Hello everyone! it took some time but it is finally done and we are happy to share our Nuit Blanche photowalk with you. We were able to attend 35 projects / installations and took just over 400 photos.
We began our journey at around 11:30 pm Eastern Standard Time in Toronto on October 5 2019. We started on Danforth Avenue and Coxwell ave. The description below explains what this particular installation is about.
East End Arts - Future Danforth Major Instillation #38
Artists: Meral Pasha with the Truth & Dare Project, Naz Rahbar, Aurorah & Soudabeh Allen-Creighton; Natalie Very B; Victor Sy Wei; Caylen Dort, Reanna Niceforo & Phil Sutherland; Walter Segers & Lilliput Gallery; Natalie Richard; Sadia Fakih; Bernadette Wyck & ShiftScape; and Ryan Phyper
Medium: Multimedia Installation
Project Type: Major Institutions
Neighbourhood: Danforth East
Encounter East Danforth as you’ve never experienced it before. A spectral Bengal tiger roams a park. Artists take over storefronts. Drawings become currency.
The Project
This neighbourhood activation will delight and surprise residents of and visitors to the East Danforth area. It will create opportunities for anyone and everyone to become creators and storytellers. Communities will come together to exchange drawings in Naz Rahbar's “Drawing Bar,” building an art installation in the process. Meral Pasha will present an animated video projection that connects resistance fighters and Bengal tigers during the time of British colonial rule in India. Plus, nine independent artists will bring storefront windows to life, creating fantastical displays for one night only. See below for the full list of locations. Despite best efforts, the free shuttle bus between Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Science Centre, Aga Khan Museum and Coxwell Station is no longer operating. All-night TTC services are available on Line 1, 2 and 3, helping audience explore the event.
The Artists
Meral Pasha with the Truth & Dare Project, Toronto, Canada
Naz Rahbar, Toronto, Canada
Aurorah & Soudabeh Allen-Creighton; Natalie Very B; Victor Sy Wei; Caylen Dort, Reanna Niceforo & Phil Sutherland; Walter Segers & Lilliput Gallery; Natalie Richard; Sadia Fakih; Bernadette Wyck & ShiftScape; and Ryan Phyper, Toronto, Canada
Meral Pasha is a Canadian artist and facilitator. They have an interest in the politics of power. Naz Rahbar is a multidisciplinary artist working in drawing, print, handmade books, performance, animation and installation. Drawing is at the core of her practice.
Acknowledgements
Danforth East Independent Storefront Projects: "The Nocturne Continuum" by Aurorah & Sudabeh, Vii Designs, 1434 Danforth; "The Dream Machine" by Natalie Very B, Future location of Baremarket, 1480 Danforth; "3D Masks" by Victor Sy Wei, Linsmore Tavern, 1298 Danforth; "Element" by Caylen Dort, MacFab, 1552 Danforth; "blue hour walk" by Reanna Niceforo, and Phil Sutherland, Face to Face Games, 1408 Danforth; "MAKE LOVE NOT WAR" Walter Segers and Lilliput Gallery, August Kinn, 1374 Danforth; "Citizen Arepa" by Natalie Richard, Pomarosa, 1504 Danforth; South Asian & Modernist Western Sculptures presented by Sadia Fakih, Red Rocket, 1364 Danforth; "ShiftScape" presented by Creative Works Studio, Vilnes Hair Salon, 1436 Danforth.
We crossed the road to start our journey along the Danforth and explored the East End Arts - Future Danforth Major Installations along the Danforth. Our first stop is at Robertson Parkette. Below is our first installation in the park.
The following description and details were provided on location by East End Arts.
Artist: Meral Pasha
PROJECT: The British and the Bengal Tiger
Meral Pasha is an interdisciplinary Canadian artist and facilitator, with an interest in post-colonial and neo-colonial narratives and the politics of power. She has a B.F.A from OCAD University and a sense of humour about life.
Website: www.meralpasha.com
The British and the Bengal Tiger
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: In 1857, during the India’s First War of Independence, the British East India Company executed soldiers and civilians who fought against the British occupation of India. This animation takes an allegorical look at the violent suppression of an effort to overthrow a colonial empire, a hundred years too early, as well as the mass slaughter of Bengal Tigers by British colonial officers during the so-called ‘British Raj’. Punch magazine and other popular British Press at the time called this ‘The British Lion’s Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger.’ The British and the Bengal Tiger, was developed under the Collecting Personal Archives workshop series that was facilitated by soJin Chun, in partnership with The Truth & Dare Project.
Right across from The British and the Bengal Tiger is the Tile-Scape.
