Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012

Headed downtown soon after sunset this evening to catch this year’s Nuit Blanche outdoor art festival. I took a selection of lenses with me, but in the end I only ended up using two of my fast lenses: my wide-angle 25mm lens and my 50-300mm telephoto.

I headed to the TIFF first, where I saw “Cent une tueries de zombies”, a looped compilation film showing 101 instances of zombies meeting oblivion. Fun, but it didn’t make for great photography so I ventured back outside and headed for the CBC building where I took in Skylum:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Skylum

Then up to Metro Hall where I caught the artists putting together “Throw Up”:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Throw Up

Then over to David Pecaut Square to see the crowds taking in “Lifecycles”. I took a number of shots, but the one I liked the most was this one of a couple watching “the grass grow” as someone in the crowd put it:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Couple Watching “Lifecycles”

Walked toward Roy Thomson Hall where I saw the installation “High Water”. Took many photos of it but few came out the way I hoped. The one I like the most conveys what I think was the right sense of poignancy intended:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Detail from “High Water”

After that was the crowd favourite “Green Invaders”. Lots of fun:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Green Invaders

I also liked the collection of neon lighting thrown together in what was called “Invisible Streams: As Above, So Below”:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Invisible Spaces: As Above So Below

Then up Yonge Street where there wasn’t too much in the way of art installations between King and Richmond — save for this one:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Crowd at “Button Happy”

…so I doubled-back and went up Bay Street where I caught the edges of the crowded “Fun House”, which included this guy who was gobsmacked by something:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: Gobsmacked

I concluded the night by checking out some of the installation at Nathan Phillips Square, including “World Without Sun”:

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2012: World Without Sun

I then hopped on a streetcar heading east and feeling tired and not wanting to face more crowds, went home.