Nuite Blanche - Sept 30 to Oct 1, 2006

The city was turned into an artist playground with Toronto hosting its first "Nuit Blanche" event. This included free public art exhibits all around the city, split into three zones, Bloor/Yorkville, McCaul/University, and Queen Street West, and took place all night, from 8 pm September 30, to 8 am October 1.

All night proved to be quite a endeavor, but I ended up exploring until about 4 am, and only accomplishing the Bloor/Yorkville and the McCaul/University zones. There was just so much to take in.I think the highlight of my experience was seeing General Idea's Pharmacopia (2002) (pictured above) in the Bloor/Yorkville zone. It was giant pills that seemed to be floating in space, an image that appears in much of the artists work. I enjoyed seeing this so much because I remember learning in prior art history classes of the work of General Idea, and in particular, their work in respect to AIDS.

The most popular (and most incredibly busy) piece of the night was a fog installation by Fujiko Nakaya titled Fog in Toronto (2006). (pictured above) It was a really neat piece, and a cool idea. The intense thick fog looked beautiful with the lights shining on it. However, the installation was so busy, it took about 20 minutes of lining up just to get in, and once in, it was so crowded, it was difficult to enjoy.

Nuit Blanche was a well organized event, that showcased many great local and Canadian artists, as well as artists from elsewhere. The event was a great success, although very tiring. I cant wait for the next one, when I will try to do an all nighter and try to fit in all three zones.

TIP FOR NEXT NUIT BLANCHE: A metropass is alot easier and quicker than walking.