Tile-Scape
Independent Porject #77
Artists: Kevin Winn, Archer Pechawis, L.C.I. CyberARTS
Medium: Interactive Installation
Project Type: Independent Projects
Neighbourhood: Danforth East
This expansive, interactive game board will encourage you to strategize impacts on our shared landscape.
The Project
Each “Tile-Scape” participant will be given seven Scrabble-letter-style tiles that they will position within a sculpted forest floor. Suspended from above, violet grow lights will function as an ironic, surreal source of illumination. Positioned below, speakers will play a soundscape of found urban nature sounds that evoke the resiliency of the land. “Tile-Scape” will be a microcosm of shifting patterns of language, conflict and development along the Danforth in Tkaronto. For the audience, playful and thoughtful decisions regarding voice, space and competition may be made: “What should my impact be on this ever-changing landscape? What words will I leave behind?”
The Artists
Archer Pechawis, Alert Bay, Canada
L.C.I. CyberARTS, Etobicoke, Canada
Kevin Winn is a visual arts teacher in Lakeshore Collegiate Institute’s CyberARTS program. His work has been exhibited across Canada and explores systems of understanding between individuals and environments. Working with new-media artist and Indigenous educator Archer Pechawis (Mistawasis First Nation), his Year Two CyberARTS class helped build the sculptural and sound elements for “Tile-Scape.”
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Acknowledgements
Kevin Winn acknowledges the important support of East End Arts, Danforth Mosaic BIA and Lakeshore Collegiate Institute.
From there we cross the over to the north side of the Danforth and walk west. We came across the first store front display.
Continuing to walk west along The Danforth to our next stop which had 3 installations close to each other. Starting with Vilnes Salon.
In front of VII Designs + Gifts there was a live performance. More information below on this installation.
The following description and details were provided on location by East End Arts.
ARTIST: Aurorah & Sudabeh Allen-Creighton
THEME: Future Danforth
Project: The Nocturne Continuum
The Nocturne Continuum, presented by Aurorah & Sudabeh: an all night performance art piece including live painting, live music, abstract performance and audience participation.
“One night, the earth beneath moves, and the Spirit of Music awoke within. As if from a dream, beautiful melancholic tones arose from her fingers as she exercised and explored waves of sounds, becoming encompassed by the energies of pure joy and bliss. Touched so by this wistful expression, the Spirit of Colour decides to join in. She calls forth, hues long forgotten to play, and dance into existence at the sounds she hears. Engaged and uplifted, celebrating once again with sound and colour, Universe, Spirit, and Human alike become strengthened, rejuvenated & empowered in this collective painting of the score of The nocturne Continuum.”
BIO: Aurorah, a Toronto born composer, classical planist, volcalist and electronic producer, and Soudabeh Allen-Creigton, a talented painter and graphic designer with Iranian roots.
BUSINESS: VII Designs + Gifts
Instagram @aurorahartistry @sudi_design @viidesigns @eastendartsto
And just a couple of doors away from The Nocturne Continuum is the Drawing Bar. Below are the pictures and description of this interactive installation.
The following description and details were provided on location by East End Arts.
ARTIST: Naz Rahbar
PROJECT: The Drawing Bar
Naz Rahbar is a Toronto based multimedia artist with drawing at the core of her practice, she works in print, artist books, performance, animation, and installation. Her work is often narrative based and about the dilemmas of queer, immigrant and diasporic experiences. She graduated from OCAD University with a BFA in 2009, and with bachelor of Education with a Fine Arts focus from York University in 2012. Co-director and founder of ArtCave, Naz has been working in education and an active community arts facilitator. She has shown work in and outside of Canada, and recently completed her MFA at York University.
iNSTAGRAM: @naz.rahbar @eastendartto
The Drawing Bar, by artist Naz Rahbar, is an Interactive installation, immersive exhibition, and collective art making experience. The artist will be drawing, and showcasing some of her work, while making drawings with audiences. The Bar will run on the exchange of drawings “make a drawing, take a drawing” showcasing hundreds of drawings created by people, exhibited and exchanged throughout the night. When we make a mark on a surface, we transform that surface into a virtual space, yet when we are drawing we are connecting with a non-virtual world. This world becomes a place through which we can reach the inner working of our minds, and extend into our bodies. Drawing is a place unique to our individual lived experiences. Drawing isn’t from here, a place in between dimensions, the voice of our imagination and lived bodily experiences. Drawing is a place where we confront the unknown, an elsewhere that’s not here, a place not reachable by reason. It is the interrelationship between our mind, body, and place. Drawing is physical and metaphysical, conscious and unconscious, subjective and objective trace of our being in the world.
