Guide: All things Nuit Blanche 2019

Night owls, early birds and art fanatics unite for the ultimate event this weekend! From dusk to dawn, Toronto’s largest immersive all-night art show will be returning for its 14th year. For just 12 hours, the city will be transformed into the canvas for nearly 90 projects, curated by over 300 Canadian and international artists.

This year’s event-wide theme is Continuum: “the ever-present renewal of night into day, a continuum of experience and ideas is brought to light by the participating artists.” It’s all ages, all night, and completely free.

There is something for everyone with exhibits spanning from Scarborough to Fort York, right back here in the downtown core at Nathan Philips Square. This year, there will be 19 art projects specifically selected as part of three-city produced exhibitions and 15 major institutions, including the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Aga Khan Museum, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), will feature some of the special pieces.

 

When?
Saturday, October 5, 7pm-7am

Where?
Nine easy-to-navigate neighbourhoods

How to get there?

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will help you explore travel from project to project, to all ends of the city with the all-night service on its major subway lines.

Routes that will be open all night:

Line 1 Yonge-University from Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station to Finch Station
Line 2 Bloor-Danforth service from Kipling to Kennedy Station
Line 3 Scarborough from Kennedy Station to Midland Station.
Note: Access to Line 3 Scarborough will be free at Scarborough Centre Station for the duration of the event.

Day Pass and Group Day Passes can be purchased for use on October 5 and will be valid until 7 AM on October 6.

 

680 NEWS Picks

Lunar Garden

Nathan Philips Square, 100 Queen St. W.

Artist: Daniel Arsham

Form: Installation

Description: Arsham’s work is inspired by Japanese gardens, bringing a 30-foot light orb that resembles the moon to light up landscape made of colourful sand and sculptures.

 

Kaleidoscope: A Social Media Trinity

Drake 150, 150 York St.

Artist: Alejandro Figueroa

Form: interactive Installation

Description: A giant, human-size kaleidoscope. Think fun, moving spaces and colours in a reflective prism… This art installation is completely “instagrammable.” It challenges viewers to explore the need for social validation and self-promotion in the digital age.

 

On Thin Ice

Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E.

Artist: Ghost Atelier

Form: Sculptural Installation

Description: The effects of climate change highlighted in a 25-foot high, chunk of “cracked ice” as a reflection of the earth’s rapidly diminishing glaciers.

 

Transformation

MaRS Discovery District, 661 University Ave.

Artists: Fezz Stenten, Daniel Lanois

Form: Interactive Installation

Description: This project is a “rallying cry for our planet,” featuring an immersive, multimedia experience in the MaRS atrium that will highlight the urgency and need to protect the planet. “Transformation” will include 3D projects, super-sized sculptures, interactive light displays, and more.

Nuit Blanche Toronto will also include Raptors and Director X artworks.

For a full list of installations and projects available, head to the Nuit Blanche website.

Map:

 

Road Closures

There will be road closures in areas on, or near, Nathan Phillips Square, Fort York, Yonge-Dundas Square, Bay Street and in the area of the Scarborough Civic Centre/Scarborough Town Centre. On city streets, some major closures to keep in mind:

Starting Friday night:

– Bay Street between Albert Street and Richmond Street West

– Dundas Square Street from Yonge Street and Keefe Lane

– Fort York Boulevard between Gzowski Boulevard and Fleet Street

Starting early Saturday morning:

– Bay Street between Dundas Street West and Adelaide Street

– James Street closed between Bay Street and James Street

– James Street closed between Queen Street West and Albert Street

– Fort York between Iannuzzi Street and Gzowski Boulevard

All roads are expected to be reopened by approximately noon on Sunday, October 6, 2019. The TTC will be diverting a number of routes in the area. Drivers are encouraged to take alternative routes as there will be traffic delays in the area. For a full list of closures, visit here (hyperlink: TPSnews.ca).