business is painted grey with yellow doors, and the equipment store has pale yellow and red bricks.
An empty sidewalk and building wall at night. The wall has some unpainted bricks on top, but most of it is painted with a blue and yellow speckled design. In the middle of the wall is a yellow banner that has the words "IS PARADISE" painted across it. After these words, there is a small black door that says "entrance" on it, as well as a glowing sign with an arrow pointing towards the door.
A coloured brick building on the corner of a city intersection. The building is partially cast in shadow from a nearby building. There are powerlines running across the top of the image.
A snow-covered park in the early morning. There are a few trees scattered across the background. There is one 8-story, brick apartment building, and multiple tall glass buildings in the distance.
Two businesses across the street. One has its name on a large window, "Brockton Cyclery." The other has its name on a small sign above the doorway "CentralSpa.Com." The cyclery on the left side of the image has red bricks, and the spa on the right has tan bricks. Both businesses have windows above them with curtains drawn.
Mackenzie Paul

Mackenzie Paul

My name is Mackenzie Paul and I was born in Bermuda in 2001. My beginnings as a photographer were influenced by my general love of the visual arts as well as the picturesque surroundings I grew up in. My first influences were the photographs I would see in National Geographic as well as other photojournalism platforms. I tend to work within the realm of the documentary genre, bridging out into portraiture and landscape photography as well. In 2019 I began my studies at Toronto Metropolitan University to attain a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography Studies, and I have been working out of Toronto ever since.

Category: Perennials

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