Art, or Nah?
I moved back to Nova Scotia in 2014 eventually settling in Dartmouth with my then partner, now husband. During my first few years in the city I was working mostly evenings and could never make the timing work, so it was years before I got to experience my first Nocturne. At the time my Husband was working at a museum that often hosted a major project for the festival and would tell me every year what I had missed - a projected piece, a sculptural light project or some other marvel - assuring me about Nocturne: “you’ll love it.”
In the fall of 2019 I finally made it a priority and booked the night off from work. That evening as the sun began to set, we made our way to downtown Dartmouth. There was a brand new neon mural that I had been looking forward to seeing, so we decided that we would start there and make our way down to the ferry over to Halifax. Along the way my husband introduced me to a game he liked to play during Nocturne, a game that was taught to him by a close friend; “Art, or Nah?”.
The game is simple, you walk around pointing to things you think might be part of Nocturne and ask, “Art, or Nah?”
After arriving at our destination the choice was clear. As I stood in front of the new neon mural lauded by the city as a “new piece of public art”, my husband turned to me, his face washed in neon, asking me; “Art, or Nah?” - “Art.” I said.
We continued our journey down the street and stumbled into a gallery not far from the mural. The gallery was filled with art, and some well-intentioned ambitious “nah”. I made small talk with a local artist whose art caught my eye, but after imbibing shortly before the journey even more things were seeming like art, and that art was calling, so I politely excused myself and we continued into the night.
As we exited the gallery (now understanding the game) we spotted a trash can overflowing with garbage and I turned to my husband asking, “Art, or Nah?”. We stood there for a minute in silence, staring at the heap of garbage spilling out onto the street. Was this a critique on late stage capitalism, or is it just a trash can filled with garbage(?). At that moment, it was impossible to know which. So I stood there deep in thought and began to think about my own relationship with capitalism. I thought about climate change, the rise in income inequality, and the role I play in overconsumption. After a few moments - I broke the silence; “I think this is just trash” and we moved on.
Down the street we passed a group of men, each had their sports car parked in a row, car doors open, music blaring, hoods popped open, exposed engines, drawing a crowd of quizzical admirers. My husband turned to me and asked, “Art, or Nah?” - I paused - “Art. For some, nah for us” and we moved on.
As our walk continued to the ferry, my husband spotted a plastic bottle of water with a glow stick placed inside. The bottle seemed discarded (or placed there intentionally? We were unsure). Not thinking much of it, we moved on. But as we moved down the street we spotted another, and then another, and then another. Each placed as if to guide us on our journey. Was this an official part of Nocturne? Did it matter? We stood there, once again and contemplated: was this a random act of guerilla art? A school art project? Is this art…. or….nah?” I responded enthusiastically: “Art!”
We found ourselves at our destination, the ferry, and it was there -just outside the terminal- that I first experienced the true magic of Nocturne; projected onto the old forgotten city hall was a illuminated image of a flower covering the lush leafy side of the building, probably three stories high onto ivy. The air that evening was the perfect kind of autumn air, both warm and cool at the same time. If you live on the East Coast of Canada, you know exactly the kind of crisp autumn evening I’m talking about. At that moment a slight breeze began to make its way off the harbour causing the ivy to move in the wind, this in effect, made it seem as if the breeze was making the projected flower sway.
It was then that I realised what Nocturne was really about. This old building in disrepair was transformed and made into something beautiful. Partly the work of the artist, the work of the image, the location, the atmosphere, transforming everything into a liminal space between “Art” AND “Nah” - everything “could” be art, it’s us who gives it that power. And every year, for only a few short hours, I get to see and experience the city with new eyes. Suddenly everything, if you pay enough attention, becomes art. I turned to my husband a; “Art”, to which he responded: “we need to catch the Ferry.”
We boarded the ferry and spent the next few hours in Halifax. We walked up and down streets, and through galleries and museums. We walked all night, crisscrossing the city, and even then, we felt like we barely were able to see everything. Eventually “art, or nah” was just a joke to point at something that on any other day would be a normal sight - but on Nocturne with fresh eyes, felt like it could be art.
We thought, we experienced, and we felt new things. We saw the city with fresh eyes and were reminded how much we love it here and how lucky to call this city home. At Midnight my first Nocturne had come to a close, and the magic of festival wore off, but i promised myself that through the year there I would seek out the seemingly the mundane, and the routine, and ask the question we ask ourselves every Nocturne: “Art, or Nah?”
It’s been almost 5 years since we first played “Art, or Nah” and I’m looking forward to playing it again this year. I’m looking forward to staring at trash cans filled with garbage, and random objects left on the street, wondering, “Is this art?”. I look forward to wandering around the city frantically trying to see everything, but knowing that no matter how early I start, there will be too much to see in one night. I look forward to seeing the city transform and to experience it for the first time all over again. On this day, as I sit down to write this, almost 5 years later, I find myself looking forward to our walk to the Ferry this year and playing our little game. Till then I’ll watch as the ivy grows this summer, spreading itself across the side of the old city hall and think, “Art”.
Nocturne: Microcosm will be taking place October 17-20, 2024. If you have any good art or nah' submissions, tag us the night of. #nochfx24 #artornah
Joshua Cadegan-Syms (he/him) was born in Nova Scotia, and raised in Calgary. Joshua moved back in 2014 making his home in Dartmouth with his husband, dogs, and garden. Joshua has a degree in Computer Science from Dalhousie University (2020). Prior to joining the board, Joshua worked as a volunteer coordinator, sommelier, manager, and event organizer. He is proud to call himself a Nova Scotian and hopes to make Nocturne a more inclusive and sustainable festival for everyone. In his downtime, you can find him exploring this beautiful province, hiking with his family, enjoying a good cup of coffee, renovating his house, and listening to indie rock.