I had more fun than last year. My highlights were BGL's indoor/outdoor alleyway with charismatic planted garbage, and Bani Abidi's great big ominous video about the parade that never comes, projected onto the side of the 9 Hannah building. L.M.'s dog agreed with me on the latter, and what with all the big loud barking, lunging at the screen, and howling along to the sirens on the soundtrack, he turned out to be a much more enthusiastic art viewer than Mark Tansey's cow.



John Sasaki's mascots had just the right amount of pathos, and Daniel Olson's signature fedora-wearing 'everyman' persona took on a timely fascist flavour pointing spotlights on folks at Dundas Square. Project Blinkenlights' installation on the windows at City Hall was better than I anticipated. All those lighted office windows that normally look like singular little data pockets in the night sky were combined into one big data set that panned across the whole building. What if City Hall really was that organised?

- sally mckay 10-06-2008 1:50 pm

Sally & I disagreed on how desirable a location Liberty Village was. In spite of the crowds I found it sterile in comparison to Dyan Marie's Bloor Nightlights location from last year. I like Nuit Blanche the best when it's interacting with a populated neighbourhood.

Still I loved John Sasaki's piece at Lamport Stadium. I loved the stadium rock soundtracks and the false hilarity that you knew would break down with exhaustion as the evening progressed.

I was disappointed that they weren't using more of Bellwoods Park, until I saw Regine Schumann's Glow worms. It was lovely to walk through an outdoor installaton that activated a space without feeling intrusive. The effect was gentle and the piece has stayed with me.

BGL can do little wrong, and I haven't had an excuse to walk down the back alleys of Yonge street for many years.

Sally and I also had a nice break at St. James Cathedral. We missed the Don Coyote performance, but someone played the pipe organ in between their sets, and of course the first thing we heard after we sat down was Bach's Toccata and Fugue. I had also never been in an Episcopalian Church, what a bunch of wannabes, and where the fuck are the plaster statues of Mary! (I showed no respect, if Mary isn't watching I can do whatever I want)

- L.M. 10-06-2008 9:36 pm

i missed it.

but i think lately, i like the embroided kneelers in anglican churches more then the statues of mary--they are almost digitial, with the pixels and the like
- anthony (guest) 10-07-2008 5:20 pm

Well, I think I'm with Sally on the Liberty village location. It was a populated neighbourhood, or did you miss all the people swarming about? That said, it seemed so mich more civilised without having all the major throughways, and room to navigate.

Brendan Fernandez' piece was stellar (I have a soft spot for merging migration and modernist architecture).

As for kneelers and plaster marys (maries?) ... no comment. Just a lot of residual guilt.
- maranda (guest) 10-07-2008 7:29 pm

I mean populated by people other than Nuit Blanche revelers. It's not a neighbourhood, it's a work location.
- L.M. 10-08-2008 1:46 am

I like the Liberty Village location,irony and all. And enjoyed the populist Smash show...
Also, I have a weak spot for Yoko Ono, so I was at peace with it all. But that's all I saw except for 401 Richmond where I was performing for Nuit Blanche... So all in all, a good long night for me.
- tino (guest) 10-08-2008 5:08 pm

I'm sorry we missed you, your performance was a highlight for me last year.
- L.M. 10-08-2008 5:33 pm

Thank You Lorna!! Very kind.
I missed you too. Busy night indeed.

I did deliver a letter to Sally yesterday though ...

hehe



- tino (guest) 10-08-2008 5:46 pm

I saw little art this year as I ended up being part of the spectacle. I was talked into dressing and acting as a zombie for the Zombies in Condoland project at College Park. It was the strangest night - I had no idea that people love zombies so much. I was out with 2 other zombie friends and we litterally got mobbed by people wanting to take our photos amidst cries of "yeah! Zombies!" It was like being a much uglier and undead Angelina Jolie for a night. Upon arrival at College Park, a very enthousiastic Nuit Blache staff/volunteer gave us a 10 minute tutorial on the proper etiquette for zombie behavior. And then we missed the filming, and had to run away as the crowds were getting to us.

All in all, very surreal.
- C.R. (guest) 10-08-2008 6:10 pm

C.R., did you at least keep your clothes on?
- L.M. 10-09-2008 1:19 am

We missed the zombies. I was a bit sad about that but way too tired to go looking for them. A lot of zombies is something that a lot of people have been generating, but nuit blanche seems like the perfect night for it.
- sally mckay 10-09-2008 2:00 am

Yes, L.M., I did - I like to keep things fresh. I wearing a polyester nightgown. 1970's grannie boudoir zombie.
- C.R. (guest) 10-09-2008 6:16 pm

For those of you not in the know, C.R. is the official Face and Body of Persona Volare, so if you ever come across some art video where she's prancing in her birthday suit, we would like you to believe that we all look like that.
- L.M. 10-10-2008 1:38 am