After The Drawing Bar a brief stop at FACE to FACE GAMES.COM
We walked a little farther west and stopped at Red Rocket Coffee for this very interesting installation.
The following description and details were provided on location by East End Arts.
ARTIST: Sadia Fakih
THEME: Future Danforth
PROJECT: IT’S WINKING AT YOU
Sadia Fakih: sculptures/ assemblages made by manipulating and reconfiguring materials that represent South Asian and Modernist Western tropes. In this project, the dualities of industrial metal sheets and decorative beads and trim intertwine to express in-between spaces of newness and transformation resulting in a re-aggregated biomorphic form.
BIO: Sadia Fakin is a Canadian visual artist of Pakistani decent. In May of 2019, I completed my MFA fine arts degree at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Informed by post-colonial thought as well as the idea of play and the absurd. Fakih looks to create in her work ailen transformations which occur when imposed identities collide.
BUSINESS: Red Rocket Coffee
INSTAGRAM: @sadlaaz13, @redrocketcoffee, @eastendartsto
Then we finally cam to an end of our walk along the Danforth at The Linsmore Tavern for the last two installations on The Danforth.
The following description and details were provided on location by East End Arts.
ARTIST: Victor Sy Wei
THEME: Future Danforth
PROJECT: MASK
Masks have been used throughout history by every ethnic background and community. They have been used for disguises, performances, even for ceremonial purposes. As the Danforth community grows the diversification of the community grows with it. These 3-dimensional masks, made from found materials and plaster, represent the future of this diverse population, 5, 10, or 20 years down the road.
BIO: Victor Sy Wei is a Toronto-based artist and muralist. His pieces start with the stories of the community; bright colours are used to bring the tales of people to life.
BUSINESS: Linsmore Tavern
INSTAGRAM: @vistorsywei, @linsmoretavern, @eastendarts
So after Future Danforth Major Instillations we got on the bus and headed up to The Ontario Science Centre for The Life of the Earth installation by Director X. The slideshow below also has some photos on the interior displays at the Ontario Science Centre.
Life of the Earth
Artist: Director X
Special Project #23
Medium: Multimedia Installation
Project Type: Special Projects
Neighbourhood: Don Mills
Director X will return with his thought-provoking “Life of the Earth,” a follow-up to his monumental “Death of the Sun,” which wowed crowds at Nuit Blanche 2016.
The Project
“Life of the Earth” will reflect on humanity, environmental destruction and the sixth mass extinction of plant and animal life currently happening on our planet. This installation will allow for time travel from Pangaea to the Anthropocene to an Earth 100,000 years beyond humankind. Along the way, it will illustrate drastic changes that have transformed the planet. The Earth will be seen as if from space—a key vantage point for illuminating a state of emergency and the urgency to mitigate human impact on climate change. This will be the second part of a series, following “Death of the Sun,” which premiered at Nuit Blanche in 2016. The earlier work followed the sun through its life cycle, offering a deeply personal and highly evocative meditation on human morality and our place in the universe. This first piece, portraying the death of the sun that sustains us, will also be on display. Despite best efforts, the free shuttle bus between Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Science Centre, Aga Khan Museum and Coxwell Station is no longer operating. All-night TTC services are available on Line 1, 2 and 3, helping audience explore the event.
Extended Project Details: The project will be on view from September 21, 2019 to January 5, 2020 with a ticketed admittance to the Ontario Science Centre.
The Artist
Director X has directed videos for popular artists including Kendrick Lamar, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Drake, as well as feature films. He marks his spot with grand narratives, graphic visuals and emotional storytelling that encapsulates the human condition. He has been working in the realm of monumental installation and contemporary art since 2016.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this project is provided by The Government of Ontario
Project produced in partnership with Ontario Science Centre 50
Created in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre. Thanks to their researchers Dr. Mary Jane Conboy, P.Geo and Karen Hager. Thanks to Lance Niño, Krista Palen, Martin Czachor and Coral Morphologic. Multimedia Research and Design: Simon Clemo / TACIT Media. CGI: Normal Studios, Montreal. Soundscape: Yan Dal Santo / Apollo Studios. Curators of "Death of The Sun" in 2016—Michael Prokopow and Janine Marchessault.
After our visit we jumped back on the bus and made our way to The Scarborough Town Centre.
Tepknuset
Queens and Kings of Scarborough #15
Artist: Jordan Bennett
Medium: Sculptural Installation
Project Type: Queens and Kings of Scarborough
Curator: Ashley McKenzie-Barnes
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
A new sculptural work by an award-winning artist reflects on Mi’kmaq visual culture to depict narratives around land, home and our place in the universe.
