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BY AMANDA BUCKIEWICZ AND KAREN WHALEY
The numbers haven't come in yet, but anyone with eyes could tell that this year's Nuit Blanche crowds amounted to much more than 2006's paltry 425,000 attendees. The entire city swelled with people in its every nook and cranny until the wee hours of the morning. And of course, with people comes congestion, lineups, and an all around sense of chaos.
The general consensus of Nuit Blanche 2007 is a sense of disappointment. Sure, it was fun, but it was the oatmeal-raisin cookie to last year's triple-chocolate-chip. Did we set the bar too high? The sequel is never really as good as the first blockbuster hit. Is it the fault of the artists? There was, without a doubt, a ton of hard work put forth by each and every person involved, so that's doubtful. Was it poorly planned? It seemed to have more planning than last year, and last year's two major problems (lack of transportation and terrible weather) were not a factor this time around. Too much planning? The questions go on.
Though the crowds were too dense and it was nearly impossible to see every exhibit in one night, the sheer scale and scope of Nuit Blanche was remarkable. One couldn't help feeling as though they were part of a historic event in Toronto culture. We had a great time.
Best of all, the evening inspired Torontoist's loyal band of Flickr contributors to take some stunning photographs. After recovering for several days from the up-all-night sleepies, we picked some of the best photos of Nuit Blanche 2007 from the Torontoist Flickr Pool—check out over forty photos after the jump!
Photo by Discovery and Conquest.
The TTC provided all-night transit as promised. Thanks, Mr. Giambrone.
Photo by Eyeline-Imagery.
Enormous crowds gathered around an alien crash site at King's College Circle.
Photo by Eyeline-Imagery.
If you made it into the tent beside the crash site, you would have witnessed a pietà starring E.T. and Yoda.
Photo by synchros.
For Cloudscape at the Eaton's Centre, people drew their own clouds...
Photo by synchros.
...while audiences laid back on "grass" to watch them float by.
Photo by Amanda Buckiewicz.
Hundreds packed into the AGO to watch vampire movies, check out some art, and dance all night before the gallery closed for renovation.
Photo by Petecat.
Only a special few (hundred) were allowed up the CN Tower during Nuit Blanche to photograph the city lights, so a lot of dazzling photos that looked like this ended up in the Flickr pool.
Photo by Miles Storey.
Torontoist writer Miles Storey caught this lovely view at sunrise.
Photo by exMOHAX.
Nightless City seemed suspiciously like Pride or any other festival where they shut down Church Street from Wellesley to Alexander.
Photo by Jamie Bradburn.
Local artist Jesika Joy (Warning: Very NSFW) stirred up some controversy as she sang songs, dressed in a wedding gown, while caressing a lamb carcass. At times, she plunged her hands into its body cavities. Yum.
Photo by Discovery and Conquest.
Newmindspace's String of Diamonds.
Photo by Reza Vaziri.
The doorway to Hart House, where we saw Dean Baldwin (who we last caught at Mercer Union) serving drinks in his Minibar.
Photo by glenn.afalla.
I Really Should by Kelly Mark in the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery.
Photo by Claudia & Jerome.
The Iconoclash: Night of Awe Dance Party was great fun to watch: volunteer dancers were projected onto a giant screen in Grange Park. It had something to do with idol worship. We got it.
Photo by Discovery and Conquest.
That's a bargain, if you don't mind visiting Dr. Fauxreel.
Photo by arcticlamb.
Noboru Tsubaki's 50-foot inflatable locust. We told you it was going to be huge.
Photo by neuroticjose.
The lineup to get into Lower Bay station was described by one observer as "Disneyland-long". At times, it stretched from Bay Street to Yonge Street and back again.
Photo by arcticlamb.
Incursion by Craig Walsh.
Photo by Miles Storey.
West Queen West, still packed in the wee-est of the wee hours.
Photo by Miles Storey.
Rachel McRae's chocolate stag under wraps.
Photo by synchros.
Mobile Rave: because raves didn't die out in the late 1990's, they just went mobile.
Photo by arcticlamb.
A geodesic dome made out of fluorescent lights by Michael Bartosik.
Photo by arcticlamb.
Photo by Henry Roxas.
