After last year’s rainy haze and cool temperatures on the night of Nuit Blanche 2006, I vowed to be prepared. Thanks to the warm temperatures however, I only needed two of the six layers of clothing which I brought with me. The addition this year of a flask of Jamesons and some dark chocolate covered raisins on the other hand, was most invigorating.

I found seven exhibits to be terribly interesting:


31 Baldwin Street to Beverley and Cecil Streets
By: McKendree Key (Brooklyn, NY)
Polish Combatants’ Association @ 206 Beverley St




Seeing this exhibit, you can’t help but feel somewhat dislocated. Literally. In front of the imposing Polish Combatant’ Association building on Beverley St lay the contents of 31 Baldwin St, exactly as they would appear inside the home. So overtly bringing the private into the public appeared to make people a bit uneasy; was it ok to touch the bed? Examine the contents of shelves? Foucault has spoken about the idea of internal policing, in which societal norms become so embedded that we eventually enforce these ideas ourselves, without any further external enforcement being necessary. This certainly appeared to be the case at this installation: I saw no one sit in the chairs or on the bed. We did not know the ‘owner’ of this home, and we weren’t quite sure if we were even invited in; we couldn’t possibly sit down.



The ‘blueprint’ of the living room lying on the kitchen table gave the sense that this surreal scene could be recreated, room by room, anywhere. The realization that this was indeed true was somewhat startling.


Midnight Mirage
By: Vessna Perunovich (Toronto)
Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School Parking Lot @60 McCaul St.




This installation was the most peaceful and calming of the entire night. It was also the simplest. With a soothing cricket chirping audio loop in the background, a tranquil group of people dressed in white shirts dined at a white clad candlelit table, quietly passing around dishes and chatting. They were so engaged, and appeared to be so enjoying themselves that I felt as if I were hiding out in the bushes of a well appointed home, peeking in at a convivial meal amongst friends. The dishes were handled with great care - even reverence – and every statement started with a smile. It is well to be reminded of the power of a simple meal (a Serbian bread and bean dish) shared with friends during this harvest season.


Transformed by Imagination
Group Exhibition
OCAD




Approaching the OCAD building, we were confronted by disco-worthy and truly over the top decorations, with projected faces speaking. Without audio. The result was a huge crowd all wondering the same thing: what are those people saying? Over and over, different faces would appear in front of a pink fun fur background for about 15 seconds and mouth a few words. “They’re all saying the same thing: ‘I love you’”, a helpful fellow informed me. A woman hearing our conversation added that anyone (...read more...)