Roads Shut Down for Toronto’s Annual Art All-Nighter
Posted by Universal Perspectives Media on October 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Jaywalking has never been so much fun.
For 12 hours, two of Toronto’s busiest streets shut out vehicular traffic, opening the roads for pedestrians, to make room for the influx of art aficionados in town for one of the city’s most innovative events—Nuit Blanche, celebrating its fifth year anniversary.
Sponsored by Scotiabank, Nuit Blanche brought together the different realms of art and made it accessible to all. From high art to low art to contemporary art to experimental art to some things which, arguably, might not be art at all, there was at least something to satisfy everyone. The iconic Royal Ontario Museum, as well as the Art Gallery of Ontario and other art venues, had select exhibits open free to public.
It was an opportunity that allowed not only artists, but businesses to thrive. Since its inception, Nuit Blanche has been the platform for more than 600 official art installations by nearly 2,000 artists, representing more than 15 countries worldwide and resulting in a total of $38 million in economic gain for our city, according to Rita Davis, executive director of culture at Toronto City Hall.
“Not bad for a completely free event lasting only 12 short hours,” she said in a September 20 press release.
Talk about making something from nothing.
The closure of Bloor and Yonge streets meant the opening of food tents and vendors. Delicious smells of roasted corn, street meat and Tiny Tom donuts filled the air. Line-ups were naturally expected, but there was so much to see all around to pass the time that it didn’t quite matter.
If anything, a street closed to cars means more traffic. Not even mentioning the many exhibits that took to the street, there was a lot going on. A simple stroll down Yonge St meant weaving through food vendors, line-ups, people, pets, cyclists, dancers, people—yeah, a lot of people. Among them were a fair amount of citizen journalists, typing on their cell phones and snapping pictures with their DSLRs.
To add to the innovation, there was a central online information hub to bring all tweeters and bloggers together. “Share Your Night” gathered all tweets about the event and displayed them on big screens to all event-goers at strategic locations throughout the downtown core. It was a live-to-air broadcast as tweets were constantly getting added and updated.
The atmosphere was incredible. Smiling faces abound, flashes of light twinkling everywhere –it was like Toronto transformed into a city-wide candy shop for art lovers.
And if the excitement palpable in the air was any indication, it was a nuit to remember.
Kudos Toronto. Kudos for being awesome.
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Click HERE to see Universal Perspectives’ pictures from the event.
Click HERE for our piece on Zone A.
Click HERE for our piece on Zone B.
Click HERE for our piece on Zone C.
Filed under Art, Events, Nuit Blanche 2010 · Tagged with art, Bloor Street, Nuit Blanche, Share Your Night, Toronto, Yonge Street
