Nuit Blanche 2011: Zone C
Your crack Torontoist all-night art lovers have studied the Nuit Blanche program with care. Here are our picks for the most promising installations of the night.
"The Tie-Breaker" (Tibi Tibi Neuspiel and Geoffrey Pugen) will be coming at you, at Commerce Court.
2011 Toronto International Adhesive Arts Expo – Andres Musta
The 2011 Toronto International Adhesive Arts Expo is a celebration of sticky graffs—that is, the stickers and wheatpaste posters that make spontaneous galleries from public spaces with paper and glue instead of spraypaint. The exhibition will combine existing adhesive art works from around the world with instructive workshops for would-be pasters to learn different techniques. A number of high-profile artists, including 455ER from Los Angeles, will be on hand to demo their paper-and-glue prowess. (Kelli Korducki)
Fly by Night – Gladstone Hotel
The Gladstone Hotel can be depended on as a Nuit Blanche staple for seeing an array of indoor and outdoor exhibits throughout all four floors of the building. After breaking the world record last year for the world’s longest burlesque show, they’re bringing the show back with a night of “hot burlesque, slapstick comedy, circus, and live vaudeville.” On the upper floors, installations as varied as a series of chandeliers and sounds inspired by deceased insects, and something called the “Self Love Ball.” But the one we’re most curious about will be on the building’s green roof, where a medley of groomed poodles, Muskoka chairs, street art, and sheep will be on display. Together at last? (Laura Godfrey)
Hansel and Gretel – Margaret Krawecka, Ulysses Castellanos, Malgorzata Nowacka
Parental guidance is advised for this interpretation of Hansel and Gretel, put together by artists Margaret Krawecka, Ulysses Castellanos, and Malgorzata Nowacka. The installation-performance based on the disturbing fairytale of the same name (kids meet candy house–dwelling witch, nearly meet their doom, etc.) promises a “dreamlike yet uncanny landscape just as fictional and escapist as it is real and alive in our contemporary world of mass consumption,” which could either be trippy or preachy depending on its execution. There’s only one way to find out which side wins out. (Kelli Korducki)
The Happiness Project : In the House – Artist Bloc
In 2009, Charles Spearin (founding member of Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene) made an album with the conversations he had with his neighbours about happiness, with the natural melodies of the spoken word forming the songs, called The Happiness Project. And if those recordings left us with any thought, it was that we wish we could live in this neighbourhood where everyone spoke-sang about lovely things that make them happy. Well, it may not be a neighbourhood exactly, but each room within Oz Studios will be uniquely designed with lighting, sound, and art by the members of Artist Bloc to represent a different track from the album. We can feel the warm fuzzies already.
A Brief History of Rebellion – Juicebox
What started out as a joke by the members of juiceboxdotcom has become a full fledged, Pitchfork-approved musical event, as the Toronto Underground Cinema will echo with the strains of Nirvana’s hit song Smells Like Teen Spirit for 12 straight hours. Newly confirmed participating bands besides the ones already listed by Pitchfork (Fucked Up, Tokyo Police Club, Woodhands and more) include Sheezer, Teenage Kicks, and new Arts & Crafts signees The Darcys—who are hoping to play a special version they claim is nearly an hour long. The likely to be shifting and changing line-up will be live tweeted throughout the night from @juiceboxdotcom.
Singin’ in the Dark – 80’s Edition – Shane Smith, TIFF
Following up on last year’s singalong at the TIFF Lightbox, this year’s edition of Singin’ in the Dark focuses on music-driven films of the 1980s. In other words: what a feeling of “I’m going to live forever” if you gotta cut footloose while having the time of your life with a mean green mother from outer space! Singing along with onscreen bouncing ball may re-energize you to carry on through the rest of the night or provide a fun way to wind down (though if you have kids, bring them before midnight).
1972-1976 – Jonathan Brett
Before YouTube and camcorders, 8mm film was ready to preserve your travelling exploits for future showings that would either excite or bore the rest of your family. Campbell House will become a screen for home movies of journeys to the Caribbean, Europe, and Hawaii from the 1970s, and footage of the museum’s physical move from Adelaide Street to Queen Street back in ’72. Artist Jonathan Brett’s “garden theatre” promises that besides reflect on notions of past and present, the audience will “eat good food” and enjoy live music.
The Free Shop – Basil AlZeri
Toronto likes to buy things. Last year’s Night Market exhibit had night club lineups, even when the merchandise was junk. But The Free Shop is about the complete opposite—letting go of the attachment to possessions. Artist Basil AlZeri lost half of everything he owned in a house fire, and now, over a year and a half later, he’s giving away the rest to whoever makes an argument that they need it. It’s a beautiful response to a devastating experience, and we hope Torontonians treat it with the respect it deserves. (Carly Maga)
The Tie-break – Tibi Tibi Neuspie, Geoffrey Pugen
Performance artists Tibi Tibi Neuspiel and Geoffrey Pugen will spend approximately 24 minutes each hour of the night attempting to recreate the classic 1980 Wimbeldon showdown between Björn Borg and John McEnroe—every stroke, grunt, and ball bounce. Neuspiel is perhaps best known for his artwork on toast; Pugen for blurring the lines between history and recreation on film. While the artists are taking the challenge seriously, they also seem to have a good sense of humour about what’s going to occur, judging by their first video teaser for the 12-hour event. (Steve Fisher)
Map by Max Hartshorn/Torontoist.
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Including: Yorkville, The Annex, Yonge and Bloor, and Wychwood. |
Including: Yonge-Dundas Square, City Hall, and The Distillery District. |
ZONE C Including: Parkdale, Liberty Village, and West Queen West. |