Light Bike Rave for anti-Nuit Blanche 2021

Update: See photos from the ride on my blog post here.

UPDATE 21sep2021: Going with both the Neon Riders at 7pm and Toronto Cruisers at 8pm. Details put into the revised post. UPDATE 20sep2021: We are in discussions with Toronto Cruisers and Neon Riders to join their planned Oct 2nd, 2021 Art Ride. Their plan is to meet at 8pm at Matt Cohen Park (Spadina Ave at Bloor St W) and ride until midnight. Wait for further updates.

So Nuit Blanche is cancelled for 2021, what is a body to do on what is the usually the greatest all-night art festival in Toronto? I say we take back the night. I am planning alternate Nuit Blanche programming (anti-Nuit Blanche) - the return of the light bike ride which has been running concurrently with Nuit Blanche. Bring back the light bikes for 2021!

On the traditional Nuit night of Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 everyone with light bicycles, or illuminated e-scooters,  join us for a couple hours riding around downtown Toronto. Just like they used to do with rave rides by Neon Riders or the monthly night rides by the Toronto Cruisers. Add massive lights, bring some music and be one of the better art installations that Nuit Blanche has ever seen.

Riders can now gather with Neon Riders at 7pm on Saturday, October 2nd in Nathan Phillips Square at Toronto City Hall - here is their Facebook post for the event. While riders social distance and check out the groovy lights on the bikes in the first hour, then head out to Matt Cohen Park for the 8pm meeting with the Toronto Cruisers - here is their Facebook post for the event.

Matt Cohen Park at 8pm

Keep safe, social distance, wear masks and make sure your bike has headlights, taillights and a bell. 

Sasha Huber challenging racism with Rentyhorn in Toronto

Work from artist Sasha Huber is appearing at The Power Plant starting in early January 2022 but you can see her photo 'Rentyhorn' on the exterior south wall of the Harbourfront gallery now.

From Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival website; "Sasha Huber’s multidisciplinary practice investigates colonial residue in the environment, highlighting the ways in which history is imprinted in the landscape through acts of remembrance. Rentyhorn (2008) documents a reparative intervention led by the Helsinki-based artist to rename the Agassizhorn, an Alpine peak named after Swiss-American glaciologist and “scientific” racist Louis Agassiz (1807–73). The mural captures Huber looking out over the Agassizhorn while holding a plaque arguing for the mountain’s renaming—a reminder that the gallery site is also embedded with colonial histories."

You can check out Sasha Huber's solo exhibition 'YOU NAME IT' at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery January 29 till May 8, 2022.

From the artist's website describing the motivation for Rentyhorn; "As a member of the Transatlantic Committee “De-mounting Louis Agassiz”, I made the following intervention. I carried a metal plaque bearing a graphic representation of the slave Renty to the top of an Alpine peak, the Agassizhorn (3946 metres), on the borders of the Swiss cantons of Berne and Valais. In so doing, I took the first step towards renaming the mountain. This act commemorates the fact that the Swiss-born naturalist and glaciologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) was an influential racist and pioneering thinker of apartheid, and that the Agassizhorn should be renamed the “Rentyhorn” in honour of the Congolese-born enslaved Renty, and of those who met similar fates. Agassiz ordered Renty to be photographed on a South Carolina plantation, “to prove the inferiority of the black race”."

Nuit Blanche Toronto postponed until 2022

Update: See photos from the ride on my blog post here.

UPDATE: Nuit might be cancelled but I plan a Night Bike Rave Ride on Saturday, Oct 2 starting at 7pm at Toronto City Hall before joining Toronto Cruisers at 8pm. Come and join in as we try to keep the Nuit Blanche fun going!

I have been getting my lite-bike ready for Nuit Blanche Toronto 2021 all night art event when I decided to check up on the status of the upcoming festival. Bad news, Covid has hit this event as well and Nuit Blanche will not take place in 2021.

Here is the City of Toronto's announcement regarding the cancellation.

