Paris, Toronto, Montreal, London, it's making its way around; and now Guelph can say that it is a part of that very same culture that draws crowds into the wee artistic hours of the morning.Saturday night we headed out in expectations of something great. We wanted music, entertainment, art, weird, eccentric and wild. Unfortunately it was raining and that may have been some cause to the lack of extreme traffic we were geared up and prepared for. That being said, I fear that Nuit Blanche on any other night under any other conditions more than likely would have continued to slightly let me down; but, then again, it is only Guelph's first attempt at the tradition.
I wont go saying that I was bathed in disappointment, it's not fair or accurate to say that something totally upset my anticipations when I had no idea what to expect in the first place. What I will state, however, is that next year's event, assuming they continue it, will have much more to live up to. The events themselves seemed promising; the silent dance party, for example, was a great concept and idea, but perhaps a little to new and small scale for everyone in the parking lot to get into it. The W.C. Woods piano building was much the same way: interesting, yet not completely compelling. Everything was, well, just about there.
With everything going on and from the albeit limited amount I as able to take in, the biggest fault, sorry two biggest faults that I can think to pin on Nuit Blanche, Guelph, would be
1) The layout was poor. I mentioned the W.C. Woods building as a venue for entertainment, and it was a good choice for the piece, but for us to head on our next venture we had to trek ourselves to Goldie Mill or Bikram. This would have been completely okay with me, I'm not opposed to walking and I'm certainly not blaming rain for anything since no one has control over it, but my issue is that for the 20 or so minutes it takes to walk place to place, there is nothing happening in between. It would have been nice, perhaps even wise, to utilize the space between venues to offer more to the audience.
2) A wiser choice of time would be advisable next year. And, again, these are just my opinions, but why not hold the event in August, before the students arrive? Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discriminate against an age demographic, nor am I thinking for one second that I am elitist in any way. All I mean is that there is a great divide, observable by any set of eyes, between the jazz tent and the line up at Frank n' Steins on a Saturday night. I believe the venues probably could have fared much better and spread far more expansive had they been given the opportunity to focus their efforts on a more attentive public. In short: I had trouble differentiating between Nuit Blanche and any other Saturday night in downtown Guelph.
It seems I've ranted on here at length on part of the negatives that Nuit Blanche presented me; this should not suggest I didn't have a good time just the same. I mean, perhaps it was in my hands to find the better venues, to get out at different times, to explore a different alley. There was certainly a lot going on and maybe I just made all the wrong choices and observations. But, having said that, when it comes to something like this, I believe all choices should be delivering the goods they promise and advertise. However, poor decisions or not, it got me out, got me exploring, got me in the mood to participate in something potentially great with a sense of community and open thinking; it even got a great artist to our city that I wouldn't have expected otherwise. And though I was fired up for Kid Koala, I unfortunately, by 1:00 in the morning, realized that I am no longer the Spring chicken I once was. With my eyes growing heavy and my bed screaming my name, I had to toss in the towel and call it quits, missing the one event that I am almost certain would have made the night exceptionally worth while.
All in all, I'd say that Nuit Blanche, Guelph does have a ways to go before making any headlines, but for a first time attempt and the strive to grow our culture just that much more I say kudos, Guelph, I'll be back next year.
Phil
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