Daniel and Long's rant

The Modernization of a Modern City - Long Do 995556633

2008-10-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Nuit Blanche, the one sleepless night in Toronto, an exciting event hosted by Scotia Bank which fills the city with contemporary art and performances - What a joyful time! Roaming the city with a friend from class, Daniel, and thousands of other spectators, was an interesting and unforgettable experience. So we started with the Internet of course! Exploring the site, we planned out what our schedule would be like. Carefully ooh-ing and aah-ing at each of the different projects, we decided on picking Zone A, just because of accessibility from TTC.

Where did we head first? Zombies! Admittedly, we thought it would be the most interesting project, and so we headed there first. ‘A series of night actions that mimic a film screening for a set for a low-budget zombie flick’ (Pamphlet) – How thrilling, how could we pass up a chance to watch the living dead? So we hopped on the TTC and got there for the opening. What was interesting was that we had to sign a waiver to get in; I really think it added to the effect that this “zone of the dead” was not amongst the rest of the world.

Caption: Hazard sign

Interestingly, we noticed the cheerfulness of the audience there. I mean for a depressing, creepy, and dark display of gore and guts, everyone was happy to be there, and immersed in taking pictures and chatting and saying “look at that guy!” Not a single person grinned or looked away, when watching the boy zombie actor showing off his acting skills.

Caption: Zombie kid walking around with a limp

The whole crowd took their place when the director showed up. The zombies eagerly awaited their instructions, aside from a few who seemed to be stuck in their zombie personas’ and had to be dragged. The rest of the living people formed circles around the zombies. They kept a distance away from the zombies so that everyone may see and take pictures. The watchers did not seem to mind just watching and the zombies did not mind just “zombie-ing”. After a while, me and my friends realized how long everything was taking, and decided to leave and rejoin the rest of the living world. Upon departing, I couldn’t help but think about the magnitude of joyful people that attended this specific event. I really thought this in turn, conveys removal from Simmel’s metropolitan lifestyle - the alienation and loneliness of modernity (Simmel).

Caption: 15 Seconds

We walked for a bit close to the Toronto Eaton Centre, to Dundas Square, for the next spectacle. “15 seconds” this one is called. The display consisted of shining a flood light from the top of a tower to a person or group of people for 15 seconds, and for those 15 seconds that person/group is considered to be instant celebrities. Being at the heart of downtown Toronto, the square was filled with the casual downtown crowd, and a lot of them were simply enjoying sitting on the seats provided and not really into the spirit of the Nuit Blanche event. It was interesting to see the differentiating reactions of the spotlight’s target. Some people gleefully waved, some even bowed, but truthfully, many just ignored the light and continued to enjoy their seat, although still assumingly felt insecure and vulnerable, like they were removed from their secure collective.

Caption: People waving at the spotlight

It was obvious the intention to “celebritize” with the red carpet and seating arrangement paralleling celebrity award shows. In theory I can appreciate the concept, it does to an extent transform the spectator into the spectacle regardless of their reaction, and they were removed from the crowd, highlighted and individualized. In any instance, the concept was very intriguing.

So out of the square and “Into the Blue” – a giant cone-shaped balloon located in the Eaton Centre: very distinguishing, very provocative, and very weird. The piece drew yet another crowd, as it was impossible not to notice, it seemed so out of place that you couldn’t help but stare at it. The majority of the people stood under it, and looked up, and it would’ve looked very humorous, except for the fact that no one seemed to care what anyone else was doing because they were too focused on the big blue balloon. From the pamphlet, the piece is supposed to allow spectators to walk under it to “experience it as an environment.” When I personally walked under it, it did feel encapsulating to me and the other people looking up, into a cone shaped container.

Furthermore, physically the people who stood under it were standing in a filled circle, which did convey Fujiwara Takahiro’s intention, and although we were inside a shopping mall, a very modern institution (Crawford), it did not function as a mall, but rather like an art gallery.