The Project
For this site-specific installation, a series of hanging fabric works will be suspended over a busy public space. Some of the elements will be inspired by common road signs and their everyday material. Other elements will tell of a place, a marker, a law or a direction as embedded in Mi’kmaq visual culture. Viewers will be able to read stories from any entry point, following shape, colour and form to experience narratives of land, home and our place in the universe. By navigating the space, visitors will visually rearrange images to create unique and multi-dimensional experiences from any angle. And just as approaches to stories in this installation will change, the installation itself will adapt to the ever-changing weather conditions in a Scarborough courtyard. Stories don’t just have to be told in just one way; these tales, like storytellers themselves, can adapt to different conditions.
Extended Project Details: This project will be on view until October 14th, open 24/7.
The Artist
Jordan Bennett, Terence Bay, Canada
Jordan Bennett is a multidisciplinary visual artist who lives and works on his ancestral territory, Mi’kma’ki, in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia. Bennett has participated in over 80 group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. He has received several awards and honours, most notably having been shortlisted for the 2018 Sobey Art Award.
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We went in to the mall and we were already at our second art installation by Mark “Kurupt” Stoddart.
ReConnected STC
Artist: Mark “Kurupt” Stoddart
Medium: Multimedia Installation
Project Type: Queens and Kings of Scarborough
Curator: Ashley McKenzie-Barnes
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
How can we get better at recognizing the contributions and achievements of individuals who were raised in Scarborough and surrounding communities?
The Project
This project will reconnect the local community with some of its many extraordinary individuals. It will do this by displaying life-sized images within the Scarborough Town Centre—itself an important community gathering place for more than 40 years. Selected individuals will also be represented through photos, conversations, archival images and texts offered in collaboration with local newspaper the “Scarborough Mirror.” Scarborough and its surrounding communities have expanded quickly. So this will be a meeting ground—a way of re-establishing connections with residents, educating visitors, and celebrating the achievements of this region’s pioneers and rising stars. Let’s strengthen key bonds through communication and emotional connection while reflecting on the successes and accomplishments of Scarborough’s people. “Reconnected STC” invites a journey to a place of remembering. Travel to a place within oneself while recognizing the achievements of so many neighbours, friends and ancestors.
Extended Project Details: This project will be on view until October 14th. Open within TTC hours.
The Artist
Mark “Kurupt” Stoddart, Toronto, Canada
Mark Stoddart combines a passion for music and sports with a spirit of social activism and a commitment to educate and unite. Stoddart’s ideas reflect his personal commitment to celebrating the passion, struggle and accomplishments of Black artists and athletes who broke colour barriers and came to stand as powerful symbols of North American culture.
Acknowledgements
Queens: Mahlikah Awe:ri, Shary Boyle, Bernice Carnegie, Mitzie Hunter, Yusra Khogali, Carrianne Leung, Natasha Ramsahai, Fly Lady Di (Diana C. Reyes), Lilly Singh, Shameless Maya (Maya Washington). Kings: Jim Creegan, Dwayne DeRosario, Jamaal Magloire, Louis March, Sam Moncada, Dwayne Morgan, Kardinal Offishall, Jagmeet Singh, Maestro (Wes Williams).
As we walked through the mall we came across Photography Installation. These 3 sided billboards really caught the attention of all visitors. Two of the sides had photos and the third side had poems.
From Boys to Men: The unearthing of a poorly structured identity
Independent Project #80
Artist: Anthony Gebrehiwot
Medium: Photography Installation
Project Type: Independent Projects
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
This photo series will confront, challenge and reimagine how masculinity is perceived, consumed and accepted.
he Project
“From Boys to Men” will present a series of images that challenge how masculinity can fit into today’s society. “Toxic masculinity” is a term that has been thrown around loosely in the public sphere without investigating all the ways that it seeps into our cultural fabric. In response to this, “From Boys to Men” will aim to provoke audiences to reconsider, redefine and reimagine how masculinity can present itself. It can be manifested, the artist believes, in a way that is healthy, liberal, non-harming and inclusive.
The Artist
Anthony Gebrehiwot , Scarborough, Canada
Anthony Gebrehiwot is a photographer, community leader and social entrepreneur whose creative lens re-envisions photography as an ongoing dialogue of change between subject and society.
Acknowledgements
Anthony Gebrehiwot would like to thank all the artists involved in making this project come to life. Gebrehiwot would also like to thank Nuit Blanche for providing the platform to share the work.
Next as we walk back through the food court there were these interesting illustration banners. The description below explains the meaning behind the art.