Anna Madelska's Balloonscape.
Photos by dpnsan.
Dancers haunted audiences at Casa Loma's stables.
Photo by exMOHAX.
Peter Riedel balances rocks. He likes to do that all over the city.
Photo by Jessica C.
Secret Heart, a Postsecret-inspired exhibit inviting passers-by to attach their secrets to a fence at Church and Alexander.
Photo by Jessica C.
I sometimes wish I was a unicorn.
Photo by Metrix X.
When we arrived there at 2:00 a.m., Ryerson seemed nearly abandoned. The effect of this misty toilet fountain in Devonian pond was haunting.
Photo by Amanda Buckiewicz.
Serbian artist Vessna Perunovich served a bread and bean dish to a rotating door of famished visitors in an attempt to stimulate social exchange. Drunk off backpack beer at 4:00 a.m., this was the best place to be.
Photo by Jason Carlin.
Have you noticed that every time something happens in Toronto, those kids from the internet show up dressed like zombies and dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"? We didn't realize there were so many 13 Going on 30 fans in this city.
Photo by inventor_77.
Trinity Bellwoods Park featured promotional booths, wacky cutouts, and drunken hipsters singing Little Mermaid songs.
Photo by Gary Campbell.
"Watcher" by Millie Chen. How very Rear Window.
Photo by reflex6002.
Word on the street was that people actually woke up to attend Word on the Street in Queen's Park on Sunday. They had a more nocturnal event the night before that asked people to contribute their ideas to a story about the city.
Photo by Torontochub27.
Sculptures at the OCAD Gallery, which may give us nightmares forever.
Photo by Jason Carlin.
Night owls at the OCAD Gallery. Night owls, get it? Nuit Blanche from dusk till dawn? Anybody?
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Before we killed all the developers and real estate agents, didn't we get them to sign something that says that Trinity Bellwoods isn't in Parkdale. I seem to recall it also said something about the Lower Annex and Upper Beaches being neither, but the memory grows dim...Or maybe you meant to imply that NB was like St. Patricks Day or a kind of Parkdale Pride night and all Toronto was, for one glorious evening, just-under-the-bridge-and-past-Dufferin. ak
So, let me get this straight. Even though you found every aspect you mentioned of this year's event was better than last year's, you still found the event to be a disappointment? Only on Torontoist.. You people hate everything!
Personally, I thought this year's was perfect sequel to last year. Last year set the craziness standard, and this year broke through it with way more people, way more energy, and way more all around fun. As I said to my friend as we walked through the swarms of people on Queen Street, Nuit Blanche has totally stolen Canada Day in Ottawa's place in my heart as my favourite "one day festival" this country has to offer.
Great pictures by the way.
My bad, guest 1. I'm from the east side, and that whole West Queen West area is just a blur for me. It's fixed.
For me, james a, the largest factor of disappointment was being constantly stepped on by the enormous crowds and not being able to see things like Lower Bay station or Yoda+E.T. or vampire movies at the AGO because of the lineups. It was a pretty unpleasant experience.
However, I do think it's impressive that they were able to put together a contemporary art thing on so grand a scale. I just wish I had gotten to see more "art".
And despite what people think, Torontoist doesn't hate everything. We just don't always write upbeat PR crap.
The TTC couldn't handle the crowds either.
It was a total disappointement to me as well. I showed up to the Bata Shoe museum at 5am and it was kicking people out. I barely got to see anything because of the crowds, and when you did you barely had time to appreciated before being jostled away by the tide of people. I thought that by staying up later i'd be able to beat the crowds, but many events packed up early!
(And to top it all off though it's not entirely the organisers' fault, I had a craving for pizza at 3h30 am and there was NO food (other than popcorn, which really didn't hit the spot..)available ... did none of the local eateries (I don't mean sponsors, i mean local!) not think to extend their hours just a wee bit and get some good business in?...or is it that i just don't know where all the 24h places are? (*cough* this would never happen in Mtl *cough* *cough*)
Also I waited an hour for the Bathurst bus.
Basically, it was an overall feeling of disappointed mingled with the knowledge that it's a great idea and event.....
Oh no! Not crowds! At an arts festival? How inconvenient. Don't people know that art is only for a few people?
