City Of Toronto/ HO
If you've travelled to Toronto, you already know that day or night, the streets are busy with people.
Well, in a few days, you can add art into the mix as Scotiabank Nuit Blanche descends upon the city come Oct. 5. Now in its eighth year, the festival kicks off at 6:51 p.m. -- the time the sun sets in the city -- to bring contemporary art to the masses with 112 exhibits from 500 artists from around the world.
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For first-time Nuit Blanchers, that can be an overwhelming amount of art to take in during one night -- sleep or no sleep.
Do you start at Ai Weiwei's Forever Bicycles by Nathan Phillips Square or Tadashi Kawamata's Garden Tower by the Metropolitan United Church?
Where can you find the roaming art of Burrman come Saturday?
Will there be enough time to see the mixed media installations?
To make things a bit easier, Huffington Post Canada Travel spoke with the City of Toronto for their 10 must-see exhibits for 2013. Below you'll find a comprehensive mix of sculptures, interactive installations, roaming art and more, capturing the essence of this artistic event.
And for those who can't make it to the city on Oct. 5, there's still a chance to catch some of the larger exhibits from Oct. 6 to Oct. 14 as part of Nuit Blanche' extended run.
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Tadashi Kawamata's Garden Tower In Toronto
City Of Toronto/Handout
Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata brings his sculpturing skills to Toronto with the Garden Tower. Using over 1,000 second-hand pieces of furniture -- 960 of which will be from Goodwill -- Kawamata's sculpture stands 30 feet tall and illuminated with incandescent light bulbs.
So what does it all mean? Well, the tower draws from the myth of the Tower of Babel, channelling its beauty and the idea that humanity can speak with one voice for the creation of a better future.
Where To Find It: 56 Queen Street East by the Metropolitan United Church at the corner of Queen and Church St.
So what does it all mean? Well, the tower draws from the myth of the Tower of Babel, channelling its beauty and the idea that humanity can speak with one voice for the creation of a better future.
Where To Find It: 56 Queen Street East by the Metropolitan United Church at the corner of Queen and Church St.
1-855-IS IT ART
City Of Toronto/Handout
Not sure if what you're looking at is art? Well, there's a hotline for that. Visitors seeking clarification can call artists from a call centre by dialling "1-855-IS IT ART" for an expert opinion. Everyone else can watch a live stream of the service from Toronto City Hall. *Carrier/network data charges may apply.
Where To Find It: 100 Queen Street West, Toronto City Hall by the corner of Bay and Queen St.
Where To Find It: 100 Queen Street West, Toronto City Hall by the corner of Bay and Queen St.
My Virtual Dream Powered By The Virtual Brain
City Of Toronto/Handout
The brain is terrible thing to waste so why not put it to use for art? Outside the Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building by the University of Toronto will be The Virtual Brain: a computer model capable of visualizing your brain signals onto a 60 foot dome.
Those interested in watching can enter through the "Periphery" and those curious to see images, music and colour their brain scans produce can enter the "Dreamery" and don the Brain Computer Interface headsets and watch art and science collide.
Where To Find It: 144 College Street, outside the Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building by the corner of College Street and University Avenue.
Those interested in watching can enter through the "Periphery" and those curious to see images, music and colour their brain scans produce can enter the "Dreamery" and don the Brain Computer Interface headsets and watch art and science collide.
Where To Find It: 144 College Street, outside the Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Building by the corner of College Street and University Avenue.
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Ai Weiwei's Forever Bicycles
City Of Toronto/Handout
Modelled after Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei's Forever Bicycles, this exhibit brings 3,144 bicycles to create a free-standing instillation 100 feet in length, 30 feet in height and depth.
It'll will be the only kind of Weiwei's work to display publicly in open space and marks China and the world's shifting social environment.
Where To Find It: 100 Queen Street West, Nathan Philips Square by the corner of Queen And Bay St.
It'll will be the only kind of Weiwei's work to display publicly in open space and marks China and the world's shifting social environment.
Where To Find It: 100 Queen Street West, Nathan Philips Square by the corner of Queen And Bay St.
Ruth Spitzer's (X)Static Clown Factory
City Of Toronto/Handout
Send in the clowns. Mixing multi-media and street performances, Ruth Spitzer looks to create a Dr. Seuss-inspired critique on the economy of desire. So what is there to expect? Well, lots of things.
