It was a dark and stormy night… but the artists on every street corner in Ottawa didn’t seem to care. On the last Saturday of the summer, from dusk to dawn, I had the chance to explore the Byward Market by night, and to see all of the creative, kooky, and uniquely beautiful creations by some of Ottawa’s noted artists and institutions.
Even though it was a very damp night, I noticed that that wasn’t a huge deterrent to any passing pedestrians, especially fans of spontaneous creation and classical music. Many of the Nuit Blanche pieces, including a giant abstract canvas by fourth year BFA U Ottawa students, were being created on the spot. Another tent down the road featured two 1966 Chevy Novas, one in pristine condition, the other looking like it had just risen from the dead (which it had, for all intents and purposes). The zombified Chevy however, was completely covered by little clay figures in every shape and size, all of which were being carefully crafted by whoever stopped in to the exhibit.
“We’re trying to turn this Chevy Nova into a Super Nova by using everybody’s art, I guess, on the car,” said Super Nova lady Ashley Cyr.
The Detroit car show-themed exhibit really highlighted Nuit Blanche’s main theme, Supernova, engaging the community and bringing out the fun in art, which is the true spirit of the festival.
I only got the chance to see a very small portion of the festival, but I was torn between two completely different displays as my favourite exhibit of the night. For any one who hasn’t heard of it, yarn bombing has recently become a new form of street art in which the artist knits a colourful ‘skin’ of yarn, which is then used to cover everyday street objects. Almost all the trees on the street had been yarn bombed, transforming them into plants reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss book. Only the beautiful, delicate glass-blowing exhibit, made of candle-lit glass orbs, little gem-coloured bird figurines, and twisting crystal flowers hung from white wood branches could hope to compete.
I’d say, all in all though, that even if it was raining, and not exactly the ideal situation for an outdoor art exhibit, I give a full five-star rating to the dedicated artists who helped warm a cold night.