A Few nonsense, Alot of fun.

To begin with I just want to say that I will be writing about the stations in which I found most interesting to talk about. There were just too many that I found pointless, obtuse or any other adjective of this nature. I will discuss some of these images/videos at the end of this post.

Alot of Fun:

Jewel Envy – Independent project number 32, the first on my trek. I walked by and saw the sign, but no art piece. My girlfriend pointed inside and up the stairs illustrating that the piece was inside the building. Now I thought this was supposed to be outdoors under the night sky, hence the name “White Night”. Anyway, we walked upstairs and were greeted by a cheery young woman. She explained that this station consisted of a group of women who taught the general public the required skills necessary to craft their own jewelry. They even allowed us to take pieces of copper and mold them into whatever we wanted. We got to use pieces if copper wire, beads, nail polish for painting them, hammer and nails to create letters, fabric to decorate, anything to add your own personal touch. Our hosts got everyone to sign their guest book and explained that once the Nuit Blanche exhibit was over, they would mold everyone’s individual piece of copper onto one piece; a single giant necklace.
This thought process can be used to achieve multiple ends, which I believe consisted of:
1) Broadening advertisement for their company with their involvement in the Nuit Blanche Exhibit
2) Illustrating the unique artistic potential and ideas in every individual no matter age, race, sex, 3) The unique individual pieces, once joined, can create a great mosaic. The cultural mosaic of different ideaologies has long been the fundamental ambition of all toronto citizens; to retain unique cultural heritage while also being part of a larger integrated community.








-Our some-what completed pieces. Not very exciting yet. Mines on the left showing the appreacitation of my girlfriend. Reads: Kristen Cyr Rules.




Second station within AGO – independent project 37. It was called Brychcy-Bar. A medium-sized, white-walled room, with a stationary guard positioned at the entrance. Immediately I was attracted and lined up. Once inside, we witnessed two people seated on the ground who were serving free booze to everyone who walked in. Shot of whiskey, and a cup of a green cooler. Great way to start the night. I walked around the room and found broken pieces of concrete on the floor and holes in the wall in which you could poke your head through. People were leaned up aginst walls, and what I found interesting was that there was no garbage bins inside the room so this prompted people to figure out a place in which to set down their garbage. My girlfriend had pointed out that everyone had clustered their cups into one little area, forging on this idea of togetherness within a dilapidated area. We could very well be sitting in a broken, dangerous room, but no one really cared. I guess that’s the point. People can get together and live it up, damn the consequences.








-These were some of the pieces of the wall and floor in which everyone was situated. As you can see on the photo on the left that everyone had placed their cups together within an area in which everyone saw fit to do. Garbage is garbage I suppose.

Independent Station 45 – Bau-XI Gallery.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. This was Art for the sake of art and entertainment. This group exhibition was called “City at Night: A Tribute to Brian Kipping.” It was a basic gallery. White walls, arrows on the floor leading you around with broad, balanced picture layout around the room. This allowed the gallery to showcase some brilliant pieces of artwork that focused on landscapes within cities with ease, even in a high-traffic, small area. Hmm, alot like a city landscpae no? I found this exhibit thoroughly enjoyable because it was amazing work made for everyone to enjoy. You didn’t need to be high-cultured, or have specific knowledge of the place showcased. The point of these paintings were to illustrate that these everyday places in which we live may seem like trash, but are really these romanticized portrayals of where we live. We live in an area in which is full of beauty, and beauty can be found wherever we look.

-These oil paintings were spectacular. They really did bring out the inner beauty of a cityscape. But I guess when each is worth $5000, you better have something to show for it.

ThunderEgg

Alley: A Dumpster Diver’s Paradise – Station #9. This was a dumpster which was transformed into the makings of a "five-star resort". Everything used in this project was "'junk' found within people’s garbage and used to create this paradise. It is created through the consumer-drive economy. It exploits the natural landscape of Toronto’s ‘garbage’ transforming the material excretions of everyday life into abstract mechanisms of luxury."(http://scotiabanknuitblanche.com/detail.html?id=9&zone=B) Now, usually I dislike abstract art that tries to force-feed its information down the throats of everyone who doesn’t share their view but this one is different. This really does put into perspective what we, as a community of individuals need to do to improve our lives so that we actually have a future to look forward to. The amount of good product we throw away is appaling. I tried not to believe what I experianced. This was probably my favorite of the night because not only was it a great conclusion to the night, but also it was one that was informative, visually stimulating, a crowd pleaser and something that everyone really could enjoy. Plus it looked cool too. It was a simple concept that was turned into something remarkable and eye opening. It almost makes me feel disgusted with myself. Probably what they were going for too.

-This dumpster actually looked pretty comfy and cozy. I wouldn't mind staying there for a night at all. But I just HAD to go and spend $300 for one night in a fancy hotel.

A few of the Nonsense:

This Speaks for itself. This may have just been a random event along the way, I am unclear becuase I couldn't find a sign determining what exactly it was. But, I just dont understand Interpretive Dance.





Outside exhibit, independant project #17. Failed Art machine that really didnt do anything to begin with. Giant box with lawn-mower motar with 4 pieces of chalk attached to the legs. Not very productive, especially when it failed to work. The problem, besides the obvious, with this was that it didn't try hard enough to bring me in to look around. There wasn't enough perceived effort to draw me toward this area. In fact, it deturred me from doing anything else on that street. I figured that the other projects within the same area would be similar and therefore non-enjoyable.





Scotiabank Zone B Hub. Not abad idea at first. Put everybody outside to watch a movie in Airplane chairs. But, when the movie is a woman reading something while sitting on a rocking chair, I just dont get the thought process. It sort-of simulated the flight experiance without going anywhere, but what it didn't do outweighed what it did do. It seemed like a lack of effort, an idea whch they believed would be facinating, but inr eality all people saw were a free movie and a comfortable place to sit down and enjoy a drink.




Independant Project #6b.Putting furniture outside is supposed to tell me what? I can sort-of see the affiliation of space and the thoughts of having a personal space in a non-personal world, but I don't see how productive this can be. What if it rains?

Bibliography:

Swintak. Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. "Thunderegg Alley: A dumpster Divers Paradise. 2007"

Scotiabank Buit Blanche Program Guide. "A Free all-night contemporary art thing." Toronto: September 2007.