Torontonians set out for the multilayered, mind-bending treasure hunt that is Nuit Blanche

By Pooja Rambaran

Toronto hosted the 14th annual edition of Nuit Blanche, an art exhibition that kept the city awake on the night of Oct. 5 and continued into the early hours of the following Sunday morning.

Over 300 artists with nearly 90 projects sought to interpret the theme Continuum: “the interconnected and often contradictory paradoxes of life in the changing city.”

Out of the hubbub of our regular daily lives and constant gravitation towards technology, Jennifer Deighton, a first time attendee, thinks Nuit Blanche is a good way for people to come out and appreciate art and artists. 

“Perhaps, technology is taking over our lives in a big way so I think seeing artists incorporate technology into all that they do probably draws people to it,” Deighton said. “Art and technology are sort of intersecting.”

With just one night to see the art, deciding which of the projects to visit was a tough call, but below are a few from downtown Toronto that made an impact.

Kaleidoscope: A Social Media Trinity

If the long line-up at the Drake One Fifty was anything to go by, Alejandro Figueroa’s “Kaleidoscope: A Social Media Trinity,” was a clever combination of art and technology aiming to provide individuals with a social media intervention of sorts.

The human-size kaleidoscopic installation projected a live feed from the social media trinity — Instagram, Facebook and Twitter — allowing individuals to stand in the middle of the piece and contemplate their social media usage, while ironically being the perfect spot for an Instagram picture.

Peace to the Past, Reach for the Future

With energetic music reverberating throughout the air, the “Peace to the Past, Reach for the Future” sculpture stood tall against the backdrop of Old City Hall. 

Constructed by Esmaa Mohamoud and Bryan Espiritu, the hand sculptures of a two and five stood in the midst of fog and blue and purple flashing lights in honour of the Toronto Raptors’ 25 years in existence and its recent NBA championship. 

Inscribed onto the hands, Mohamoud and Espiritu mapped out the Raptors’ tumultuous 25-year journey and their vision for the team’s future.

“It looks super cool,” said Tina Suntres, third time attendee at Nuit Blanche. “It had music in and around the exhibit which I feel like kind of draws people into the art piece because sometimes you can hear the music before you can see the piece so I think that’s a cool incorporation of it.”

On Thin Ice

Standing an impressive 25 feet tall in the middle of Yonge and Dundas Square, the “On Thin Ice” exhibit, created by Ghost Atelier, was replicative of a cracked ice-shard, aiming to draw viewers’ focus on the growing concern of climate change. 

An eerie instrumental background and the occasional sound of ice cracking accompanied attendees as they walked between the crack.

First time attendee Sabrina Canerli found it to be an interesting concept. 

“I’m happy Toronto is doing some good stuff for the climate action,” Canerli said. 

However, attendee Swati Vivekananthan found “this white block” to be a little less interesting and a little more underwhelming. 

“I thought it was going to be more engaging but it seems pretty dull and boring, to be honest,” Vivekananthan said.

Lunar Garden

The tranquil soundscape of Charlotte Day Wilson played invitingly to the huge crowd attempting to get a glimpse of the highly anticipated “Lunar Garden.” 

Nathan Phillips Square was transformed into New York-based artist Daniel Arsham’s canvas with the focal point being the 30-foot light orb, representing the moon, as a tall weeping willow tree stood in front of it atop concentrically raked turquoise sand.

The installation spread throughout the square with enlarged white sculptures of everyday objects, including a camera and a clock, depicting future archaeological finds.

The Lunar Garden’s zen atmosphere was a perfect place to end off the night.