At 6:52 pm on Saturday, Toronto will mutate into one massive art orgy as the all-night festival of Nuit Blanche conquers the streets. Here are some of our picks for things to do before the sun rises.
Zone A: Downtown North
One of the hardest to miss installations is Stereoscope 2008 from German collective “Project Blinkenlights.” It will transform the exterior of Toronto City Hall into a kaleidoscopic projection screen by placing lamps in each of the 960 windows that the public can control through a number of interfaces. 100 Queen Street West.
Don’t miss Tom Bendtsen’s “Conversation” #2, a 13-foot structure made of 12,000 books in the tradition of his much-photographed Conversation #4. Macdonald Block Building, 900 Bay Street.
Zone B: Downtown South
Only slightly more frightening than Union Station during rush hour is Kelly Mark’s “Horridor,” where the lower west wing will house 20-foot projection screens that will show inter-spliced horror films. Union Station, 65 Front Street West, lower west entrance.
Zone C: South/West
Celebrate the thrill of destruction with the Custodians of Destruction’s aptly-named “SMASH!” Droppin’ Stuff as the Toronto collective drops things from great heights. 60 Atlantic Avenue parking lot (North of Artscape).
Author and sonic deconstructionist Brian Joseph Davis plays up the chaotic properties of sound with Original Soundtrack, in which the menu screens of 20 DVDs play simultaneously. Liberty Towers Presentation Centre (rear), 80 Lynn Williams Street.
For listings, directions, maps and TTC information, visit nuitblanche.ca.
Photo credit: Domaine de l’angle #2, 2008. BGL (Quebec City, Canada) – Sebastien Giguère, Nicholas Laverdière and Jasmin Bilodeau – Installation, BGL, Domain de l’angle, 2005, mixed media.