While public health restrictions continue to ease, mass gatherings of the scale of Nuit Blanche are not anticipated to be possible in time to stage this much anticipated annual program. As a result, the City has made the difficult decision to postpone the popular all-night celebration of contemporary art in 2021.

Funds allocated to produce this one-night event will be used in 2021 to support cultural and community organizations to program in public spaces throughout the late summer and fall. Nuit Blanche Toronto will return in 2022, led by Artistic Director Dr. Julie Nagam as a city-wide celebration to mark its 16th edition and help close out ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art in 2021-22.

Nuit Blanche sponsors, partners and funders are vital to its success. The City greatly appreciates the commitment by many of these partners to reinvest and support artists and creative collectives for Nuit Blanche 2022. For Nuit Blanche 2022 sponsorship opportunities, please email sponsorship@toronto.ca.

Sculpture at St Paul's Basilica

The white sculpture stopped me in my travels, a female figure crouched over an object in her lap. It sits near two historical plaques for the House of Providence at 83 Power Street, just a stones throw near Queen Street East.

Humanity Art Installation at Union Station

A round steel circle sits in Sir John A. Macdonald Plaza down at Union Station with 35 words that make you feel the love that fills Toronto. The Humanity Art Installation is an 8 foot high sculpture by Masai Ujiri who uses words to describe what humanity means to him, words that represent "peace, togetherness, youth and diversity".

A yellow light within the circle provides illumination to the words cut into the steel

From Union Stations website, "Masai Ujiri’s Humanity Movement was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s fight for equality for all people. Keeping alive his words and actions inspired us to search for and embrace the very things that make us human, and to overcome injustice and hatred. His example was an inspiration then, and continues to be an inspiration especially now. Over one year out from one of the biggest civil rights movements of this generation, the Humanity Art Installation represents hope for the day when we see each other. Really see. The way we did when we first opened our eyes. Nothing in the way. No bias. One people."

The installation is free and open to the public until October 31, 2021 in Union Station's public square on Front Street, between Bay and York Streets. PS it really comes to life at night.

See more photos of Humanity after the jump.

Roundhouse Park in Toronto - railways and beer

The rail line running through the southern portion of Toronto was the first tracks for the city built in 1851 by the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron (OS&H) railway. Roundhouse park was built in the former waters of Lake Ontario before fill changed the water to land and added to the city's boundaries. The building is the original 1939 locomotive turntable which became a city park in 1997 and has become the home of the Toronto Railway Museum, Steam Whistle Brewing and the Rec Room. It has also recently been added to with the addition of an underground hydro substation and of course across the road is the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada and Rogers Centre.

The Railway Museum features a number of train components as well as the restored locomotive turntable and a tiny steam train that you can ride on that loops around the site. The tiny train runs on a small gauge (7.25 inch) tracks which you can see on the left side of the picture that follows.

A miniature water tower and a train station

The Steam Whistle Brewing company occupies the eastern section of the roundhouse building, started by three former Upper Canada Brewing Company employees, affectional known as the "Three Fired Guys'.  Always a great place to visit for some cold brews when you are in the area.

Bev Box oversized vending machine from Labatt

One recent weekend in Toronto I ran into the ultimate booze marketing and sampling device - the Bev Box. It wasn't some fancy computerized and oversized vending machine, no this was a perfect booze delivery system where you spoke your order and the bev box personnel put the drinks in the dispenser. Free booze is always my marketing field goal and this one was giving two samples of either NUTRL, TEMPO or JUIC'D by Labbat's beyond beer portfolio.

This bev box was located at the base of Yonge Street along the harbourfront, in a perfect location to see thousands of people pass by, lick their lips and head over to the box.

It's totally cool to sample. Like, legally says the sign

Force Field and the Scotiabank CONTACT Photo Festival

A circular exhibition of photos was displayed in Fort York National Historic Site Garrison Common with pictures by Dayna Danger, Peter Morin, Fallon Simard and Ange Loft. The group exhibition is described as an Indigiqueer, immersive intervention is compromised of two sided billboards, run in a circle and includes a medicine wheel planter in the middle. The installation began in June and continued until the beginning of September 2021.