From the food court we head back outside to Albert Campbell Square.
Scarborough Royalty
Queens and Kings of Scarborough #11
Artist: Durothethird
Medium: Interactive Installation
Project Type: Queens and Kings of Scarborough
Curator: Ashley McKenzie-Barnes
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
In a tribute to his hometown, Durothethird makes royalty of everyone in this immersive installation combining graffiti with sculpture.
The Project
Scarborough-based artist Durothethird brings elements of street art to the public, creating an immersive experience where viewers are reminded of their royal roots. Combining graffiti’s raw energy with a participatory sculpture, this artwork will give every resident of Scarborough—and beyond—the opportunity to be queen or king of this domain. Drawing on narratives from the diverse geographies that make up the borough, the artist will showcase his pride in coming from an area of the GTA that has evolved and contributed to this city’s cultural fabric. Participants will be able to stake their claim as “Scarborough Royalty” with reflective pieces of Duro’s early graffiti work. Viewers will also be able to explore various areas of the borough through a large-scale map. The installation is dedicated to its patrons by a resident artist who has used the streets and public spaces of this community as his canvas since 1989. The artist himself spent much of his youth in the very courtyard where this installation will reside.
Extended Project Details: This project will be on view until October 14th. Open 24/7.
The Artist
Beginning his artistic career at the age of 13, Scarborough-based artist Durothethird has made murals that can be spotted throughout Scarborough, including along the Scarborough RT. His work spans Canada, Australia and the United States, and his clients include Google, Sprint, Tiesto, MGM Grand, Facebook, Adidas and Walmart, as well as many local entrepreneurs.
As we walked to the next installation we found this Land Acknowledgment which you will see more and more at events in Toronto. The details of the sign are below.
From the sign we walked over to Albert Campbell Square Pond To see WATER SHINE.
From there we went inside the Scarborough Civic Centre to see ……three kings weep….. installation.
Our next stop inside the Civic Centre was The Miss Chief Testickle Picture Show. Now we weren’t able to get any good photo’s of the move but we did provide a website to some of Kent Monkman’s work.
From the theater we went back outside and around the Civic Centre to Scarborough Made.
Scarborough Made
Queens and Kings of Scarborough #19
Artists: Alex Narvaez, Sid Naidu
Medium: Multimedia Installation
Project Type: Queens and Kings of Scarborough
Curator: Ashley McKenzie-Barnes
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
“Scarborough Made” opens up a window onto the humanity that exists in Toronto’s east. It documents these stories through film and photography.
The Project
“Scarborough Made” will offer stories told by everyday people from Scarborough: These are hardworking families and immigrants. These are people you don’t always see on television or hear on the radio. These are holders of the real stories of Scarborough. These are the very kings and queens writing this community’s legacy. Documented through the creative vision of Alex Narvaez and Sid Naidu, “Scarborough Made” is a platform that will aim to build community. Founded on the idea of continuum, the goal is to document and preserve untold narratives of this community and inspire future generations of creatives and storytellers.
The Artists
Alex Narvaez is a director and cinematographer. He has worked alongside major networks and some of the world’s biggest artists, telling stories through visuals. Sid Naidu is a creator and changemaker who has documented humanity for social good in Asia, Australia and the Americas.
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to the people of Scarborough who have contribute their stories to this project: Amey Lai, Ashley Mckenzie-Barnes, Bishop Brigante, Doris Sneddon, Dr Flora de Maria, Dr. Paul Caulford, Dwayne Morgan, Ella Avila, Errol Anthony Cardozo, Hamza Khan, JaNae & Shanna Armogan, Jennifer Lee, Kareem "Choclair" Blake, Katrina Thorne, Keysha Freshh, Kiana “Rookz” Eastmond, Mario Narvaez, Melissa Ayisi, Natasha Ramoutar, Niruba Selvanantharajah, Oriana Knights, Paul "Kaze" Thurton, Rachael Chen-Netto, Randell Adjei, Trevor Godinho, Wes "Maestro" Williams.
From Scarborough Made we walked out to Borough Drive to see the installation Below the City. This was a very well though out idea that helps to illustrate the cultural diversity of the city of Scarborough.
Walking west along Borough Dr. we come to our next Installation, Revolutions. This was an interactive installation with a twist.
Revolutions
Independent Project # 88
Artists: The E.W.o.C. Project, Monica Gutierrez, Car Martin, Daniela Rocha, Francine Peltier, Curtia Wright
Medium: Interactive Installation
Project Type: Independent Projects
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
This project invites audiences to join artists in painting a rotating cylindrical canvas. “Revolutions” echoes how artists build on each other's ideas, works and wisdom.
