Nithursan Elamuhilan

The spot I chose to visit in Scarborough was one I had long been curious about - a place I passed countless times while riding the RT, catching only fleeting glimpses from above. A kind of “graffiti alley,” this stretch beneath the elevated tracks felt both familiar and unknown. Busy in the way city infrastructure often is, but rarely a place where people stop to linger.

From ravines to alleyways, my curiosity often pulls me to places that fall somewhere between public and private realms. I want to know what’s there, how it came to be, and who might be moving through it. Photography has been my primary way of engaging with that curiosity. It allows me to share stories I learn about, while also offering my perspective through how I approach and capture a scene.

It wasn’t until news broke of the RT’s closure that I began to pay closer attention to the environment around and beneath its tracks during commutes. That’s when I decided to finally pay a visit to this wildstyle-lined graffiti passageway and nearby industrial lots. While graffiti has always been a part of the RT experience, I started to learn more about the history, styles and crews who take it upon themselves to create them. I recognize graffiti more as something layered; inviting interpretation through its technique, message, and sense of place.

This location alone captures so many layers of urban life that represent the east end to me: infrastructure, expression, memory, and change. It’s this intersection of environment and lived experiences that continues to draw me to explore and document spaces.