The next work entitled “Massey Hall” is a simple installation of a large 40 meter long drop ceiling on… a dark alley of trash. Ironically, so many people came and well… checked out the trash. I think we were all expecting something at the end of the alley, but instead we were greeted with an open area that leads back outside into the streets. Everyone walked down the alley, and just walked back out. Some gazed at the trash, which was planted there, and some just were more concerned with what’s at the end. As they approached the end, no one seemed to be frustrated, but remained wearing the smile they brought in. The fluorescent lights highlighted the glow in everyone, and created a neat effect. What’s interesting is the concept of applying a “modern” idea of the office, and putting it into a “modern” alley. In essence, it created art out of modern contemporary elements, that’s not supposedly art-like (Williams).

Walking for a little bit, we passed several exhibits that were closed or inaccessible and we came by a very bizarre sight.

Called “Cocoon Garden” we came to witness an infestation of really astounding hanging bright cocoons. In the middle of a small garden, we saw a bunch of illuminated tree-hanging bugs in metamorphosis. Many people were just taking pictures of the insects, but I knew I had to go up to one, and noticed something very peculiar. Each cocoon had inside, an mp3 player and speakers’ playing unique sounds. Specifically, they each played catchy jingles and commercials, on a loop, and according to the pamphlet they were suppose to hum the melodies of our desires. Therefore it can be understood from the advertisements played, that this is an attack on consumerism. Perhaps the cocoons symbolized modern civilizations hypnotic effects of advertisement, and the idea that society is “metamorphosizing” due to the effects of consumerism. Something that really caught me was that one of the cocoons played insect noises, and that humorously, was the only one playing something other than commercials, “oh the irony”!

Caption: Looks so much fun!

As we walked by several other pieces, OCAD and City Hall, which were illuminated with interactive light installations, although not much can be said about them, besides the fact that they stood out and forced everyone to notice them. I personally really enjoyed the work called “A Dream of Pastures” – an interactive mechanical bike powered apparatus that manipulates the shadows into a ride through the pastures. People crowded around a person riding a bike who displayed a shadow on the back wall, of a running horse. Again the atmosphere was different from the rest of the city, but what really was going through people’s minds was riding the horse. Although I and my friends were discouraged to line up the tremendously long line, I felt the desire to ride it. Although accomplishing nothing but maybe burning a few calories, it simply looked really fun.

We finished our 4 hour hike by walking through some smaller works, near U of T on our way to the subway. Sound Forest, and Adoration Street, was not as interactive or interesting as the other pieces we’ve seen, but they overall still demonstrated the same concepts portrayed by the rest of the works. By placing these pieces in a modern context, contemporary art transmutes the city’s architecture, dynamics, and experiences, into a destabilized societal concepts and modernity.

Toronto by Nuit Blanche - Daniel Nguyen 995551040

2008-10-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

(Click pictures to enlarge)

On October 4th, the city of Toronto has transformed into a playground, a social meeting place, a pool of contemporary art and performances. Scotia Bank marks Nuit Blanche's annual invasion of the city, brighten a city which otherwise would have suffered another usual boring night and bringing sleeplessness into the souls of Torontonians. My friends and I were were such souls. Having a map of our Zone A, and yet somehow still managed to get lost, Nuit Blanche has provided us with a night of intense, enjoyable, educational and unforgettable experience.

I must admit though, my perspective on the night is singular, as opposed to those who came to visit Nuit Blanche. While hundreds of thousands of Torontonians have come to observe the art projects displayed, I have come with a different purpose: to observe them. On an ordinary Saturday night in Toronto, Torontonians would go about their daily routines and habits. They may include weekly family reunions, a night in front of the television, a poker night, and the list goes on. Nuit Blanche is quite a special event, as it introduced a new factor into the daily lives of Torontonians. This factor, in other words, serves as a break, a pause in the routines of the citizens of Toronto. During this night, a large number of the population is given the chance to experience something that only occurs once annually, an opportunity to do something different for a change. The observations I have made reflects the rare behavior change in the population, as well as my own.