The Project
“Revolutions” is a participatory and performative painting installation, that will bring movement to the usually static process of collaborative mural-making. Nuit Blanche audiences, alongside five female-identified IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, People of Colour) artists will paint a curving structure that is in constant motion throughout the night. Artists will stay in fixed places as the bicycle-powered structure slowly rotates. Inevitably, artists will paint over each other’s work; this will create a constant cycle of creation and destruction, of building up and layering over. “Revolutions” hopes to vibrantly render the intersecting stories of women of colour in Toronto and Scarborough. Artists and audiences will work together to make these narratives seen, and will create a tapestry that combines them into a larger form. “Revolutions” holds a double meaning: it refers to the rotating motion of the structure, as well as the empowering theme of collaboration in marginalized communities.
The Artists
The E.W.o.C. Project, Toronto, Canada
Monica Gutierrez, Toronto, Canada
Daniela Rocha, Toronto, Canada
Francine Peltier, Toronto, Canada
Curtia Wright, Toronto, Canada
The E.W.o.C. Project highlights women of colour and their intersecting identities through community-based art projects, workshops and street arts. The project is co-presented with Monica Gutierrez. Gutierrez is a Toronto-based Colombian artist, producer and director of films and videos. For "Revolutions," the E.W.o.C. Project and Gutierrez partner with architect Car Martin and artists Daniela Rocha, Francine Peltier, and Curtia Wright.
Acknowledgements
This project was supported through Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding.
The “Revolutions” team would like to thank the TAC Animating Toronto Streets program, and the George Brown College School of Design.
From there we head inside to the Toronto Public Library - Scarborough Civic Centre Branch to see Visualizing the East Side: A STEAM Project.
Visualizing the East Side: A STEAM Project
Artist: Mary Ward STEAMpunks
Medium: Interactive Installation
Project Type: Independent Projects
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
Facilitated by students, these interactive installations will draw meaning from visitors’ data. That information will formulate artful results throughout Nuit Blanche.
The Project
The Mary Ward STEAMpunks will bring interdisciplinary learning to life through artful interactive experiences in “Visualizing the East Side: A STEAM Project.” In the main space of the Scarborough Civic Centre Library, visitors will co-create engaging data visualizations aided by senior students from Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School. These visualizations will use a variety of media to demonstrate the intersections of math, art and technology. Interactive installations will animate a series of data points collected from the public over a 12-hour period. One line graph will ask visitors to plot out their social identities using coloured yarn on a 12-foot-long display, for instance. Not only will these data visualizations offer an informative snapshot of Nuit Blanche visitors in the east end, but they will also yield artistic results. Beautiful patterns will emerge from the information gathered. Meaningful conclusions and aesthetic experiences will be born from data.
The Artist
The Mary Ward STEAMpunks are a collective of senior math, technology and art students from Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School. They are committed to interdisciplinary and inquiry-based learning through the arts and public interaction. They are also dedicated to bringing artful educational experiences to wider audiences in Scarborough and beyond. They are assisted by teachers Marissa Largo, Michelle Albert, and Dave Emer.
Acknowledgements
The Mary Ward STEAMpunks would like to acknowledge the support of the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Heading out side we noticed Scarborough Sign from the 2018 Nuit Blanche. Below is a picture that we took this year and below that is a picture that we took in 2018.
Facebook ♦ Twitter ♦ Pinterest ♦ Instagram ♦ 500px ♦ Website Scarborough Arts MEDIAH - Scarborough, Canada Scarborough-based multidisciplinary artist MEDIAH will paint live on the 36-foot-long Scarborough Sign to start off the evening. The public will be invited to witness a new creation unfold before their eyes in this street-performance-style public-art installation that blurs the lines between post-graffiti art and dynamic abstraction.
From the Library we went back into the mall and our first stop is Ephemeral Artifacts.
Ephemeral Artifacts
Special Project # 24
Artist: Anandam Dancetheatre/Brandy Leary
Medium: Interactive Installation
Project Type: Special Projects
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
This sonic, sculptural and performance installation offers the experience of slowing time, space and the senses. The dancing bodies of Scarborough are honoured here.
The Project
This project will make visible practices shaped by the bodies that have made this place home. This will be done in part by working with South Asian and Afro/Caribbean communities in the Scarborough region. During Nuit Blanche, artists will be in continuous performance. Audiences will be invited to witness, as well as to participate in, the meditative action of stringing fresh jasmine garlands. These garlands will contribute to an accumulation of senses in the space. Diverse, imaginative spaces will unfold—spaces with expanded considerations for liveness, presence and absence in this contemporary moment. Gathering around diverse and divergent aesthetics will also be emphasized. Reimagining values of beauty, virtuosity, innovation, tradition, ritual and community shall be primary. Held in a sculptural space of suspended bells, this installation will remain after the night of Nuit Blanche, imbued with the energy of performance.
