Kristiina Lahde Toronto, ON

Wheel of Fortune

Ethafoam and hot glue

Location: East Stairwell Landing

Wheel of Fortune is a sculpture of a tractor tire based on a 1940's Massey- Harris tractor tire. However, the design of the treads are made to emulate the neo-gothic carved wood and stone architectural details found throughout Hart House. Built between 1910 - 1920, Hart House was built in the neo-gothic style, allied to the Arts and Crafts movement following the vision of William Morris. It is quintessentially anti-industrial.

The Massey family financed the creation of Hart House and named it after Hart Massey who established an international manufacturing company of farm equipment in Newcastle Ontario. The tractors and combines produced by Massey-Harris and Massey-Ferguson played a historically important role in the industrialization if farming.

Combining the tractor tire and Neo-gothic patterns, Wheel of Fortune brings together the seemingly opposing ideological positions between the architecture of Hart House and the industry that created it.

Kristiina Lahde received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1999 and studied art conservation at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough. She has had solo exhibitions at Fly Gallery, A Space Windows, Natural Light Windows, Luft Gallery in Toronto, at Eyelevel Gallery and the Ann Leonowens Gallery in Halifax.