Nocturne: The Review
Andrew Fraser // October 19, 2011
In case you missed out, there was a FREE (yes, FREE) city-wide public art crawl this past Saturday. If you weren’t too busy working or studying frantically for midterms, chances are you were wandering the streets of Halifax, mapping out your art adventure under the stars. With 80+ art installations, gallery shows, exhibitions and alternative spaces spread across Greater Halifax, the path you chose was left entirely up to you.
Nocturne: Art at Night is in its fourth year now, and it is one of Halifax’s most unique, creative, and fascinating festivals. The purpose is to give artists a chance to show off their best work while providing patrons an inexpensive tour of the explosive Halifax art community (Just think, all you need to pay for is a coffee or tea to keep you warm!). I was lucky enough to slip away from work for a few hours, giving me just enough time to check out a few of the exhibits and installations featured in Zone 1, located in Downtown Halifax.
Two of my favourites were the “Rotating Mushrooms” installation in TD Bank where fungi made of iron wire and mesh would turn in circles, causing either embarrassment or intrigue; there was also the “Glow House” on Dalhousie’s Sexton Campus where individuals were encouraged to share their personal messages using glow-in-the-dark art supplies. There were stunning visual delights at every turn. Another highlight was the eerie “Twitter Factory” installation where Stewart Leger and Stephanie MacDonald put their improv skills to the test by bringing spectator’s tweets to life. Also, the “Big Sky Studio One Photography Showcase” (featuring the works of Steve Richard and Brent McCombs) and the “Photo Booth” on Barrington Street were both worthy of investigation. For those not interested in wasting valuable art-crawling time searching for scarce parking spots, there was a free bicycle valet located in front of the Public Library that was open to all explorers.
Over 20, 000 patrons attended Nocturne: Art at Night this year. If you didn’t have a chance to explore Nocturne this time around, don’t fret. Let me just say this – go next year. The date for 2012 is set for Saturday, October 13. Do yourself a favour and plan ahead – I guarantee you won’t regret it.