Extended Project Details: This project will be available for extended viewing during regular Scarborough Town Centre hours until October 13th.
The Artist
Anandam Dancetheatre/Brandy Leary, Toronto, Canada
Anandam Dancetheatre creates and presents dance and performance shaped by values of presence and collective inquiry. It is inclusive of diverse bodies and movement practices, and receptive to a multitude of viewpoints on the dancing body, as well as experiences of time, space and the senses.
Acknowledgements
Sponsored by Scarborough Town Centre
Choreography/Sculpture: Brandy Leary, Composition and Sonic Design: Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, Dance Artists: Nivedha Ramalingam, Mafa Makhubalo, Tamla Matthews, Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, Nithya Garg, Harikishan S Nair
Now we are on our way to our last stop in Scarborough and it is another interactive installation. It’s called Handshack.
As we walked in to the MaRS district build for the Transformation exhibition you start your journey through looking at a big plastic cup. There is a straw and another Plastic bottle, these are known as Natural Plastic exhibition that is show cased along with all the other displays in Transformations.
Natural Plasticity is a traveling sculpture, art installation bringing the impact of large scale consumer behavior around plastic and the environment into view. Here is their website https://www.naturalplasticity.com
Transformation
Special Project # 90
Artists: Fezz Stenton, Daniel Lanois
Medium: Interactive Installation
Project Type: Special Projects
Neighbourhood: Downtown
This immersive, multi-sensory exhibit will bring the beauty of nature to life inside the soaring MaRS atrium, highlighting the urgent need to protect our ravaged planet.
The Project
This project is a rallying cry for our planet. A call for everyone to work together and support the innovators who are combating today’s mounting threats to our environment. Featuring an immersive, multimedia experience set in the soaring, cathedral-like MaRS atrium, "Transformation" will include 3D projections, super-sized sculptures, interactive light displays and informative videos. It also will include special contributions by Canadian icons Margaret Atwood and Daniel Lanois, who has composed a new soundscape for the event. Visitors will wade through a projection-mapped, plastic-clogged river, dodging massive, inflatable sculptures, prompting them to re-examine their own behaviours around single-use-plastics. They’ll gaze up at an enormous, glowing orange orb—a reminder of the catastrophic effects of earth’s rising temperatures—before arranging their own beautifully-lit pathway as they walk through a series of touch-sensitive, LED Nanoleaf light panels.
The Artists
Daniel Lanois, Toronto, Canada
Occupied VR, creators of the virtual river, specializes in interactive media & experiential activations that combine projection mapping, photogrammetry, videogrammetry and 360 ̊ filmmaking. Grammy-award-winning Daniel Lanois is a Canadian musician and record producer. He has produced albums for a range of renowned artists, including Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris and U2.
Acknowledgements
Sponsored by
Natural Plasticity sculptures by Jana Cruder and Matthew LaPenta; Projection mapping by Pixel Magic Design Inc.; Interactive light display by Nanoleaf.
While I was walking through the Nanoloeaf portion of this installation I came across this small opening in one of the panels. There was only this flyer there. It was for the Global Rebellion on October 7th. I don’t think this was what the card holder inside of the the opening was for. What this is , is a sign of the times.
As I was walking back to the entrance, when I reached this point all of a sudden I hear “we are waking up.” This sound bite was very clear loud and distinct. It was from Greta Thunberg’s address at the United Nations. Certainly, the times are changing.
From the MaRS district we headed down to Yonge and Dundas Square “On Thin Ice.”
From Yonge and Dundas Square we went to Nathan Phillip’s Square for the “Lunar Garden”
Lunar Garden
Daniel Arsham # 10
Artist: Daniel Arsham
Medium: Installation
Project Type: Daniel Arsham
Neighbourhood: Downtown
In the largest Japanese-inspired garden he’s ever created, Daniel Arsham will bring the moon to downtown Toronto—along with his iconic brightly coloured sand and sculptures.