I spent quite a bit of time on the Grange Park dance floor. It was superawesome.
Coincidentally, my friend's band played a free concert Saturday night completely unconnected to Nuit Blanche, but the venue left the entire front of the building open (the band plays at the front facing the back) so it was really fun to see all the people walking by thinking it was part of some uber-artsy Nuit Blanche deal.
Also, the line for Lower Bay sucked, but it was pretty cool once we got in. Especially after watching one of my friends get busted for trying to pry open the doors of a subway car to see if we can party in there.
I don't understand how this year's event could in any way be considered a disapointment or a failure. The crowds were larger and the installations were as good, if not better, than last year. It was certainly planned better.
Yes, there are improvements that could be made. The TTC has admitted that they didn't expect it to be this successful and promised they would plan better for bext year.
Sure the novelty has worn off a bit and we might be a bit more blase and cynical about it all. But we get that way about anything that takes off in this city, don't we? We're Torontonians. Complaining about Toronto is what we do best.
I agree with James A. Why is "the general consensus" a disappointment? Nuit Blanche invited people to participate in the arts. Everyone was having a good time. People stayed up all night, everyone had fun. I have heard nothing but how good a time real people had. Unfortunately I have not been to Ottawa for Canada Day so I can't say that it stole my heart from it, but it actually got it! It was fun, it was great, good times, good memories.
I'm noting a definite lack of consensus that the "consensus" was disappointed with Nuit Blanche (so please avoid projecting your disappointement onto the rest of us). This was my first attendance, so I can't compare it to last year, but I thought that the energy from the massive turnout was the best part of the night.
Yeah there were big lineups - but that's the beauty of having a city full of different shows: I started out at the Lower Bay station, saw the lineup and got the hell out of there. I went back at 6 a.m., and there wasn't a lineup anymore...
I would echo the comment above that referenced the TTC problem. After waiting seemingly forever at Queen and Spadina for a streetcar, a full one came by and didn't even stop...so I ended up walking down to Trinity (so, Mr. Giambrone, it wasn't the pedestrians on Queen slowing them down - there were too few streetcars!).
Also very cool: reading that despite the massive crowd, combined with the Bill Cosby idiom that no good can come from being out after midnight - not a single crime associated with Nuit Blanche.
I don't really see the beauty in lineups.
Also, we now have a poll about Nuit Blanche on the main page, so I guess we can talk more definitely about consensuses once the results come in. But, so far, it ain't looking good for Team Yay Nuit Blanche.
I stuck to the Queen West end, because I live there, and I for one can say Nuit Blanche pretty much sucked. At least in my neighbourhood anyway.
Crowds are one thing (and I actually do love the energy of them - like for instance at the CNE). But these crowds were largely drunk/high and were pushing people (as in me) into oncoming traffic and completely blocking ALL access to all of the exhibits. Like completely. There needed to be more planning for crowd control. Like maybe just shut Queen street down next time maybe. We didn't even consider going farther than our zone, because we could barely get out of our front door.
As for the exhibits - mostly pretty lame.
The giant locust and the pink building were all right. Kinda neat to look at, but that's pretty much all you can do, right? Just sorta glance up at them and go, "hey, that's kinda neat," and move on.
I might have liked the giant aquarium thing - if I could have gotten anywhere near it -Thankfully I saw them rehearsing earlier in the week, so I got the gist.
They turned Trinity Bellwoods into a giant Scotiabank ad - good going there. Real arty.
While I was walking through the park I exclaimed to my boyfriend that the whole place stank like marijuana and cat pee - and the people around me actually chimed in and agreed with me. That pretty much sums up the night for me, actually.
Count me in on team "Yay Nuit Blanche!" I don't see how one could go to all of those installations photographed above, pay $0 and come away disappointed. I have paid much more for much less.
I was stuck at our installation (which was a victim of its own success: if you are wondering, "Where's the rest?" it was stolen by drunken U of T students) so I didn't even get to see much of Nuit Blanche and I was still impressed. Anybody who didn't make it to Starry Night and the Wishing Swing in Stanley Park (King + Niagara) missed out!
The haters should get a refund!
If you want to read about our night at String of Diamonds, check out my blog post on the subject.
