NuitBlanche07Critique

Of Environmentalists, Voyeurs and Manhole Covers

2007-10-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Zone B #10: WHAT WILL YOU DO?

This was an interactive installation that asked people the simple question as to what they themselves would do to save the earth from global warming and a climate shift. The creators of the installation invited the audience to respond by texting their answers to a number projected on the screen. Their answers would then appear on the screen in (almost) real-time. The project seemed to explore the realms of participatory art, but I was left with one question as I saw the many text messages appear on and disappear off the screen: How many of these people would actually do what they were saying they would do (e.g become Raw Vegan?!?); was it all just a spontaneous reaction, an urgent need to react to the questions posed by that moment which makes one go: “Oh what have I done to the earth?”

Zone B #22: ART AT BEAVER HALL (Group Exhibition)

From what I read in the Nuit Blanche guide, this was supposed to be a group exhibition by all the resident artists at Beaver Hall. But I caught a glimpse of one particularly interesting installation which was set up outside, via an LCD (?) projector. This projector, mounted on the façade of the building, just over the sidewalk, was projecting images and videos (!) of manhole covers and people emerging from manholes from different locations (presumably) all over the world. But what made the presentation effective and realistic was that these images and videos were projected directly onto the sidewalk outside. It seemed to blend in perfectly with the atmosphere – the sidewalk, the road, the garbage bin off to the side, the passers-by, etc. If it wasn’t for the square frame of light that came from the projector, people might have not noticed it as an installation at all. And that is what generally happens. Do we really notice manhole covers on the sidewalk when we are walking? Well there might be that odd instance, but do we really?? Perhaps that was what the installation was aiming for - to turn the audience’s attention to one of the many everyday things that we literally walk over yet fail to notice.

Zone B #2: WATCHER (6, 35, 39, 91 D’Arcy Street)

As it said on the guide, this was a multi-building video installation. There were 4 houses out of which I could see only 2, and on the windows of these houses silhouettes of people engaging in different kinds of activities inside the house were projected. (The whole point of using silhouettes is of course that if you are trying to peek at your neighbor through those thin curtains, all you will see are silhouettes.) The entire idea of the installation has a very overt voyeuristic feel to it. First off, the very fact that these houses were being opened up to the public ‘gaze’ if I can call it so, added to this sense of voyeurism, and an uncannily open sense of voyeurism at that. The installation itself lures you in, but it teases you because it only gives you an idea of what is going on inside the house. One is tempted to go right up to the windows, draw the curtains aside and peek through. But at the heart of this installation is the artist’s desire (which is in fact echoed by most of us) to glance into other people’s lives – the little girl holding her teddy bear and jumping on her bed, the group of people running across the room, the couple having a quiet dinner. It is this ‘compulsion’ to watch that drives us into becoming voyeurs, knowingly and unknowingly.

You wont find this under a Scotiabank Sign!

2007-10-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Instant Coffee: Nooks
A project in no way associated with Scotiabank (and a sweet escape it was)

As I am all giddy from recounting my experience at “Terrible Noises”, I will carry on to the installation next door, also hosted by Mercer Union. Instant Coffee, a Canadian contemporary art collective based in Toronto and Vancouver, put on an installation (not exclusively for Nuit Blanche) called “Nooks”. Thanks in large part to the very cooperative weather, the doors (garage-style, I believe) were thrown open inviting all passers-by to wander in. The room was bright and full of people laughing and chatting. The whole thing was punctuated by a constant popping noise, which we quickly realized was the sound of Grolsch bottles being opened. It is generally agreed (mostly by my two companions and me)that the beer greatly helped get people to visit, to stay, and to interact within the installation.

The installation consisted of nooks with three walls and a window with a table and bench inside; there were four nooks total. Each had a different video installation shown on an old tv (the ones with little dials on them!), we got manipulated images of knit patterns. There were also stacks of mattresses covered in colourful, knit cozies for people to relax on. Apparently Instant Coffee is big on knitting. The walls were plastered with posters displaying the initials and manifesto of Instant Coffee. They were informative, yes, but also hypnotizing in the way they repeated their message in a pattern. You could really get lost in it. Thanks, Grolsch.

