Alien World
Toronto
has some odd exhibitions; they even have a huge Museum dedicated to just shoes.
http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/
But this is not about shoes. It’s about an alien world, a kind of underworld
we visited.
Toronto
is a very active, artsy place with a very liberal, avant-garde point of view.
The
city promotes ideas that are ‘far out’ to most folks.
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| Display of Arctic Footwear |
So
here is our story:
An
email arrived in Carol’s mailbox advising her that there is going to be a night
time event of a laser show. The location for this display was under the Gardiner
Expressway Bridges, the address not existing on our GPS. Naturally, we went to
see it.
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| Not Quite Dark Yet |
Starting
time was 7 PM on this Oct. 14 and we were on time; well we were a tad early but
only because we found a parking spot by entering through the exit, instead of
the entrance at the old Fort York parking lot.
Carol
thought it would be good to take some foldable chairs, which turned out to be
ill advised, since those chairs only became ballast for me.
We
had no clue as to where exactly the event would be; we followed other people who
parked where we parked. At this time of day in Oct. the darkness creeps in very
fast. It took no time and we were walking even more carefully, trying to avoid
the many modern traps the city puts up, like potholes, curbs and barriers. We
took the long way around because we had no idea it was this close to where we
had parked.
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| You Are Supposed to Feel Like You Are Underwater Looking Up |
When
we arrived under the Bridges many people were already looking up. A few people were
standing on an elevated walkway but I could not find the entrance to that so we
joined the majority of the crowd and gawked, seeing nothing for the moment. It
was really dark by now; many people milling about yet nobody knew what to look
for. We asked 2 young ‘guides?’ and one told us, in a very heavy British
accent, to mind our steps. All of sudden someone yelled out loudly… 7,6,5,4,3,2
and….
The
world around us changed. It got even darker; it was hard to discern the people
next to you. Most people wore black clothing which added to the effect.
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| Undulating Lights Look Like Waves From Underneath |
Above
us a haze appeared, created by fog machines that were intermittently
distributed along the whole area under the Bridges. The dense ‘clouds’ thus
created rose, drifted and mingled with the wind that blew around us, coming off
Lake Ontario. The world above us turned blue and the whole had an ethereal
quality to it. ‘Clouds’ or were they waves; started floating just above our
heads.
The
crowd started snapping pictures with everything they could find in their
pockets. Some had the foresight to bring a camera, like Carol did, but I, like
many, was relegated to my iPhone. I never thought I would need a night time
mode so I got what I got when I snapped away.
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| Fog Machines and Moving Laser Lights Create This Effect |
Strong
laser light shone from one end to the other, kept in a certain motion one could
see creeping up the pillars or support beams of the Bridge(s). Our world as we
knew it just minutes ago, was changed to an Alien World never seen before. We
did not have a clear outlook any longer, everything turned fuzzy, unclear,
distorted. Only in the far distance were the remains of what we knew, of what
our lives were like before we got here. Looking up, the whole of it was now a
new ceiling. Our upward vision was undulating, ever changing. Nothing was
visible beyond our immediate blue horizon.
A
man, the only man I hope, had blue balls. He played with them. Swirled them
around and around, looking sideways to see if someone took notice of him.
Silly Man - Playing With His Blue Balls
People
behaved differently below the blue. Voices became subdued. Visions blurred.
Shadows were more expressive.
Yet,
as a mass, people walked about, without guidance they moved from one end to the
other, constantly looking up.
Video Gives a Better Idea of the Movement of the Fog and Lights
The
British girl was correct; it was time to mind our steps.
We
carefully approached the end, the world beyond the blue lights and, even though
it seemed complicated to get there, we stepped out of the Alien surroundings
back to our reality. This time we did not get lost, we knew where we had to go.
We went home!
Yet,
we saw many more people who were drawn towards the blue yonder; many already
changing their behaviour and not talking before they even got there.
Does It Feel Like You Are Underwater?
Waterlicht, created by the Dutch District Water Board is
a travelling exhibition. Shows have been given in Amsterdam, London and Paris.
The show illustrates the universal power and poetry of water. The larger than
life cascading waves of blue light simulate a virtual flood to call attention
to the rising water levels along Toronto’s shoreline.
The
message this art exhibition gives is not a happy one, it gives food for
thought.
Daan
Roosegaarde, the artist, leaves you with an unusual point of view. It was Public
Art at its finest.