The Project
Visitors will be able to take a break from the everyday and Zen out in this surreal world. A 30-foot (nine-metre) light orb resembling the moon will light up a landscape made of colourful sand. The sculptures—enlarged casts of everyday objects—will hint at future archeological finds. Shifting between a centuries-old tradition, an artist's creative interpretation, and an implied future, the garden plays with motifs of permanence and impermanence creating a work that has the tendency to float in time. This signature style of reimagined architecture continues the artist’s past work—including colour-gradient sand paintings which present raked Zen gardens in a static, vertical format. The artist’s recent shift away from black, white and gray tones became possible with special glasses that correct his colourblindness. These allow him to see a broader, more vibrant spectrum—one he will share with Toronto through this otherworldly and luminous “Lunar Garden.”
Extended Project Details: The "Lunar Garden" will be on view until Friday October 11th (open daily 10am to 10pm). The piece will be accompanied by an original soundscape by Charlotte Day Wilson.
The Artist
Working in sculpture, architecture, drawing and film, Daniel Arsham creates ambiguous, in-between spaces, staging what he refers to as “future relics of the present.” His interest in fictional archaeology stems from childhood memories of the wreckage of Hurricane Andrew, which hit his Miami hometown in 1992. Arsham has exhibited in major museums around the globe.
Acknowledgements
Sponsored by Shiseido Ginza Tokyo
Funding provided by The Ontario Government
Here is a slideshow of the Lunar Garden.
Out on the street beside Nathan Phillip’s Square was a really interesting and though provoking installation, Project GUNK.
Project GUNK
Independent Project #66
rtists: Reza Nik, Matthew Davis
Medium: Installation
Project Type: Independent Projects
Neighbourhood: Downtown
This installation re-imagines the waste generated by Toronto’s 25 wards. Through collection, knolling and assembly, discarded objects are combined and constructed into sculptures.
The Project
Over the years, Toronto has become a major contributor to making Canada one of the world’s largest garbage producers. The artists’ interests lie in this residue, which is a result of the city’s new “sparkle.” Considering cycles of destruction and creation, this project will focus on the gap between spotless and landfill realities. “Project GUNK” is named for “junk” and for “gomi,” a Japanese word for “dust” or “garbage.” This installation will explore and expose our wasteful material culture by giving attention to the forgotten or dismissed. The artists aim to develop an alternative to Toronto’s current “continuum” within the landscape of our city. “Project GUNK” will be attempting a movement though its actions. Visitors will be encouraged to engage, celebrate and reflect on one of Toronto's most important topics.
The Artists
Reza Nik is a Toronto-based experimentalist with a background in art history and architecture. He teaches at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture and runs a small trans-disciplinary design practice. Matthew Davis is a New York-based designer, as well as an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, and Parsons School of Design.
Acknowledgements
This project was supported through Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding.
And just down the street in front of Old City Hall sculpture dedicated to The Toronto Raptors.
And our last stop of the morning The Eaton Centre Bridge.
Chasing Red
Special Project # 21
Artist: Bekah Brown
Medium: Multimedia Installation
Project Type: Special Projects
Neighbourhood: Downtown
A dynamic light installation depicting the northern lights is created by Bekah Brown, an artist of Anishinaabe descent who grew up on Dene territory.
The Project
"Chasing Red" is an interactive dynamic light installation depicting the northern lights, which will be housed in CF Toronto Eaton Centre bridge. The installation will create a space of solace while honouring Indigenous cultures. In Anishinaabe culture, the northern lights are a manifestation of Spirit Moon, the first moon of the year. It is a time of reflection, of contemplating who we are and our role in the continuum of life. In Dene culture, red in the northern lights indicates a violent death. "Chasing Red" will consist primarily of green lighting with red breaking through periodically to acknowledge and honour missing and murdered Indigenous women. The jingle dance, a sacred dance that respects the healing power of women and their connection to Mother Earth, will be performed at sunset and sunrise to the sounds of drum groups’ singing. These performances will effectively dissipate the red light as a symbol of hope for necessary healing.
The Artist
Bekah Brown, Toronto, Canada
Bekah Brown is continually learning her Anishinaabe culture, using her creative practices to connect and to heal. She aims to use her privilege as a white-presenting Anishinaabe woman to amplify the voices of Indigenous women. She also wants to use the platforms she can access to foreground issues Indigenous people continue to face.
Acknowledgements
Sponsored by Cadillac Fairview
The artist thanks HXOUSE for the emerging artist mentorship program. Special thanks to Jijanhdah (B. Kelly Curley), member of the Onondaga Nation, Beaver Clan, Six Nations, for sharing his knowledge.
It is 7:07am when I took this photo and the sun is about to rise which means The 2019 edition of Nuit Blanche is about to end. Some of the projects are extended and we took the opportunity to visit them. The following pictures are from Old Fort York.
And that’s a wrap for Nuit Blanche 2019.