During a month-long residency in midtown Toronto this summer, street artist Phlegm rappelled off a 12-storey building at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue to paint a new eight-storey mural representing the revitalization of the area.

Shaped like the human form embracing itself, but also featuring depictions of Toronto's buildings and ravines, the giant mural was designed as a metaphor for the living, breathing nature of the city, following consultations with residents, business owners and employees in the community. To paint the work on 1 St. Clair Avenue West, Phlegm was suspended on swing stages, as there was no ground access from the western exterior wall, which is directly attached to a shorter adjacent building.

The project was supported by Slate Asset Management, which is setting out to transform the area with architectural facelifts, public-space improvements, new retail stores and signage, along with the city's StreetArToronto program and the Steps Initiative, a local public arts organization.