Nuit Blanche Toronto 2017 comes to Riverside, Sept. 30 – Oct. 1
The Riverside Business Improvement Area (BIA) collaborates with Project Gallery, Streetcar Developments Inc., The Broadview Hotel and ERA Architects to showcase artistic projects for the all-night art festival
Toronto, ON – The Riverside BIA presents Since Now, From Then for Nuit Blanche Toronto 2017 on Sept. 30 from sunset to sunrise on Oct. 1 (7 p.m. – 7 a.m.). Curated by Project Gallery and in collaboration with Streetcar Developments, The Broadview Hotel, and ERA Architects, the Riverside community invites Nuit Blanche visitors to explore a series of performances, projections, sculptures and installations that will take over various spaces within the Broadview Ave. and Queen St. E. corridor.
Independent Project #77 of Nuit Blanche 2017 features five projects by local artists, Callen Schaub, Alex McLeod, Nadine Bariteau and Rosemary Jeffares, Wiggly Artist Collective, and ERA Architects. Together, the projects merge art and architecture, technology and nature, as well as public and private spaces to inspire visitors to reflect on the social, political, cultural and physical context of the neighbourhood. The projects invite visitors to understand the neighbourhood’s past, relish in its present and look to the future of the changing east end of Toronto.
“Nuit Blanche is an important institution in the city that celebrates contemporary art, and as a strong supporter of the arts in Riverside, the Riverside BIA is thrilled to participate in this year’s festival and host Nuit Blanche in our historic neighbourhood,” said Jennifer Lay, Executive Director, Riverside BIA. “Riverside is in the midst of an incredible transformation and through these talented artists, festival-goers will be taken on a journey that reflects the past and looks to the future of the changing east end of Toronto.”
The exhibits that make up Independent Project #77 of Nuit Blanche 2017 include:
Elevation by Alex McLeod
The Broadview Hotel, 106 Broadview Ave. (West-facing façade)
A new media visual artist, McLeod’s images and simulations recall the wide-open vistas of romantic landscape painting and strange otherworldly dystopias. For Nuit Blanche 2017, he’ll project a video animation on the west façade of The Broadview Hotel. Exploring themes of rising populations, urban over-development and climate change, his dramatic scenes can be considered a cautionary tale about ecological responsibility, technology and development.
Sign/age by ERA Architects
The Broadview Hotel Rooftop, 106 Broadview Ave., 7th floor
ERA Architects contributes a photo-based installation in the glass box of The Broadview Hotel’s Rooftop as part of the heritage interpretation of the iconic building. Through a kaleidoscopic projection of vibrant signage from surrounding Riverside businesses, this interpretive installation brings the evolving neighbourhood context into one of its landmark buildings. Diverse commercial signage is an important feature of the urban landscape and its changing shapes, colours, and typefaces is filtered through the kinetic and multi-perspectival lens of the kaleidoscope.
Wiggly Street by Wiggly Artist Collective
The Broadview Hotel Laneway, Queen St. E. and Broadview Ave. (behind the hotel)
Wiggly Artist Collective is a multidisciplinary collective that combines sculpture, visual arts, video, dance and audio as mediums to create environments that unite audiences and consider a future made beautiful by community. Wiggly’s project includes projection mapping, sculptural installations with LED components representing futuristic urban forestry, and live audio and group dance performances. Each hour, representing s 24-hour cycle, will begin with a live performance that tells a story of love, harmony, and unity of the potential unknown.
Dereliction by Nadine Bariteau and Rosemary Jeffares
Broadview Houses, 25-60 Broadview Ave.
An interdisciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in printmaking, sculpture, installation and video, her works are studies of permanence and ephemerality in the interplay between human-made and natural environments. Bariteau, in collaboration with Rosemary Jeffares of Quince Flowers, responds to the changing nature of domesticity in Toronto using the Broadview Houses to reimagine space through architecture, nature and technology. While visitors will not be able to enter the properties, they will be exposed to spatial experiences.
Centrifuge by Callen Schaub
Parking Lot, 3 Hamilton St. (Queen St. E. and Hamilton St., west of Broadview Ave.)
