Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is only in its second year in Toronto, but already it feels like a city tradition. This year’s “free all-night contemporary art thing” promises to be just as fun and just as cutting-edge as it was in its inaugural year.
Last year, despite rain, huge numbers of Torontonians came out to experience free contemporary art created by artists from Toronto and around the world. It was wonderful to see so many people of different ages out to experience fog in Philosopher’s Walk or floating lanterns at Victoria College’s Pearson Garden of Peace and Understanding. For this night, the city was alive all night long with people out to appreciate the latest art. Queen Street West looked like rush hour on a Friday night: bars and galleries were full of people enjoying art and the community that comes from viewing it with others. It was both an artistic and a civic experience, and it promises to bring even more art (and more people) this year.
Nuit Blanche in Toronto centers around three zones: A, B, and C, which host 195 destinations. Each Zone has a curatorial theme. Zone A, which includes U of T and Bloor-Yorkville, is curated by Rhonda Corvese entitled, “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.” All the exhibits in Zone A will attempt to alarm you or unsettle you by producing an effect that is unexpected. I have high hopes for “Departure” (Mircea Cantor 2005), playing at the Isabel Bader Theatre on Vic’s campus: a 2 minute, 43 second loop of a wolf and a deer in a room together. It promises to be an unnerving experience that forces the viewer to confront the possibility of watching a slaughter. Also in Zone A, don’t miss your chance to get inside of Lower Bay TTC station in “The Ghost Station” (Kristen Roos 2007) for low-frequency sounds. The concept sounds flighty, but take the opportunity to get into this hidden part of Toronto while it’s open to you. And in room 066 of the Faculty of Architecture there will be an exact replica of Toronto’s nuclear fall-out shelter, “Aurora Readiness Centre” (Annie MacDonell 2007)!
Zone B extends west from Spadina out to the Distillery District, and from College south to the waterfront. Michelle Jacques curates with a focus on the heterogeneity of the neighbourhoods, entitled “At the Corner of Time and Place.” Of particular interest will be “What Will You Do?” (Nina Czegledy et al. 2007), which invites participants to interact by sending an SMS text message saying what you will do to help stop climate change. Responses will be posted to the board in minutes. Be sure to check out “Where There Are Trees Standing in the Water” (Hannah Claus 2007), a light installation on the historic George Brown House.
Zone C is located in Queen West. Camilla Singh curates a dream world in our city entitled “Supernatural City.” There are plenty of wonderful exhibitions here, but be sure to stop in to the local galleries that will be open all night and see what Toronto artists have to offer. If the galleries aren’t your thing, check out “Locust” (Noboru Tsubaki 2005), a giant inflated locust in Lamport Stadium on King West.
The TTC has extended service for Nuit Blanche, so remember that a day pass is good for two adults on weekends. Don’t miss this chance to encounter contemporary art that may move you, unnerve you, or just piss you off. More important is that the rest of the city will be out with you. For more information visit: scotiabanknuitblanche.ca.