From CONTACT's website, "The project’s title, Force Field, is intended as a double entendre—it honours the positive force that Indigiqueer folx offer as a community, and acknowledges the individual force fields Indigiqueer folx often need to protect ourselves from the ongoing dominance of various colonial, heteronormative, cis, white, and patriarchal pressures. The installation’s circular viewing structure physically mirrors what we might imagine a real protective force field would look like, creating a buffered safe space within an area historically rife with hazard. The title also connects to the violent legacy upheld by memorializing a military fortress—underscoring how this public park supports the acts of colonial power and brutality once exerted there. Each artist brings a unique perspective to the exhibition. In addition to connecting with the site and the installation’s overarching Indigqueer themes, artists were also asked to respond to one of the four natural elements."

See more of the photo exhibition after the jump.

Distillery District Christmas Market to return in 2021

Weekends in Toronto were made for adventure and events but with covid bringing the party down there are not a lot of events going on. Dang nabbit. Some places are still so worthwhile to visit because the ambience is out of this world, places like the historic Distillery District. Within the neighbourhood are plenty of stores, restaurants and patios open for social distance business. Restaurants like Mill Street Brew Pub and Pure Spirits Oyster House.

One of the biggest events in the district is coming back in 2021 - the famous Christmas Market. The Facebook website says the market to return from November 18 to December 31. Santa will make all of Toronto happy. I also hope that the Toronto Light Festival comes back as well.

Love Locks in the Distillery District

Ann and I have a lock in the 'O', woo hoo

You can buy locks next to the installation for $10 each

Enjoying a beer tasting flight at the Mill Street Brewery

Berczy Park fountain in twilight

The park is so cool, what with all the urban park stuff like the dog fountain, the flat iron building mural, big hand sculpture and the interesting granite mosaic design, but in the evening the fountain lights up and it looks like the water streams are laser beams shooting out of dog mouths.

From the City's website, "The park's historic centrepiece, a large fountain, has been replaced by a new two-tiered fountain with a unique and whimsical theme. With its opening in spring 2017, 27 dog sculptures – and one cat – are situated around, in, and on the fountain, each spraying water from its mouth. A golden bone sits atop the fountain."

#CIAS Toronto Air Show 2021

Labour Day weekend is here and that means the end of the EX (if it was on this year) and the start of the Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) flying over Lake Ontario and passing by the city Saturday and Sunday, September 4-5. There will also be a practice on Friday, September 3 and all the shows will take place from noon till 3pm. Snowbird pilots at the 2021 show in the photo at top.

The F-35A zooms over the city on practice day

In addition to watching the show from the waterfront, with centre stage across from Trinity Grand in Exhibition Place, or from Ontario Place or Hanlan's Point beach on the Islands, you can stream the shows using the 680 NEWS app.

Snowbirds

Aerial performances will be by the Canadian Snowbirds, F-35A Demo, Quicksilver – P51 Mustang, Gord Price, CH-146 Griffon, CC-130J Herc, Harvard II, Ornge, PBY-5A and the CF-18 Hornet Demo.

CF-18

The Herc passes in front of the condos along Humber Bay

F-35A

P51 Mustang

Gord Price

See more air show photos after the jump.

No more Stolen Sisters - stickers in Yonge-Dundas Square

Large stickers of ladies are posted on the columns of Yonge-Dundas Square with signs that say "No more Stolen Sisters". The pieces are a protest in support of Indigenous women in Canada.

Amnesty International website says, "Stolen Sisters: A human rights response to discrimination and violence against Indigenous women in Canada. Violence against women, and certainly violence against Indigenous women, is rarely understood as a human rights issue. To the extent that governments, media and the general public do consider concerns about violence against women, it is more frequent for it to be described as a criminal concern or a social issue. It is both of those things of course. But it is also very much a human rights issue."