A Glance at Nuit Blanche 2011

5 October 2011 No Comments

By Fabien Alexis

Thousands hit the pavement Saturday night, despite frigid October weather for Scotiabank’s sixth annual Nuit Blanche.

Featuring 134 exhibits this year, ranging from cartoons in darkened building windows, to LED light shows above a 24-hour gym and storefront still art, there was a lot for spectators to see.

Artists took over the downtown streets to wheat paste and construct their various displays in the three designated zones along Yonge Street, from Bloor Street to Queens’ Quay East.

'Erratic’ rolls slowly along Yonge Street

Contemporary art featured included ‘Erratic’: two individuals sporting fluorescent orange safety vests, as they rolled a boulder down Yonge Street.

Supported by four steel pipes, one member stabilized the giant rock, while another continuously moved the hindmost pipe to the front of the other three every few seconds, maintaining the momentum.

The performance, featuring creator Germaine Koh of Vancouver, began at Bloor and moved through all three zones to Queens Quay.

Spoken-word poet Motion teamed up with photographer John Beebe to mesh their gifts for the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies’ “Our Hope for Children” exhibit.

Using black and white images of men, women and children varying in age and race, hung in the brightly-lit bay windows of the Eaton Centre’s Addition Elle.

Each photo displayed one or two individuals with words in vibrant colours.

“A legacy”, “the freedom to be”, and “opportunity” were a few of the words incorporated into each illustration, evoking the theme and connecting the diverse imagery throughout.

Models included CityTV’s Francis D’Souza and Toronto Raptors and Argonauts on-air host Mark Strong.

For those who prefer to participate in the fun, the FLUXe exhibit was an interactive show stopper at Scotia Plaza.

Spectators, directed by one of nine artists, toyed with Blackberry Playbooks, creating images displayed on the 100-foot LED backdrop in the open space.

Interactive FLUXe Exhibit: participants manipulate prescribed design, seen here on the giant LED screen at Scotia Plaza.

Pixel and RIM contributed to this Scotiabank art project facilitating creative director Steve di Lorenzo’s vision: mixing traditional art with technology to produce a unique and incredible display throughout the night.

If you missed on Nuit Blanche 2011, don’t worry there’s always next year.

Scotiabank and the City of Toronto have already slated Nuit Blanche 2012 for Saturday, September 29, 2012.

More images from Saturday night