Callen Schaub, an abstract artist who works with paint, natural forces and machines in an innovative way to produce bold and thought-provoking contemporary art, utilizes a crane as a painting tool for this live performance happening every hour on the hour for 20 minutes throughout the night. Visitors will witness paintings created and destroyed in real time. Between each performance, lights illuminate the overflow-splattered paint that Schaub unleashes at the site.
**FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE*
In partnership with the Agha Khan Museum, a free shuttle is available to and from The Broadview Hotel and the Agha Khan Museum from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Visitors wishing to visit the Riverside Nuit Blanche exhibition and/or the Agha Khan Museum can be picked up at Nuit Blanche Exhibition Area A at Charles St. and Queens Park Ave.
Since Now, From Then, Location 77 of Nuit Blanche 2017 is presented by Riverside BIA, curated by Project Gallery and made possible by contributions from Streetcar Developments, The Broadview Hotel, and ERA Architects. Follow along live on Sept. 30 at #nbRiverside2017.
For more information, images or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Daliah Marsons, rock-it promotions, inc. at daliah@rockitpromo.com or 416.656.0707 ext. 109
Lara Buchar, rock-it promotions, inc., at lara@rockitpromo.com or 416.656.0707 ext. 121
About Streetcar Developments
Since 2002, Streetcar Developments has designed and developed a series of mixed use, community-centric projects in some of Toronto’s most beloved neighbourhoods. Along the way they have earned accolades for being a different kind of developer who invests in exciting neighbourhoods, improving the quality of entire communities. Their celebrated projects integrate seamlessly into their surroundings, respecting the historic look and feel of the area while providing a glimpse into what could be. With an unwavering commitment to build a more liveable and culturally rich Toronto, Streetcar eagerly accepts its responsibility to do its part to ensure this great city achieves its potential.
Website: www.streetcar.ca Twitter: @STREETCARlofts Facebook: StreetcarDevelopments
About The Broadview Hotel
Located in the heart of Riverside at the corner of Queen St. E. and Broadview Ave., The Broadview Hotel is a boutique hotel, restaurant, lobby Café + Bar and Rooftop bar. The Romanesque Revival-style building constructed in 1891 is a heritage property, as designated by the City of Toronto. Cleverly reimagined as a charismatic gathering spot, each space is infused with the spirit of the east end: it’s a place where international travellers relax alongside local residents. Drawing from The Broadview’s iconic façade, visitors and community members will enjoy a uniquely crafted hospitality experience.
Website: TheBroadviewHotel.ca Instagram: @BroadviewHotel Twitter: @BroadviewHotel Facebook: The Broadview Hotel Hashtag: #BroadviewHotel
About ERA Architects
In practice since 1990, ERA Architects Inc. has over 90 staff members based in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston and Montréal. Our core interest is in connecting heritage to wider considerations of urban design and city building, and to a larger set of cultural values that provide perspective to our work at every scale. Our core values are in generating professional integrity and expertise through research, education and mentoring. To that end ERA frequently works collaboratively with other firms to engage in city building, conserving heritage architecture and improving the built environment.
Website: www.eraarch.ca Instagram: @ERAArchitects Twitter: @ERAArch Facebook: ERAToronto
About the Riverside BIA
The Riverside Business Improvement Area (BIA) is a community-oriented not-for-profit association of local business people, organizations and property owners. The Riverside BIA works in partnership with the City of Toronto and its partners to improve, beautify and promote the Riverside business district through public programming, partnerships, and streetscape improvement projects. Riverside is located along Toronto’s Queen Street East from the DVP to Empire Avenue.
Website: www.riverside-to.com Instagram: @Riverside_bia Twitter: @RiversideBIA Facebook: RiversideTO Hashtag: #RiversideTO
About Project Gallery
Project is a commercial art gallery and studios in Toronto that opened in 2013 and exhibits a critical selection of artists whose work reflects new and innovative developments in contemporary art. With a gallery space in the heart of Leslieville and a studio overlooking the Don Valley in Riverside, Project is focused on establishing the careers of local emerging and mid-career contemporary artists through distinct exhibitions and projects.
Website: www.projectgallery.ca Instagram: @ProjectGallariesandStudios Twitter: @ProjectGalleryT Facebook: ProjectGalleriesandStudios