So, we arrived, were served a beer, and were lucky enough to get a spot in one of the nooks. It was a strange space to occupy. We were at once in a cozy spot, enjoying conversation with just the three of us. But at the same time, we were on display, due to the open design of the nooks. From the window I could see people taking pictures of the installation, which happened to include us. At one point we were given the command, “Just act natural, keep talking.” There is truly nothing like a little coaching to scare up the most awkward-looking of “natural” moments.

As we were stuck in the position of being cozy and isolated while on display, we were also in the position of the observer. What do you do with windows? You look out of them, and that is what we did. One member of my Nuit Blanche team is an avid photographer and spent much time waiting for visitors to unknowingly dance for his camera. We watched what people were doing in other nooks, and what was happening outside of the nooks. The many and conflicting viewpoints we encounter in daily life are highlighted and magnified in this setting.

Anyway, the connection between this and “Terrible Noises”, aside from geographic, is that they both encourage and challenge the ways in which we interact and, quite often, avoid interacting with strangers we meet in our city. They were two great experiences. There is something exhilarating in having your weak and uncomfortable human communication spots being challenged. What is Nuit Blanche for, if not a challenge?

A Few nonsense, Alot of fun.

2007-10-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

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.

"Terrible Noises for Beautiful People: Music for a participatory noise choir" by the The Misha Glouberman School of Learning

2007-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Nuit Blanche Independent Project #27 at Mercer Union

I had heard about this project prior to Nuit Blanche, but as my friends and I passed Lisgar Street I could remember only its name. I saw a handwritten sign promoting the piece and convinced my team to venture off of the safety of Queen West. The entrance was not the happening place other Nuit Blanche-goers seemed to encounter (the entrance had a velvet rope setup, there were people waiting in line throughout the night). We arrived minutes after the performance/experience had begun. We were told to run (“literally, run!”) to join in the group.

I was not expecting what we walked into, and to be honest, I was wondering if I could 'literally, run' out of the space. We entered as the “conducter” was instucting the group on noises to make. I instantly understood the project's title, but wondered why it couldn't be called “Terrible Dancing for Beautiful People”. I am many things, but not a singer!

We were instucted, by hand-written signs held up by our leader, to make either “beautiful” or “ugly” noises. He used his free hand to command level, looking much like an enthusiastic conductor. What consitituted a beautiful versus and ugly noise and how loud waist-high versus neck-high was, was largely determined by the group.

We all continued working in unison, until our leader began breaking the room into halves then quaters, before finally bringing us to a stop. It was truly amazing to see how nearly everyone in the room participated, without seeming self-conscious of the odd noises (at times it could have been described as total cacophany) they were creating. It was a testament to the power of an event like Nuit Blanche and to the people behind this exhibit that little kids (we were at a relatively early show), adults, awkward teens and adults joined with the traditional art crowd to make this happen.

Once we were all comfortable acting as a group, our leader changed things up! We were now encouraged to start new sounds, follow the sounds of others, remain silent, and create our own kind of music, both ugly and beautiful.

Often, experiments like these just dont work: people are shy, too cool, or can only join in once others are doing the same. Perhaps it was the room of people we happened to walk into, perhaps it was the enthusiasm of the leader, or maybe it was just the spirit of the evening but this interactive installation was a success.

After 16 minutes (an odd choice, I thought), the performance was declared to be over. We all clapped for one another and left. Everyone left feeling a certain exhilaration. Lots of people were excited to be invited to contribute to a piece of art. Kids were happy to be free to make the loudest, most gruesome sounds they could come up with. I was happy that I had felt comfortable enough with two new friends, and to a lesser degree a room full of strangers to participate in something quite out of my comfort zone. I think this was the greatest success of “Terrible Noises for Beautiful People”.

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