From dusk to dawn, Toronto, and other cities around the world hosts Nuit Blanche – an evening where many streets, buildings and public spaces are transformed into an exciting big open art exhibition. Since 2006, we’ve been attending. I can still remember the first year, it was truly spectacular as the city felt so alive and inspiring. It’s become a tradition for us to attend and my older son really looks forward to seeing the larger than life art installations and performance arts. The FREE all-night contemporary art event is truly massive!
The Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is on Saturday, October 4th, 2014 in Toronto.
If you’re taking your kids, here are a few tips on how to enjoy the night with kiddies…
1. Go earlier, like just after dinner as the sun is setting. We tend to start around 7 pm and don’t end up going home until midnight. The crowds are overwhelming at the larger installations as it gets later in the night.
2. Wear comfortable shoes and take your stroller if needed. Take note of washroom facilities along your route and plan on making a snack stop!
3. Take TTC…don’t even try to park anywhere near the downtown core. You may be able to get in..but it will be difficult to get out at the end of your night. There are information booths at major points in the downtown zones.
4. Plan on seeing 4 or 5 major installations that look appealing to you…but then factor in time as you’ll most likely stumble upon a few en route that you hadn’t planned on. Go with an open mind and open time.
This year’s line up features more than 120 art projects created by nearly 400 local, national and international artists who will transform the streets of Toronto. This year the even has expanded into new neighbourhoods like chinatown. Full program is available at www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca
Here’s are a few of my recommendations on what’s to see with kids, but as mentioned, you’ll more than likely stumble upon some other great works along the way!
WALK AMONG WORLDS, 2014. Artist: Maximo Gonzalez, Mexico City, Mexico. Outdoor exhibition. As part of the exhibition: The Possibililty of Everything. Location: Odgen Junior Public School (33 Pheobe St.)
In this dramatic immersive installation the artist explores the effects of light and lightness, while reflecting on the political divisions of the world. The piece is composed of 7,000 beach balls printed to resemble globes; each of these representing one million of the inhabitants of the planet. The globes come in three different sizes, alluding to the concepts of “first” and “third world”. A tour of Walk among Worlds is a contemplative journey to the center of the Earth, which may lead to a reformulation of our understanding of it. The world is an accumulation of parallel worlds: some more visible than others, some closer or more distant, but all part of the same organic vital structure.
CASCADE, 2013-14
.Anandam Dancetheatre, Brandy Leary, Eamon Mac Mahon & James Bunton – Toronto, Canada. Indoor Interactive Installation. As part of the exhibition: The Night Circus. Location: CN Tower
Cascade features a mass of bodies suspended from the ceiling engaged in the constant action of slowly falling. An immersive piece that integrates contemporary circus arts, choreography, video and sonic installation this work is aimed at reducing the intensity of city spaces, public areas and large gatherings. This work dedicates itself to a slowing down of the mind, the body and the senses in urban environments. This general and consistent slowing down opens up larger spaces for our attention to rest which release us from the hyper re activity of our daily interactions, letting initial images and thoughts fall away to open up spaces for deeper experiences.
WANWU: Metamorphosis, 2014
Bingyi – Beijing, China. Outdoor Performance Art. Location: Nathan Phillips Square – podium roof. As part of the exhibition: Performance Anxiety.
Evoking both otherworldly and ancient civilizations, Bingyi manifests a large-scale painting on the green rooftop of Toronto City Hall. Bingyi is known for her large-scale paintings and performances using simple materials and processes, such as rice paper, ink and water, to create organic and improvisational works on paper, leaving many of the aesthetic decisions to nature and chance. The painting is completed under a halo of intense green light and then dissolved by water. A breathtaking operatic performance entitled Metamorphosis – part painting, part dance, part song occurs hourly for the duration of the night.
AMAZE, 2014 Marcos Zotes – Reykjavik, Iceland. Outdoor Installation. Location: 302 Queen Street W. As part of the exhibition: The Possibility of Everything.
Marcos Zotes’ AMAZE transforms an ordinary scaffolding structure into a fully immersive environment of light and sound in the heart of the city. A labyrinth like no other, AMAZE provides a multisensory experience through a personal journey of discovery, transformation and challenge. While walking inside AMAZE, visitors are constantly able to experience the surrounding city, transforming the journey into a playful community experience that is strongly connected to its urban context. Challenging the conventions of urban public space, AMAZE encourages the active participation of city dwellers in order to breathe new life into places that have become stagnant or empty.
MADE IN CHINA, 2014
Maria Ezcurra – Montreal, Canada / Mexico City, Mexico. Outdoor Installation. Location: 330 Spadina Avenue. As part of the exhibition: The Possibility of Everything.
Maria Ezcurra’s textile installation is composed of clothes labeled “Made in China,” predominantly donated by the Chinese community of Toronto, set in a Chinatown alleyway. It functions as a façade filling an empty space between two buildings, creating in this way both a physical and a symbolic connection among cultures. This project is about the connections between Eastern and Western cultures, between old customs and current trends, between globalization and tradition. It is about building a collective bridge with the community in which we are all represented, as a society as much as individuals.
THE EMPRESS DOWAGER (she enters and fondly remembers her youth). Ensemble Jeng Yi – Toronto, Canada. Performance Art. Location: Church of the Redeemer (162 Bloor St. West)
To maintain cosmic harmony, the ensemble must keep the 12 guardian spirits entertained all night with non-stop Korean drumming, music and dance. Will they succeed? Traditional pieces and original compositions with elements of ritual and theatre.
BIG TOP GRAND STAND, 2014. SuttonBeresCuller – Seattle, USA. Sculpture. Outdoors. Location: Clarence Square Park (Spadina Ave. & Clarence Square). As part of the exhibition: The Night Circus.
The vast bright and colourful structures of a festival or circus are surrounded by dazzling sounds, sights and smells. Ubiquitous concession stands and mobile exhibits make up much of the landscape. Vying for attention amongst the crowds, these transitory structures rely on brilliant lighting, color and height to stand out. In response to transitory environments common to fairs, festivals and circuses, SuttonBeresCuller have created a large migratory outdoor sculpture. This monument comments upon the aesthetics of its environment. Atop a 16′ flatbed trailer, four unique structures neatly nested within each other telescope skyward, extending into a baroque sculpture. Adorned with flashing lights, vibrant flags and reflective surfaces, this flamboyant homage has turned the concession stand into pure sculptural form.
SHIPWRECK, UTS Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Project Team. Interactive Installation. Location: 371 Bloor St. West. Outdoor exhibition.
High schools are full of relationships: the romantic, the strained, the yearned-for… Hoist the sails and help prevent a relationshipwreck. A collective of student artists have worked together to develop, design and produce this installation.
There is TONS to see! As mentioned, it’s a tradition for us and we can’t wait!! Better make sure I work in a nap in the afternoon first!
See you on the streets! And you can also follow me @theculturepearl that night as I’ll definitely be sharing!
Any other great family-friendly art installations you would recommend? Feel free to add them to the comment section below!
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