Also, next year, everybody should get bikes just for Nuit Blanche. Seriously, you'll thank me later.
i enjoyed the art and the vast extent of the festival. i think the area where it could continue to improve is in organizing the space. on queen west, ban street parking for the night and expand the sidewalk out into this lane. have a few traffic cops around. also, concentrate more things in central locations. there was tons of unused space in trinity bellwoods, kings college circle, grange park, etc. it's nice to have some open space for people to hang out in, but in trinity bellwoods the scotiabank tent seemed to dominate the art exhibits. why not bring in more art and draw the crowds from the sidewalks into a space that can hold them?
Considering that you can vote multiple times on the poll, I don't think it's a very accurate way to determine Nuit Blanche's overall success or failure.
I am totally with Kevin. This city was given 12 hours of FREE events. Of course lineups suck. That is a given, but that is what comes with the territory. It seems the biggest complaint I am hearing is that it was too crowded. That is a good thing. We are one of North America's least supportive cities for the arts. We seem to have a problem paying anything for culture. Yet when something free does come along we complain that too many people came out?
I saw some fantastic, one of a kind installations this year and it cost me nothing. Not to mention the fact that I cannot remember the last time I saw people coming together to walk the streets of Toronto in these numbers and have it end without arrests.
I will admit the TTC service was weak, but at least they kept the subways open late for the first time.
I thought it was a great night and I cannot wait until next year.
Failure is harsh....but something was lost from last year, the sense of wonder, of discovery, or overwhelming awe.
Replaced with expectations.
My own expectations were not met. I have heard about creative and awe-inducing installations I did not make it to but wandering from Yorkville to Church Street to Parkdale was in no way magical this year for our group. It felt like a big street party -- fine if you like street parties. But what about the art? Not once was I provoked or surprised. There was a sense of containment -- the barriers along the Bloor sidewalks, security ushering people along, outdoor noise levels carefully muted. (Even at Stringofpearls those poor newmindpsace people pulling their hair out try to get people to stop touching the lights.)
I wanted closed-off streets, more ginormous outdoor light fixtures, spontaneous outpourings of creative expression from the public, some costumes even. I wanted the lights turned down in the lower bay "ghost" station (which we snuck into during busy time by coming in through the subway.)
I got long line-ups and a MTV spring break atmosphere. But I am coming back next year with high hopes once more. Hopefully just growing pains...
Nuit Blanche was not free. We all paid for it (if indirectly) through our taxes. So if the fact that you didn't pay for it is all that you enjoyed, maybe you should rethink your stance.
Maybe the difference of opinion stems from the fact that most of the Nuit Blanche audience are not regular gallery-goers. Yes, Nuit Blanche is 12 hours of art for FREE, but you can take a walk around West Queen West on a Thursday night and see a ton of awesome art for FREE with about a fraction of the crowd. Imagine actually having time to stand and look at a piece instead of being shuffled along by a swarm of people just looking to move on to the next exhibit.
If actually wanting to take the time to appreciate art is my bias, I'm fine with that.
If looking at art is not your usual weekend activity and you had a blast at Nuit Blanche, that's great and I hope you make it out to some other arts events around the city in the coming year.
I loved it. If I'd gone home at 11:30 (like two of the people I was out with), I would have thought the whole thing was a bust - early on, the crowds were overwhelming & it was hard to get up close to anything. After that, though, it was nothing but smooth sailing. Saw a ton of cool stuff - City Glow, txtualhealing in Kensington, the Wish Swing & Starry Night, Parkour demos in Parkdale - all awesome. I avoided the hubs - commercial, too many people. Didn't have to take TTC, though, so I can't comment on that one... I walked for almost 8 hours straight & my feet hurt the next day but it was worth it!
Broken down by taxes it costs spare change per person. Still a bargain as far as I am concerned. And a far bigger success than the Celebrate Toronto festival it replaced.
And actually I am a regular Gallery-goer and to me the difference between Nuit Blanche and Queen West normally was a positive. Art is too commonly sheltered in Gallery environments, which although often free of financial barrier, continue to have an elitist atmosphere. Toronto's art community is usually very insular and there is something very special about bringing art into public space, even if it is for one night.
