Nuit Blanche 2024: The Metipso Portal

Saturday, October 5 to Sunday, October 06, 2024

7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

OCAD University, 100 McCaul St., Main Auditorium, MC 190

Free Admission

Co-presented by OCAD U’s Onsite Gallery and the Metipso Portal Collective, the livestream portal is a 12-hour immersive experience linking Toronto, Canada with Metipso, Kenya, a quaint village nestled on the fringes of a protected Kenyan forest. The Metipso Portal is the world’s only media lab that operates in a traditional mud hut.

The event is aligned with the Nuit Blanche theme, Bridging Distance, as it links an urban centre and rural community. Hosts stationed on each side of the portal will expertly guide live conversations and audience interactions, providing a dynamic and engaging experience for visitors in Toronto and Metipso.

The evening includes a midnight variety show, live performances by the Metipso Singers, cellist Margaret Maria, comedian Arleigh Curran as well as food demonstrations, the Spaceman and more.

Artwork presented throughout the all-night celebration includes a compilation of video assets, featuring loops of archival footage showcasing past connections between the Metipso Portal and people worldwide. ActionCan Films will be helping to host on the Toronto side of the portal.

About the Metipso Portal: The portal is a collective of artists and community members located in Metipso, Kenya and Toronto founded in 2017 as an experimental media lab in the small Kenyan village of Metipso – the world’s only media lab located in a traditional mud hut. The founders are Canadian artist Joel Richardson and Kenyan Olympic gold medalist Mathew Birir. Artist Susan de Freitas is also a core member.

The Metipso Portal is made possible through Onsite Gallery’s generous support from the Delaney Family, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.