By Megan Mullen
This Saturday Oct. 5, watch as Nuit Blanche once again transforms the city with hundreds of artists and almost 90 art installations set up throughout the city. The free annual art festival, which runs from sunset to sunrise (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.), follows this year’s curatorial theme of Continuum.
The theme follows “many paths during the event—set against a backdrop of the ever-present renewal of night into day, a continuum of experience and ideas is brought to light by the participating artists,” according to the City of Toronto’s website.
For those who commute to campus from east of the city, don’t worry as Nuit Blanche is back in Scarborough for the second year in a row—with art on display at both the Scarborough Town Centre and Scarborough Civic Centre.
With so many projects, it’ll be hard to see them all, but we picked out a few that you won’t want to miss out on:
Space Time
Kristine Mifsud
Starting close to home, Space Time will be on show at Ryerson HQ. The silent projection follows a 12-hour internet search and viewing of space-related images and videos, hoping to captivate the public’s interest in space exploration.
Location: Ryerson HQ — 110 Bond St., Second Floor
On Thin Ice
Ghost Atelier
This 25-foot high shard of “cracked” ice will be on display in Toronto’s busiest public square as a reminder of the effects of climate change. Bringing the audience inside the deep crevasse in the glacier, the artists of Ghost Atelier hope to show the deep connection between the diminishing ice caps and the narrowing future of humankind—inspiring the public to act.
Location: Yonge-Dundas Square — 1 Dundas St. E
Lunar Garden
Daniel Arsham
In the largest Japanese-inspired garden he’s ever created, New York based artist Daniel Arsham is bringing the moon to Toronto. The 30-foot light orb will illuminate a landscape of colourful sand and large sculptures, hinting at future archeological finds. The installation will be accompanied by an original soundscape by Charlotte Day Wilson, while raking of the garden will take place throughout the night. Lunar Garden will be on display every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Oct. 12.
Location: Nathan Phillips Square — 100 Queen St. W
Drake Hotel Properties – Kaleidoscope: A Social Media Trinity
Alejandro Figueroa
If your main goal for Nuit Blanche is to get a good shot for your Instagram feed, be sure to head over to the Drake 150 to see this human-sized kaleidoscope. A live feed of projections from the “social media trinity” of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram hopes to explore the need for social validation and self-promotion in the digital age.
Location: Drake 150 — 150 York St.
Transformation
Fezz Stenton, Daniel Lanois
This immersive, multi-sensory exhibit is a rallying cry for our planet, hoping to motivate everyone to support the innovators who are helping to combat threats to the environment. 3D projections, super-sized sculptures, interactive light displays and contributions from Margaret Atwood and Daniel Lanois—who has composed a soundscape for the installation—will force visitors to re-examine their consumption of single-use plastics.
Location: MaRS Discovery District — 661 University Ave.
Nucleus
Nathan Whitford
This interactive, illuminated orb will transform the space under the Gardiner Expressway, feeding off the energy and presence of visitors. Needing people surrounding it in order for the glowing pulses of light and radiating sound to come to life, Nucleus aims to represent the cycle of life and survival needs.
Location: 38 Dan Leckie Way (under the Gardiner Express Way at Dan Leckie Way and Housey Street)
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