I agree they have to do more to make it more pedestrian friendly (closing some streets would be nice) but I really do think the standards of many here are far too high.
Mobile rave was teh win.
Once I ditched the crowds of Zone B and avoided Queen St. West, everything got a LOT better. Yeah, Trinity Bellwoods sucked, and it's too bad most people couldn't get in to see Lower Bay Station -- but surely there was something out there that everyone found interesting?
I randomly walked through Kensington and unexpectedly spent over 20 minutes staring at the txtualhealing.com exhibit -- a super simple yet incredibly powerfully installation. It was gems like this that made the night worthwhile.
crowds, schmowds...it's free, what did people expect???
i had a great time. i didn't get to see 1/4 of what i wanted but that doesn't matter. the fact that the city was ALIVE all night was fantastic. yes, some of the stuff was disappointing but there was a LOT of stuff; odds are good that it won;t allbe incredible.
my friends and i didn't even consider the TTC: bikes were the best transport! we managed to hit trinity-bellwoods, UofT, 401 richmond, grange park all without waiting for anything.
Our poll results so far are not making Nuit Blanche look too hot.
Also, we now have a poll about Nuit Blanche on the main page, so I guess we can talk more definitely about consensuses once the results come in. But, so far, it ain't looking good for Team Yay Nuit Blanche.
Only if you define "consensus" as majority of opinion, as opposed to agreement...
I think the commenter who suggested closing Queen St. is on to something. There was enough pedestrian traffic that it *felt* like it was closed. Next year I would definitely consider bringing my bike.
And yeah, talk about a tough crowd: a 12 hour free exhibit all over the city, with more energy than anything short of a Stanley Cup parade (but more fun and worthwhile), and people want their money back...Hell, there were only about 2 exhibits I saw (or participated in) all night that I thought were really cool, but I still had a blast. In fact, the best part of the night might have been the non-Nuit Blanche concert in the parking lot on Queen right in front of the Lobotomy poster.
Karen Whaley seems to be implying that those of us who enjoyed Nuit Blanche are unsophisticated rubes who don't know anything about art.
Not only am I a frequent gallery-goer, I am also an artist and I loved Nuit Blanche. Or maybe I love the idea of it. Certainly, there are things that can be done better next year, but no large event like this is ever perfect. It was fine.
Anyway, the crowds were one of the things I loved about it. The idea that that many people came out to see art is exciting to me. The vibe amongst the people was, to me, different than what I usually feel in the streets of TO. Removed from the normal day to day context of a busy grey city and placed in a nighttime world lit up by art, people looked at each other and SAW each other in the wee hours of the morning. That, to me, was a revelation.
Closing Queen Street solves the street space problem but not the venue space problem.
The area gets so hyped, especially to people not already familiar with it, there would need to be more venues open and more outdoor installations where a large number of people could congregate and stay for a bit (like at Bellwoods!).
THANK YOU TORONTO for finally doing something like Nuit Blanche! I think all this talk and the attendance numbers prove that we've been waiting for an event like this for a long time!
Did they do a good job? Sure. All things considered, they did just fine.
Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. I think the big thing is, don't underestimate the city! If you put on an all-night art thing, WE WILL SHOW UP IN DROVES! Plan accordingly!
See you next year!
I loved the crowds, even if they stopped me from getting into Lower Bay, so I'm not going to hold that against Nuit Blanche, but over all I was disappointed.
I liked the ROM-front house party thing, but I wanted to love it. The music was way too repetitive, the lights hardly ever played across the Crystal (weren't they supposed to?), and the crowd couldn't get any bigger than it was because it had to pack in between the DJ and the building. Next time close the street.
String of Diamonds was a big letdown. I know my group only got there after (apparently) most of the lights were stolen, but that knowledge doesn't make it a better experience.
Three Readings in the Hart House (I don't know, I'd never been to U of T before) squash courts should have been called Three Headaches. Pointlessly booming speakers, all blasting the same thing. Booo.
I loved the ET/Yoda statue though. The line was rather short but there was still enough of a crowd that we got pushed through faster than it takes to appreciate such a thing.
I'm sure I saw more, but after Three Readings I got a migraine and had to go home around 2:30 (which meant a 45 minute walk from Broadview Station...) so the night's a bit of a blur.
