Nocturne art at night attracts thousands

Nocturne, the second annual art at night festival, allowed artists to display their work all over the city on Saturday.

A piece from The Edible Show by NSCAD undergraduate Karen Hawes and alumnus Jesse Walker

It was a cold Saturday night in the city. On one downtown street, dead silence. Just a few blocks away on Barrington Street, a narrow footpath swarming with people, store windows projecting the incoming tide on eight-foot screens and the deafening sound of the ocean.

The project is called Tide's Comin' in..., an audio-visual exhibit by artists Scott Saunders, Nikolai Gauer and Wes Johnson that displayed the kind of talent that can be found in the Halifax art scene. 

It was one of 34 independent projects that were exhibited throughout the downtown Halifax area on Saturday during the second annual art at night festival, Nocturne.

Nocturne is an opportunity for artists to show their work to a diverse audience. It is also a chance for the public to take in all that the art scene has to offer in one night at no cost.

The event is based on the Nuit Blanche model and was started by Laura Carmichael in 2008 while she was the committee chair at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. She was unavailable for comment.

Slideshow

Slideshow of various exhibitions at Nocturne 2009

Video

Two exhibits from Nocturne 2009 in Halifax, N.S. The first is a piece called Tide's Comin' in... by Scott Saunders, Nikolai Gauer and Wes Johnson. The second piece is called Genuine Leather by artist Arianne Pollet-Brannen.

Gallery Director of Development Bernard Doucet estimates 6,000 people attended Nocturne on Saturday - a number he was very happy with. He says last year's event had gone over well, making the decision to have another event this year an easy one.

"We had record numbers in the galleries and it took off within the community," says Doucet. "It is one of the biggest all-encompassing audiences of the year and that can only benefit anyone involved in any of the visual and performing art forms."

Thirty-two of Halifax's art galleries kept their doors open late and took part in this year's event. A number of colleges throughout the city were involved, as many of the artists were students.

The scene on the street was an art form in itself, as many had painted their faces or wore masks, making it look like a masquerade ball.

Other exhibits included a piece called Genuine Leather by Arianne Pollet-Brannen, where live models adorned in deconstructed/reconstructed leather shoes showcased the work in store windows.

Another interesting installment was a piece by a group of architecture students at Dalhousie University. The architecture building had an eerie green glow that was generated by an installment of lights in the foyer, like something out of an Isaac Asimov story.

Events like this encourage the public to come out and see what the arts community has to offer. Artists said Nocturne was an excellent opportunity to draw attention to their work, if only for one night.

"We need at least two times in the year for exhibitions like this," says Qahtan Alameen, an artist with Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum. "It would be better if there was an event in the summer, as a lot of artists will show projects outdoors. I feel as though more people would come out and encourage us to do more."

Though not as widely known, there's a studio and gallery tour in September called Go North!. It's similar to Nocturne, but smaller in scale and focuses only on the North End.

Nocturne will host its third event in 2010 and, based on the increased number of people coming into the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Doucet is confident that the event will draw more people in years to come.

Art-goer Alfred Remo agrees.

"It makes people aware of the art scene in Halifax - that it's strong and vibrant," says Remo, who was one of many at the Tide's Comin' in exhibit on Barrington Street Saturday. "It's out there, you just have to find it."

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