Yvette Mattern’s “Global Rainbow” over New York City, coming soon to a sky near you.
Nuit Blanche, that night-long free-for-all where you might see some art but are more likely to become frustrated and retreat into the haze of coincident last-calls, has released full details of this year’s event, and it’s more ambitious than ever.
Over 125 projects, 48 of which were commissioned by the City of Toronto, will be scattered across the downtown area, extending further into previously neglected locales such as Parkdale, Chinatown and Fort York. That’s a lot of art, and because this year can’t fall back on Jeff Koons or Ai Weiwei-level hype, we’re hoping quality is at lease on par with quantity.
This year’s main attraction is Yvette Mattern’s Global Rainbow, a laser projection piece that’s so lovely it needs to be OK’d by air traffic control. Stretching from Chinatown to the CN Tower, it’s also bright enough that if you love-to-hate Nuit Blanche, you can see it without exerting too much effort.
Although we understand that Nuit Blanche is a hard sell for cynical types, we’re still holding out for that weirdo art magic. The first few teases of what’s to come look promising and our fingers are crossed just in case.