Last year's Fog wiped the floor with everything I saw this year. That was part of the problem my group had -- nothing really stood out as something that had to be seen or experienced this year, so we wandered around without much of a plan.
Something obvious right from the start, when we emerged from Bay Station, was that nobody had any business trying to drive in Yorkville, and yet they tried all the same. Next year I hope the organizers have the sense to shut down streets. Part of Queen's Park (I think) was closed (in anticipation for Word on the Street perhaps) but there were no exhibitions there to take advantage of it.
I love the idea of Nuit Blanche even if Scotiabank has foolishly tattooed its logo to it, so even though it was lame I still had some fun and it was great to see so many people out on the streets at night -- almost as if Toronto was a world class city.
Having been to Nuit Blanche in Paris, I found Toronto's version pretty mediocre and lame. As stated by a few commenters already, nothing really grabbed my attention and declared itself a must-see.
And forget the art for a second: how about the cafés, restaurants, shops, etc.? Why was practically everything closed (except for establishments that are normally open Saturday nights anyway)?
I was under the impression that the whole point of Nuit Blanche wasn't just the contemporary art installations, cool as they can be, but that it's supposed to be a celebration of the urban night. You could go to any café in one of the zones and it'd be open and bustling, and you could go in and talk to other Nuit Blanche revelers about some awesome piece of art you saw earlier, or that museum that had free admission all night. I'd like to see more emphasis next year on the entire experience for the Nuit Blanche reveler; not just art pieces here and there, but how people are supposed to enjoy themselves for the entire night.
Toronto soloman, I can name at least 30 people who enjoyed themselves the entire night! For me, and those other 29 people the experience of Nuit Blanche was awesome. We absolutely celebrated the urban night by being in the city, enjoying the installations and going into galleries and museums that had some interesting pieces. It was not a "disappointment" for everyone, though that idea seems to be a common thread here, in Torontoist.
Last year's Nuit Blanche was one of the most beautiful, magical nights I can remember. If last year's event was a gifted opera diva at the top of her game, this year's was Britney Spears at the VMAs; bloated, stoned and stumbling through the motions in a half-assed attempt at spectacle.
Last year, I stuck mostly to UofT and Yorkville, not even making it to Queen West and I was blown away by what I saw everywhere I went. This year, I made it through Church/Wellesley, Yorkville, UofT, The Grange, The Eaton Centre, Queen Street and Trinity Bellwoods and can count the memorable things I encountered on one hand. While I am certain there was awesome stuff I missed because seeing everything was impossible, I am shocked that while covering that much ground, I saw so little to impress. Yeah, the crowds sucked and the commercialism was crass and abrasive (particularly in the totally bogus "1920s Paris" tent outside the ROM), but the biggest let-down of the night was the art itself.
I agree with beth maher that far too many pieces were of the glance-and-keep-walking variety. Some installations actually offended me by how lazy and lame they were. There's nothing more irritating than a night full of "I'm not a visual artist, but I could have come up with something better than this."
I'll probably go again next year, but it's going to be hard to get very excited about it. My friends and I kept finding ourselves saying "Remember the gay penguin divorce? Remember the fog? Remember the room full of balls? Remember sharpening our pencils in Jess Dobkins' vagina?" I don't know what I'm supposed to remember from this year.
it was tremendous. ho-hum at times, but mostly lovely... for me, mostly because it inspired a sort of feeling of comraderie and openness... and so much public dancing! i got to dance in front of the reference library to the drum circle, at the mobile rave alongside String Of Diamonds, and at the impromptu Box Full Of Cash show at an auto repair shop on Queen West.
White Line Light was by far my favourite... the Aurora Readiness Centre and the Secular Confession Booth were also great. i agree that a lot of the exhibits would have been much more effective with less crowding. however, the thought of a city where there are lots of people wandering around, engaging with their surroundings so late at night, is oddly comforting to me, so i didn't mind so much that the exhibits were so crowded.
"I don't see the beauty in waiting in lines."
What! You waited in a line! How awful! Definitely don't come next year...or maybe even consider moving cities?
And if there's beauty to be seen, it's right here on Torontoist - Karen Whaley is gorgeous! I'm considering starting a Facebook page on the subject.