Nuit Blanche in Photos - Zone B
Nuit Blanche 2009 zone B featured projects that addressed issues of loss, economic instability and altered perceptions.
I found Dan Mihaltianu's Vodka Pool to be a tremendous letdown. The pool of 80-proof vodka seemed half empty by the time I arrived at Commerce Court West, and pennies were scattered throughout the reflective liquid.
Heather Nicol's multimedia installation transformed the Great Hall in Union Station into a foggy, ethereal resting place for weary legs.
Chih-Chien Wang's 10 Scents installation was a series of ten port-a-potties filled with unpredictable sensory clues inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
By far the creepiest of all projects that I saw, the Witches' Cradles were suspended from the ceiling of Brookfield Place. Volunteers climbed into these gently swaying pods while their heart rate was monitored to ensure their safety. These cradles were originally used to torture and punish potential witches through sensory deprivation, but were later reclaimed and utilized to induce prophetic visions.
It's not every day that you get to see a miniature carnival in the heart of Toronto's Financial District. The two rides jolted me up and down, symbolizing economic instability from rise to collapse, reminding me that it all comes full circle. Amusement park food was abundant, and I couldn't resist corn-on-the-cob. For those with a sweet tooth, the infamous Tiny Tom's Donutmobile was on site to meet their sugary needs.
Located at the north side of Scotiabank Plaza, Sounding Space was by far my favourite installation in Zone B. Kinaesthetic orchestration turned dance steps and hand waves into electronic sounds. Musical phrases triggered by feet and bodies filled the plaza with discordant sounds and simultaneously turned dozens of people into DJs.
Lead photo by asianz on Flickr. Writing and other photos by Matthew McAndrew.
Got photos of Zone B? Please add them to the blogTO Flickr pool, with the tag: nuitblanche2009zoneB and they'll appear here:
Comments (15)
I hear it wasn't even vodka. Some girl put her hand in it and tasted it when I was there and she said it was water. The security there was like "what the heck are yo udoing" ... They said it was 20% vodka/ 80% water....
I heard the same, my room mate drank some of it and can attest that it was water. When he was confronted and harassed, the volunteers eventually confessed that, due to fire concerns, it was not entirely vodka.
did anyone walk thru the underground walk way that was lit up under best buy, lol...don't tell me that was art.. i thought it was a prank..
well i know for sure that there was vodka in there, because when we were there, we saw them open and pour out an entire bottle of vodka. we lamented to see all that alcohol go to waste, but then again, it was only polar ice.
well, unless you know a way to replace vodka with water without tampering with the seal on said bottle, then yea, I'm going to stick to what i saw :P.
All I'm saying, is that there was at least one bottle's worth of vodka in the pool.
The possibility that they could have had water in the vodka bottle doesn't really rule out that they could have put actual vodka into the pool...
There were 150 litres of vodka used
In total, I think there 300 litres in the pool.
It was 50/50 to avoid fire hazard.
I liked the idea of it....
fiscal liquidity, political transperancy, reflection... c'mon it was a cool idea...
but they should have kept it topped up through the night so you couldn't see the bottom.
If you liked Sounding Space, please vote for us! http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/exhibition.aspx?zone=B&rowID=12
We're so happy to hear that so many people enjoyed our interactive piece- Sounding Space. We worked countless hours to make it as fun and interactive as possible. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped in making it such a great success!
Oh come on. I'm surprised that you guys don't "get" the vodka pool! It hearkens back to the days when one sacrificed one's harvest to the nature spirits to ensure a future bounty.
Here, people were throwing their "offerings of their harvest" (the coins) to the "spirits" in order to wish for a bountiful future harvest (from the bank).
A brilliant enactment (even though the artist himself didn't get the interpretation right).
View More Events
Suggest an Event
Join the blogTO Flickr group
Join the blogTO YouTube Group
RSS