JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Nuit Blanche summarizing moment: just after midnight, Sarah and I stopped by the bustling food court at Village by the Grange . Tables were filled with customers, nearly all under 30, fuelling up for the rest of the evening. The woman behind the counter at the Greek stand was in a joyful mood, knocking the tax off our hefty containers of pastitsio and souvlaki because “it was the city’s night to enjoy.” Despite crowds and transit issues, it was a night to enjoy. The rain held off, the temperature wasn't extreme, fellow Torontonians appeared to be soaking in the atmosphere. If the art didn't grab you, the people-watching and snippets of overheard conversations did. Much of our enjoyment was outside the food court on McCaul Street, which was closed off for exhibits related to AGO and OCAD. While it was busy, we didn’t feel like we were drowning in a sea of people like the disaster movie scenes we passed by to the east on the Dundas streetcar. The atmosphere was light-he...

What do your shoes say about the state of the economy and those who have benefitted or suffered from the recent economic malaise? Are fresh shoes a sign of hope and progress? Do well-worn shoes indicate degrees of comfort with one's position or a sign of incipient poverty? To communicate the differences between economic conditions and perceptions in Canada and the United States, shoes used in this performance art piece were acquired at shopping centres in Niagara Falls, New York and Toronto, Ontario. Participants will be encouraged to sit next to fake green plants to contemplate the theoretical artificiality of economic and monetary concepts. Performed between 4 and 5 A.M. at Brookfield Place in Zone B, October 4, 2009 In Reality : the energy boost provided by heaping helpings of Greek food at midnight had faded by the time I snapped pictures of our shoes during a rest break. Sarah had invested in a comfy pair of walking shoes earlier in the day, which paid off during our Nu...

A quiet information tent next to OCAD, waiting for a long rest. Across town on Roncesvalles, Sunday reading for those barely making it out of bed...if they went to sleep at all. Photos taken October 5, 2008

For the second year in a row, I tested my endurance during Nuit Blanche . Unlike last year, the other events over the weekend came before, not after, the all-night event. The morning was spent putting the finishing touches on an article , followed by a fantastic round of dim sum out by the airport with the monthly dining group. I tried to nap in the afternoon but only managed to spent 90 minutes in Dreamland. The challenge was to see how deep into the night I would last. Judging from the reactions I've seen so far around the web, it looks like my big mistake was not drifting far into Zone C. I almost made it at the end of the night, but fatigue derailed those plans. I also remembered my trek through that zone last year , a miserable experience I didn't feel like repeating. C'est la vie. Despite a few duds along the way and less energy, I enjoyed this year's edition more than last year's, helped by elements not directly related to the works on display. *** ...

Nine-and-a-half hours on my feet - my key statistic for this year's Nuit Blanche. I missed last year's inagural edition, so I don't have the same sense of letdown that marks many accounts of the evening. My overall impression was that even if the art was a mixed bag, it was still a good opportunity to wander around the city in a nighttime party atmosphere and observe the reactions of others, at least until a combination of sore legs and non-existent streetcar service kicked in. One thing's for sure: crowds were definitely interested in checking out what was on view. Survival kit : * Notepad, to mark down where I was, in case I didn't get around to writing this post unitl Christmas * Official Program, to provide rough ideas of where to go * Multi-pocketed corduroy jacket, to hold the first two items * TTC day pass * Camera 9:15 PM: Hopped off the subway at Bloor and began my evening in Yorkville. My jaw dropped at the sea of humanity covering Cumberland...