Thanks to Taunya first of all, for starting this up.
Nuit Blanche promises to be a festival to end all festivals.
So far the Word On the Street festival was a success, and has started the ball rolling in terms of ideas, methodology and materials to study.
In keeping with the last experience, I will get some comments from spectators, participants and organizers. Also, I will keep an eye out for entrepreneurial details, as well as how the artistic converges with the economic. Last, I will try to collect some materials, though I imagine there will be considerably less than at WOTS, but we shall see.
Two comparisons of note: what is the Canadian and Torontonian content compared with WOTS, and what is the flow of the space like for us spectators?
Happy festivalling!
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FESTIVALS 2008/2009 PROJECT
A First Timer’s Experience Maureen Senoga
Summary
‘Word on the Street’ September 28,2008
I went in with the title of the festival in mind and looked at ‘Word’ to denote text: in written form, oral-as performed, spoken-to explain authors’ work, visual-on posters, T-shirts, bags, buttons, and book marks.
‘Street’ denoting open space and transformation of a traffic pathway into a temporary information center and a place for other human activities like eating and entertainment.
I noted that street lights were not switched off maintaining the presence and daily function of a street but sending out a message of interruption or a temporary arrest of street life by the power of the ‘Word’ and thus the festival title: Word on the Street.
Content: a free cultural engagement of a book display on a large scale, involving authors, children’s activities, performances and other art activities.
Character: surrounded by (institutions) museums, galleries, university, attended by an intergenerational literate public, staged in the city; which made this an urban festival. Cooperate involvement, and a commercial element shown by sales and advertisements using T-shirts, flyers, buttons, key holders, book marks, bags, and technology. Child involvement in selling books revealed parents’ efforts of instilling a reading culture in their children from childhood.
‘Nuit Blanche’ October 04, 2008
This all night contemporary art festival was a time for me to observe the character and content as major reflections of the translation ‘White Night’
Character
Public space – traffic: human, vehicles and technology intermingle. Sound, movement light, materials, and ideas occupy different spaces: inside, outside, walls, screens. A dominantly youth event, but attracted parents with children, and the elderly as well People converge for various reasons: relearning the city, meeting friends, seeing new art. It is a way of injecting new energy into humans since it involves walking long distances and the use of all senses.
Scale of works of art seems to be dictated by space, night time, and theme or idea created by the artist and encouraged by sponsors of the festival.
QUESTIONS
• How is this festival organized?
• What is the impact of a festival on the individual and the public?
• Are there any silences, gaps, tensions and how are these handled during and after the festival?
• What conversations happen during the festival?
• Does the question of sustainability of the art exhibited arise?
• Given the ‘free’ nature of the festival, how are numbers of festival goers arrived at?
Maureen, I will try to post your newest pictures for 2009.
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