Nuit Blanche 2007

Nuit Blanche (White Night) of 2007 was held on the 29th till 30th of September, from sun down till sun rise. That night, I went there with my sister and Reinaldo. We are all in the Visual Culture and Communication (VCC) Program.

Prior to our trip Downtown, we went to check the Nuit Blanche website and were surprised by how huge Nuit Blanche's site is. In the end, we agreed on visiting just Zone A for about two to three hours just so that we would all get enough materials for our various assignments.

While driving towards Zone A's Hub, we noticed that several installations of Nuit Blanche were already getting into action despite the fact that the sun is still in the sky. Since this is the first time for any of us to participate at Nuit Blanche (and the first time for one of us to be in Downtown), we all eagerly looked around to try to see as much as we can.

The Hub

Our first stop, after we parked our car, was to look for the Hub of Zone A. Apparently, each zone has its own Hub where information would be available, letting us know what and where the installations of that particular zones are.

We had expected to find an information booth of some sort at the Hub but it appears that the Hub itself is an installation. Inside, we find the Panda Spa 2007 and A Bravo Fact (Screening).

The Panda Spa 2007 provides manicures for anyone that wishes to have it. Yet, it was mainly children that were eager to get their nails done while the adults stand around and watched.




A Bravo Fact (Screening) provides several short clips. While being their, we were able to view the Sissy Boy Slap Party. Although not entirely sure of what the clip was about, it was pretty funny watching semi naked males slapping each other.




Noite De Sao Joao 2007

Next we went to the site of Noite De Sao Joao. When we approached the site, we can hear loud music that makes people feel like dancing. Occasionally, we will hear fireworks.

Everyone around us were all looking around expecting something to happen through the passageway of little flags. However, no matter how long we waited, nothing seems to be happening. Upon looking at the information board for the site, we came to a conclusion that whoever set this site up might have wanted people to be dancing underneath the flags along to the music.

Toronto Public Library

Next, we walked across the road when we noticed the sounds of drums. We found ourselves in front of the Toronto Public Library. Two elegant marble statues were there and many people we taking pictures with them.

We moved up to take pictures with them too. Just when we finished taking picture with the female statue, it suddenly moved! Reinaldo, the only guy in our group, yelled out and cursed as he was startled by a statue that moved. It seems as if he's the only one that did not realize that the statues were in fact real people in make up. We all agreed that they did look like real statues but he was the only one that got completely fooled. I wonder if he will keep on thinking that they are real statues if they did not move while we were still around.

After our little fun with the statues, we noticed what had originally led us to this particular spot. A small band of three people were there playing some aboriginal music with the drums. We stood there and enjoyed their performance for a while. The music, though plain and simple, has a quality of enchantment in it that held the audiences' attention.

Church of the Redeemer Angelican

Next we headed off to the Church of Redeemer Angelican. We heard that there would be a Greek play inside. Knowing that Greek plays were originally made to honor their God of Wine, we were amused at the fact that this installation would be inside a Church.

There are lots of people lining up to get into this installation. While waiting in line to get in, a clown came by to keep people entertained. We were also able to hear the show going on inside the building through the speakers that they have set near the doors.

Once we were inside, we can see a few paintings that are interestingly composed. We worm through towards the stage viewing area by following the people before us. When we finally get to see the stage, we were slightly disappointed at how simple the stage was set, how the actors worm simple clothings and not costumes. The performer seems to be just telling a story plainly and just when we decided to leave, he sang. His voice was very beautiful and everyone that were starting to head for the exit stopped and turned their heads back to look at the performer. Before he sang, he warned us that we would not be able to understand what he will sing as it would most likely be in Greek. Yet, the song that he sang was not Greek nor was it anything remotely unknown. In fact, most of us would have heard the song while walking around malls. Although the name of the song eludes me, I am quite familiar with the song and so was everyone else in the audience. Some people started to laugh quietly and some just smiled but I am sure that most of us were impressed and caught off guard.

Gardiner Museum

We headed back to the Hub and I bought a T-shirt there as souvenir while my sister bought a glow stick. Then, we headed towards Gardiner Museum through the Hub. Unlike other installations where they provide artwork for the audience, Gardiner Museum chose to let the audience generate artwork instead.

Crowded alongside workbenches that formed a square, children and adults alike were concentrating in creating a painting of their own. Once these paintings are done, they would be posted upon the walls of Gardiner Museum.

Surreal Journey

After Gardiner Museum, we walked all the way down Bloor street and eventually arrived at site 14, the Surreal Journey. We were told by the attendant at the door that there is a clothes design competition going on and that we should check it out. Once inside, we noticed that we are inside a Church although the decorations, manequins and clothes hid that fact pretty well.

Of all the designs, I found that the one where the designer turned ties into clothing and weapons to be very interesting. While sharing the pictures I took with my friends later on, most commented on how they can now literally "untie" the females.

Homebound

We made our way back to where we parked our car. On our way there, we heard people commenting how this year's Nuit Blanche covered a lot more space than the one in the previous years. Some mentioned how they were not fully prepared to walk to all the sites.

While near the car park, a woman walked up to me and asked me what is going on. She told me that she has no idea what this event is even though she has lived in Downtown for almost 5 years already. I have to admit that I would not have known of Nuit Blanche either if I did not get an assignment on it. Most of the other people at Nuit Blanche were also students from various schools visiting because of an assignment. It seems like Nuit Blanche got its audience through institutions and word-to-mouth.

Throughout our trip of Nuit Blanche, we kept wondering about various objects, scenes and sights as to whether they are part of the exhibition or not. We do not know what to expect to see and thus everything became an art form to us as we included everything into our observation and ponderings. A good example of that would be the Fire trucks that we kept seeing running along the streets. We kept on wondering if there is really an incident where the fire trucks were called for or if those fire trucks are just another display of Nuit Blanche.

As a result, everything and everyone presented at Nuit Blanche that day became part of the exhibition, admiring art and contributing to become part of the art.