Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Photo Story

Big thanks to Brent Sasiela, who screen printed these t-shirts both front and back for us!

A little glow-in-the-dark paint never hurt!








We decided we needed to make our mark too
Surprise! The UV pens came with caps embedded with mini black lights.  Needless to say, we had to take them off before we gave them to our participants in order to maintain the integrity of our project 
Set-up in progress


Final display





Success

So what exactly happened on October 2nd?  We know our initial statement was fairly vague, so let us explain...

It all started with a UV pen.  What's a UV pen, you ask?  In short, it's invisible ink. Although it may look like a regular pen to the naked eye, you can't see any output until a black light is shining on the drawing/writing surface.  Once the three of us got our hands on this ingenious writing utensil, we were like kids in a candy store. I think we even drained our first pen dry by doodling on books, on our hands,  and even on the walls of our apartments! That, my friends, was the beginning.  Soon after that, we decided we needed more pens.  A lot more.  Add to that three easels, three boards with paper and six black light bulbs and our supply list was complete.

Now, all that we needed were willing participants. That's where you came in! 8pm rolled around and we took to the street.  Thanks to the gracious folks over at preloved (http://www.preloved.ca), we were given free reign of their window space and we were also able to set up shop right outside of their storefront.  And so it began. We took two easels outside and left one inside of the store. Armed with several UV pens each, we started to ask people to draw for us.  That's it.  Plain and simple. We must've asked hundreds of people, "Want to draw in invisible ink?"  Lucky for us, 142 of you obliged.

"But I won't be able to see what I'm drawing?!" was a response we heard often that evening.  To which we would explain, "That's the whole point!"  You see, our project was a social experiment of sorts.  We were curious to see how people would react when we asked them to get creative.  Would people play along?  Or, would people ignore us completely?  In all honesty, a lot of people ignored us.  But, those aren't the people that matter!  To everyone who participated, THANK YOU!  This project couldn't have happened without you.

As the night progressed, we got excited.  We decided against changing the paper on each of the easels, and in the end, it was the right decision.  The results were fantastic!  The layering of everyone's contributions was exactly the effect we were hoping for.  Some of you drew us pictures.  Others wrote us notes (and website addresses!).  And yes, there were some scribbles too.

After closing the doors around midnight we started putting together our window display. Thankfully, there was just enough room in the window to place our easels side by side.  In addition to the three black lights we screwed into the pot lights in the ceiling, each easel was equipped with a lamp that projected black light directly onto each piece of paper.  It was reveal time.  As soon as we plugged in the lamps, the window was aglow with your lovely drawings.  A true collaborative effort was put on display for all to see.

Thanks to the success of this event, we've got bigger and better plans in the works.  We've decided its time to up the ante...and we've got some tricks up our sleeves!  Stay tuned as we'll update this page with our latest and greatest:)

-Erin, Megan & Rachel

PS.  Pictures from the event will be posted later this evening (sorry for the delay)!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Draw like no one's watching!!!

And you are!!! We are so happy that Nuit Blanche is going so well tonight!!! We cannot WAIT until midnight to see what drawings you have given us.

Thanks Toronto - you rock!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

No one’s watching

 ...Because leaving your inhibitions behind, isn’t always easy…

The artistic team responsible for the Nuit Blanche installation “No One’s Watching” has taken a decidedly oppositional stance to the way in which the media treats its public.  In stripping away all of the burdens, the pressures, the filters, and the expectations that accompany adulthood, Erin Lucuik, Megan Blandford-Lewis and Rachel Shaw have re-discovered the joys of child’s play. 
No one’s watching you, no one’s judging you and most importantly, in this project, there’s no such thing as right or wrong.  Tap into your childhood self and regain that sense of unbridled creativity, because, in the name of Nuit Blanche, that’s all that matters!
Using preloved’s West Queen West storefront as their canvas, the team hopes their work will encourage participants to tap into the left side of their brains by giving them carte blanche, literally.  But isn’t Nuit Blanche for artists, you ask?  Sure, but if anything can be learned from an all night contemporary art extravaganza it’s that art can be accessible to all.  With that said, “No One’s Watching” puts participants in the driver’s seat. 
Don’t be surprised if you have some performance jitters.  A blank canvas can be daunting for even the most accomplished of artists.  But, have no fear, because this time there’s a twist that can’t be revealed until opening night. 
On October 2nd, stop by 881 Queen Street West, but remember to leave your inhibitions at the door.  Only open minds and open hearts are welcome.