Must Sees at Nocturne 2019
Nocturne Communications Assistant Ashley Corbett highlights these must see projects for you ahead of the festival this Saturday night!
Each fall, on one magical night, K’jipuktuk/Halifax comes together to celebrate talent, creativity, and community. Nocturne: Art at Night brings our city to life with free art exhibits and installations throughout the urban area. Merging art and accessibility, the festival gives the community at large a chance to interact with art on their own terms.
2019 marks Nocturne’s 12th birthday, and this year we’ll explore the city’s transitional state with the theme Scaffold, curated by Tori Fleming. With this underlying theme in play, Nocturne 2019 will be unique to K’jipuktuk/Halifax at this particular point in the city’s culture and history.
As excited as we are, we know that a night of seemingly endless things to see and do can be a bit overwhelming at first. But don’t worry—this handy cheat sheet of must-sees will help you plan your evening. So grab your copy of The Nocturne Guide and start mapping out your night: here’s our list of sure things for Nocturne 2019.
INTERACT & EXPLORE
Maturity Playground
by Nathalie Quagliotto
Ferry Terminal Park, 88 Alderney Dr.
This playground sculpture is a whimsical installation on the Dartmouth Waterfront. The project reconfigures everyday childish public objects, altering the social significance of the object. The environment features three interactive installations: a reconfigured swing-set, see-saw, and tic-tac-toe work. Connect with your inner child as you explore this unique playground!
Luminous Cloud
by Passage Studio, Thomas Evans, Jonathan Mandeville
Halifax Public Gardens, Spring Garden Rd.
An experimental experience of light and void space, Luminous Cloud is a colourful light installation with dancing light at all angles. The experience is welcoming: taller than a person, and about the size of a tennis court, Luminous Cloud shimmers with a light that says ‘come closer.’ The project is ever changing, so be sure to spend some time there or visit again at the end of the night.
Sugar Shack
By Louis-Charles Dionne
Parking lot, 6 Victoria Rd.
Grounded in the artist’s own Franco-Québécois cultural identity and folklore, Sugar Shack examines the cultural phenomena of maple syrup production and traditions. Being enveloped in sweet steam will be the focus for event participants. This multi-sensory installation explores notions of cultural and national identity in the light of contemporary decolonization.
Greetings from the End of the World
By Kastor and Pollux
Tall Ships Quay, 1097 Marginal Rd.
A food stall, a performance stand, and postcard kiosk — this is where you can send your greetings from the end of the world. In this installation, the Halifax boardwalk represents community; a place for people from “different worlds and spaces” to come together as one. In our changing city, with new developments and gentrification, this project highlights issues with modernization. Greetings from the End of the World aims to illustrate what our boardwalk means for the local community and tourism, now and as we move into the future.
Replacing the Monument
By Camila Salcedo
1170 Hollis St
In this public performance, participants are invited to replace the current monument located at the park on South Street between Hollis Street and Barrington Street. Meant as a symbolic action to replace colonial monuments and historical white supremacy, Replacing the Monument takes action to stop the celebration of figures who have caused harm.
SEE & LISTEN
History Shall Speak For Itself
by Caroline Monnet
Scotia Square 2nd floor window, 1903 Barrington St.
This project is a collaged chronology of Indigenous female representation in filmmaking. Monnet interweaves archival images of Indigenous women doing domestic tasks and looking away from the camera, juxtaposed with a modern, stylized photographs of notable women looking directly at the lens. Monnet brings together the two different methods of representation in a visually impactful story.
The Brandscape
By Tough Guy Mountain
Staples Parking Garage, 2003 Gottingen St.
An immersive, interactive VR experience, The Brandscape is a collection of short stories involving a fictional company — Tough Guy Mountain (TGM). In a series of five videos, experience stories of rise and fall of capitalism. TGM demonstrates a technology driven mode of storytelling; lose yourself in the giant interactive video installation, interact with the characters, and more.
structures/voids
By Brandon Auger
The Curve, 1577 South Park St.
With performances happening every half hour, structures/voids is a live installation study. Experience “sonic oddities,” electronic tones and pulses in a dark, concrete 300,000 cubic foot space. The acoustics and idiosyncrasies will resonate as a vast void.
Memory Keepers III | Nujimikwite’taqatijik III
By GLAM Collective
Treaty Space Gallery, 1107 Marginal Rd.
A series of experimental and collaborative media art installations, Memory Keepers III | Nujimikwite’taqatijik III was created by eight Indigenous artists during two art incubators curated by GLAM Collective. In this site-specific experience, each artist is their own memory keeper, encoding, storing and retrieving knowledge of the land, as well as language and cultural practices. Featuring works from Indigenous artists across the country, this educational series is not to be missed.
Disco Beast
By Jonathan Monaghan
Old Memorial Library, 5381 Spring Garden Rd
Disco Beast is a film created using high-end 3D animation software and is set to an original synth-pop score by D.C. based Furniteur. Designed to be on a continuous loop with no distinctive beginning or end, Disco Beast follows a psychedelic unicorn as it wanders through a series of empty commercial spaces, including an abandoned shopping mall and a luxury hotel lobby.
PLAN YOUR NIGHT
Are you inspired yet? This is only the beginning. With an amazing array of art experiences to choose from, your Saturday night is sure to be filled with wonder. Since we’ve just scratched the surface of the art available, you’ll want to check out The Nocturne Guide for even more on what to see and do. And when you do hit the streets on the night of, remember to use #NocHfx19 so we can follow along on your journey. Happy exploring!