Did anyone go to the NUIT BLANCHE?

lambert

I was in town for that weekend and had a blast scoping out the city after midnight through the exhibitions. I definitely feel like bicyclists got the most out of the event as I was bound to slow moving public transport (mostly due to traffic). It was a great mingling of folks out on the town and casual art fans, and the streets were insane.I was really impressed in the way it was managed and left me wishing my city would try to pull something like this off. Queen street has some really nice and accessible galleries that made for great daytime viewing with just he right amount of boutique peppering to keep the little lady occupied (as well as myself at the Cosmos locations).The facade of the ROM was very impressive as was the College of Design (I am still at a loss to explain how the top level is suspended).Anyone else go? Impressions? Love it, hate it?

orips

I went for the second straight year. Enjoyed most of the smaller installations, but large crowds and long lineups at some destinations definitely get the .

Oh, I was also up early for the On The Street the next day.

DOR

I didn't like it at all. Exhibits were to spaced out. I walked all over the city and they should have atleast shut down a street or two around town.

When I went to trinity bellwood park, I was like.. WTF? I was hoping the whole park was full of stuff. But it was just a couple of tents. Walking down Dundas across from the AGO with crowds of people was NAGL.

Anyways. I won't go again next year.

bassie

Kinda - went from Parkdale to Kensington Market and never got beyond that due to a friend's GF drama and then we wanted to stay for street Scrabble and a very good party where we could not tear oursleves away from the dancefloor. It's also hard to organize groups when they're drunk and you're on mushrooms.

From what I did manage to see, I wasn't thrilled; too many people so you didn't really get to see/experience the art - it was like gallery opening after gallery opening. I so wanted to see the ghost subway station and heard later it was a huge disappointment. Most of what I heard was not positive. I think the curation was rushed.

Aser

I walked from OCAD/AGO all the way to the Gladstone, then up to Bay station. Needless to say, I was beat at 5am. Even if there wasn't much to see at the Bay station, I enjoyed being in there. I've always wanted to check it out ever since I knew of its existence.

Speaking of OCAD, I still consider it an eyesore. I enjoyed spending time in the building though. Overall, the highlight for me was the disco dance party at the AGO. It was quite bugaboo, very very fun times.

The stuff on Queen W was a big letdown, mini Sillysburg was a waste of time. Should've spent more time at Yorkville instead. I did enjoy the fluorescent tubed jungle gym at Trinity Bellwoods. Most folks there were more concerned with getting into the big 3 (gladstone/drake/social) than nuit blanche itself. I missed all the stuff by UofT and the deflated locust.

Best part of the night has to be the people watching. I took a lot of interesting photos. DSLR users were out in full force.

I will attend again next year.

macaca

Best part of the night has to be the people watching. I took a lot of interesting photos.

same. i took over 200 photos.
art types, hipsters, skids, families, tourists, old & young.
forgetting the world cup like crowds (which probably tripled from last year)
like everyone, i just found it was a lot of walking around
with not-so-much to see. i was lucky enough to stumble into
some ridiculous performance art, though.

lambert

Wow, I'm surprised a lot didn't enjoy this as much, but now that I think of it, I was also getting acquainted with the city, so maybe that's what added to the excitement.

Another highlight, aside from the people watching already mentioned, was watching a video installation of Croatian children singing Sidney Barnes' (of rotary connection fame) "magical world". It was a nice respite at 3 am when we just needed to escape the crowds and sit down for a second.

lambert

Needless to say, I was beat at 5am. Even if there wasn't much to see at the Bay station, I enjoyed being in there. I've always wanted to check it out ever since I knew of its existence.

My Uncle felt the same way. We waited quite awhile in line just to see it. He got his times worth, though, as he grilled the station guard who was holding court down there about a certain station that's escalator/stairs are laid out in the reverse of the rest of the city's.