An important concept stated in the “Metropolis and the Mental Life” is that in our current way of life, there is an intensification of the nervous system. Those living the metropolitan life have a heightened sense, since the Metropolis is essentially a large battleground, where all subjects in it (population) live by the “Survival of the fittest” philosophy. This way of thinking is triggered by the need for currency, the need for money, which is the factor that dominates the Metropolis. During Nuit Blanche, I have noticed the same heightened senses. Keep in mind these senses are not triggered by money and currency this time, but by the art events. The visitors to the night have heightened their senses to look around the city, to find and explore art events. Notice the picture below, of a homeless man in a brightly lit and crowded area.

Now, notice the next photograph of a young girl taking a picture of garbage.

The heightened senses allow them to find art displays, even in liters. The reason why no one pays attention to the homeless man is because their senses are tuned to art finding. A homeless man is something they see every day, hence, is blocked out by their senses. This is an example of how Nuit Blanche allows the mind to take a break from regular life.

Moving on, the Nuit Blanche event introduces a new type of stimulation into the lives of event goers, that of mobility. According to “the growth of the city”, mobility involves change, new experiences, new stimulus into the person. In an ordinary circumstance, say on a usual Saturday night, a sports fanatic would spend his/her time at home watching sports on television, every Saturday of every week. This does not give the person new experiences, new stimulus to the mind. Essentially, the mobility dies. During Nuit Blanche, event goers are given the chance to go on an adventure, visit art events that are new to them. I myself got lost, even with a map in hand. This stimulates my mind, allows me to gain new experiences and brings be a change in my regular life. The pulse of the community, which is based upon the mobility of the population, has quickened, as mobility rises. This effect not only is healthy for people, it gives them an opportunity to exercise their minds, as opposed to repetition of weekly activities.

Furthermore, the same change can be observed on a city-wide scale. A city on an ordinary day comprises of our daily activities. It comprises of our work offices, allowing us to go to work. It comprises of school, allowing kids to go to school. It comprises of community centers and gyms, allowing us to work out, and so on. What it lacks is the social drama, which occurs when a community of people intensifies. Scotia Bank, in recreating Nuit Blanche, brought that essence of social drama. On that unique night, roads were closed, stores extended opening hours, art projects were devised, amassing hundreds of thousands of people all around the Greater Toronto Area, into an immense art community. I recall at the Ontario College of Art and Design, it was so crowded that I nearly was separated from my group of friends. Everyone who was there was locked to one another, due to the immense number of visitors who showed up. On an ordinary day at OCAD, it would be much less populated. Nuit Blanche emits that social drama that is deeply needed to pull Torontonians out of their routine mindsets.

One last discovery that I find has an immense importance is the use of this event as a way to regenerate, rejuvenate the city. We are currently in a political and economical turmoil. It is without a doubt that citizens must feel unsettled when faced with this turmoil. Nuit Blanche, in my opinion, has served as a way to get the population’s mind off of heavy topics, such as politics and the down-going economy. Torontonians who have visited Nuit Blanche will be preoccupied by the wonderful performances and art projects that were displayed, too much so to be thinking about heavy topics. Furthermore, as Toronto is in a decline with the economy, by opening up art displays and spaces, it rejuvenates the decaying city, regenerating it and restimulating it, attracting visitors not only from Toronto, but from all over Canada. I saw license plates of parked cars belonging to Quebeckers and New Yorkers, which I unfortunately missed the chance of taking a photo. This is also a chance to stimulate the tourism industry within Toronto.

Overall, despite being separated from friends, and getting lost quite a few times, it was a wonderful experience and I thought Nuit Blanche was quite a success. I regret not being able to remain for longer and to be able to vist Zone B and Zone C, and to fully appreciate this event not as an observer, but as an audience of Nuit Blanche, due to my work schedule the following day, I am nonetheless very proud to part take in this once a year art event. I will have to wait until next year for its return, so I can fully visit all three zones.

Pictures and videos were taken by me.