The Race to Save the Giant Locust

Untitled?!

We all pretty much agreed that this year, Toronto's Nuit Blanche was less interesting in terms of exhibits than it was last year. I mean, come on. Three boxes -- one vibrating, one vibrating harder so that it moves, and one that intermittently "inhales and exhales" -- do not "embody the human experience." The artist was clearly inspired by her lack of creativity.

But here's the thing. Despite the lack of talent on display, it seems Nuit Blanche is still fun. But for us, that's because it became less about the art  - to be fair, there was a smattering of interesting exhibits - and more about the companionship. And it turns out also that exhibits like the three boxes were great fodder for the jokes and conversation that made this nighttime excursion so much fun.

It gave us a great opportunity to commune with our friends Lex and Ger - to gab about the art, the city, and the people, and to just hang out and poke fun at everything. We never strayed far from one another because there was always a sense that we were in this together - that we would make this fun and entertaining, despite the artists' best efforts to ruin it for us!

Best example: one of the last sites we visited was a giant inflatable locust that was supposed to be on display in a football field. It promised to be an interesting site to see. Well, when we got there, it was deflated. But people -- both those associated with the installation and just visitors who felt like helping out -- all took to tugging and pulling on the deflated carcass in a combined effort to help the giant fans get air back into the beast.

Gerry led the way as we tried to help and, while we lost interest before it was fully inflated, we definitely saw a vast improvement in the size of the beast before we left the scene. There was a great sense of achievement and community -- not only with the rest of the Nuit-Blanche-goers, but within our own party -- to try to make this evening work. And that sense of community was why it did work. Not because of the efforts of the artists, but because we were so connected with each other.

Anyway, we capped off our five hour trek with a last quest to find a decent quick meal at 4a.m. before heading home for a well-deserved rest. After much deliberation, we managed to find a yummy snack at an indian restaurant near Lex and Ger's. With tummies full, we headed to bed. Can't wait til next year!