Nuit Blanche exhibit aims to bridge divide between downtown and Scarborough
Long Distance Relationship will connect the two areas via sound waves at Saturday’s festival
An art installation at this year’s Nuit Blanche will try literally connect downtown Toronto and Scarborough. The artists behind Long Distance Relationship, which facilitates interaction between downtown and the suburbs through movement-activated sound waves, say the project is an at- tempt to show people how to go beyond political borders and live together. “This project transcends boundaries because it’s an anonymous conversation and you don’t get to know who is on the other side, how old they are, what their sex is, their gender, what heir status is,” said Patrick Atienza, who created the work with fellow Scarborough resident Christopher Dela Cruz.
“It really breaks down any borders between the two people of the two places.”
The so-called suburban-urban divide has been a hot topic in Toronto over the past few months, driven by Premier Doug Ford’s move to cut council to 25 seats amid an ongoing municipal election.
A Toronto Star ongoing series, that started after the premier’s announcement, explores how the urban-suburban divide has changed since amalgamation and how the realities of life in all parts of the city aren’t necessarily defined by ward lines.
By creating this installation and helping strangers downtown connect with those in the ’burbs, the artists wanted show “there’s only one Toronto and we’re all the same,” Atienza said.
The installation will consist of two stages, one at Albert Campbell Square near the Scarborough Town Centre and the other at the Campbell House Museum near city hall.
Large panels with light sensors will capture the shadows and body movements of festival goers. Custom-built electronics will then interpret and project those movements as sound waves at the other site.
It’s basically like how a telephone conversation would work, but instead of verbal interactions, people’s movements are what produces sound to the other side, Dela Cruz said.
“Anyone can participate, and as long as they’re standing in front of the installation they’re already connecting with the other side,” he said.
The plan is to limit participation to one or two people at a time in each location to facilitate smooth communication between the two sides.
Atienza said the idea for the project was conceived long before the provincial government forced the change of ward boundaries; it came from hearing how much of a “bad rap” Scarborough often gets from other city residents.
“There’s just this idea that Scarborough is not the best place to be in. We’re not portrayed kindly in the news sometimes,” Atienza said.
Dela Cruz said the project is also f about sound, showcasing a medium he the said powae is still mostly underrated in the world of visual arts.
“Nuit Blanche is mainly a visual arts festival, but there’s not much sound art or sound installation that has happened before,” he said. “It hasn’t been explored hing else.” as extensively as evee
While Nuit Blanche is only for one night, the artists plan to move their installations to other parts of the city afterwards, to keep the conversation going about how the suburbs are also part of the city.
Nuit Blanche, an annual art festival produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto’s arts community, runs at various downtown and Scarborough locations from sunset Saturday to sunrise on Sunday. For more information, go to nbto.com.