There's a float which serves as the clowns' workshop, a parade turned assembly line, balloons, bubbles and inflatable oddities. Oh and clowns equipped with tools, gadgets and costumes, dolling out goodies to audience members.
Where To Find It: University Avenue & Gerrard Street West
There's a float which serves as the clowns' workshop, a parade turned assembly line, balloons, bubbles and inflatable oddities. Oh and clowns equipped with tools, gadgets and costumes, dolling out goodies to audience members.
Where To Find It: University Avenue & Gerrard Street West
L’Air Du Temps
City Of Toronto/Handout
Test how good your sense of smell is with this interactive exhibit. Audience members will have to use their noses to experience Faith LaRocque's rendition of 1919 Paris.
Why Paris and why 1919? Well the work is focused on the story of a man only known as Duchamp. Gifted with a bottle of elixir, he had a Parisian pharmacist empty the bottle in 1919 and reseal it as a work of art which he later donated while in the States.
Where To Find It: 2 Queen Street East, by the corner of Yonge and Queen St. East.
Why Paris and why 1919? Well the work is focused on the story of a man only known as Duchamp. Gifted with a bottle of elixir, he had a Parisian pharmacist empty the bottle in 1919 and reseal it as a work of art which he later donated while in the States.
Where To Find It: 2 Queen Street East, by the corner of Yonge and Queen St. East.
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Burrman
City Of Toronto/Handout
If this image terrifies you, you'd best stay away from the Bay Street area where Simon Frank will be wandering the night covered in burrs, the hooked seed from the burdock plant.
The exhibit will blend contemporary landscape art with ancient rituals, drawing from a 900-year old Scottish tradition. For many, the art of covering yourself in burrs has since long died. Frank looks to rediscover it and bring it to the masses and flesh out the partnership between nature and humans that sustains us all.
Where To Find It: Roaming along the streets of King West in Toronto's Financial District
The exhibit will blend contemporary landscape art with ancient rituals, drawing from a 900-year old Scottish tradition. For many, the art of covering yourself in burrs has since long died. Frank looks to rediscover it and bring it to the masses and flesh out the partnership between nature and humans that sustains us all.
Where To Find It: Roaming along the streets of King West in Toronto's Financial District
The [RE] GENERATOR Project
City Of Toronto/Handout
Artist Gabrielle Lasporte looks to use Modern Batik methods and Chinedu Ukabam’s digital remix of African patterns along with fashion silhouette to create art focusing on recycling, remixing, reinventing, reusing and re-purposing.
The idea is that what's old is new again often applies in the world of fashion and draws influences from the audience using a special hashtag for viewers to add their own image or pattern via Instagram.
Where To Find It: 220 Yonge St, H&M Yonge Street by the corner of Yonge And Dundas St.
The idea is that what's old is new again often applies in the world of fashion and draws influences from the audience using a special hashtag for viewers to add their own image or pattern via Instagram.
Where To Find It: 220 Yonge St, H&M Yonge Street by the corner of Yonge And Dundas St.
Plush
City Of Toronto/Handout
Some people have a suit of armour. Others have a suit of plush animals. This is a case of the later. Participants can expect to this artist roaming around Metro Hall, hugging passers-by.
The exhibits looks to touch on furry culture, childhood innocence and that attachment you had as a kid to your favourite stuffed animal. That and how uncomfortable being trapped in a mascot costume.
Where To Find It: 55 John Street, roaming around Metro Hall at the corner of John and King Street West.
The exhibits looks to touch on furry culture, childhood innocence and that attachment you had as a kid to your favourite stuffed animal. That and how uncomfortable being trapped in a mascot costume.
Where To Find It: 55 John Street, roaming around Metro Hall at the corner of John and King Street West.
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The Anthropocene
City Of Toronto/Handout
American street art comes to Toronto this Nuit Blanche. Caledonia Dance Curry, better known as "Swoon" in Brooklyn, N.Y. looks to bring her prints and paper cut-out art to Toronto's buildings.
Her art features the people Swoon has met during her travels along with her friends and family and blends them with styles ranging from German Expressionist wood block prints to Indonesian shadow puppets.
Where To Find It: 26 Temperance Street at the Bay Adelaide Centre by the corner of Temperance and Bay St.
Her art features the people Swoon has met during her travels along with her friends and family and blends them with styles ranging from German Expressionist wood block prints to Indonesian shadow puppets.
Where To Find It: 26 Temperance Street at the Bay Adelaide Centre by the corner of Temperance and Bay St.
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