By Serena Lopez
On Jan. 17, the fourth annual Toronto Light Festival began in the streets of the Distillery District.
Those looking for an escape from the cold, dreary winter months can visit this exhibit that encapsulates the pockets of light that art gives the public, all in one space and at no cost.
As soon as sundown hits the alleyways of the district, it becomes lit with enormous light sculptures and over-the-top installation work.
Sydmonauts
The first eye-catching piece, located at the district’s main entrance, is called Sydmonauts and was created by Australian artists Amigo & Amigo, whose work focuses on mostly large scale and complex design pieces.
The Sydmonauts sculptures are the first thing visitors entering from the Distillery District’s main entrance will see as they begin their walk through the fourth annual Toronto Light Festival. (CanCulture/Samantha Jackson)
The nine “Sydmonauts” are intentionally placed in different locations of the Light Festival and are meant to be reflective of the “under-appreciated work of astronauts, mathematicians and space travel.”
Shrooms
The Australian duo has a second installation featured in the exhibit called Shrooms. This piece has its own room showcasing playful and eccentric inflatables of everyone’s favourite fungi.
Visitors had ample photo opportunities with the oversized mushroom replicas. (CanCulture/Samantha Jackson)
Shrooms is an interactive piece described by the artists as “being a take on a cultural value that mushrooms are a sign of good luck.” The forest of mushrooms is meant to be a show of signs of good luck for visitors.
Cloud Swing
Another installation of sculptures titled Cloud Swing was brought to life by American artist Lindsay Glatz in partnership with creative designers Curious Form, meant to encapsulate the feelings of wonder.
This artwork first premiered in the United States at the 2019 Burning Man art festival as an official honorarium project, brought to this year’s Toronto Light Festival to encourage engagement with the art from visitors. (CanCulture/Samantha Jackson)
Cloud Swing is a piece that exemplifies the childhood nostalgia associated with a swing set. When the swing seats are left unoccupied, the suspended clouds stay lit under a dim white glow and brighten with a colourful radiance once occupied.
The Palace of Winds
The Palace of Winds made its first appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival in Toronto and borrows its name from the actual Palace of Winds in India. (CanCulture/Samantha Jackson)
Featured next to the Young Centre for Performing Arts, The Palace of Winds is an 8 by 8 piece created by Toronto-based artist Whyishnave Suthagar, who drew inspiration from Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India. The Hawa Mahal, also known as the “The Palace of Winds” is a palace made of red and pink sandstone that opened in 1799. It also references the mandala imagery of a kolam; a form of drawing that is created using rice flour or chalk. The mandala is also an important spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism representing the universe.
The piece is an intricate mix of laminated plywood, fluorescent thread and black light that brings together an elaborate design into practice exploring themes of ancient myths, dreams, memory and the subconscious mind.
“My mom and my aunt would always make kolams,” said Suthagar in a phone interview with CanCulture. “All the older women around me would always like to make kolams for Hindu festivals and weddings, so then the designs that they used — I guess I studied them as a kid just by looking at them.”
When talking about the root of the inspiration for her work, Suthagar said helping her mom with making kolams when she was younger serves in her present work as a testament to her Tamil heritage and Hindustan upbringing in a reimagining of the pieces that she witnessed growing up.
Submergence
A new spin on your traditional Christmas lights, a UK-based group of artists, researchers, technologists and designers brings an immersive, walk-through experience of 5,000 individually controlled points of light that allows visitors to explore an environment that inhabits both real and virtual components, suitably called Submergence.
In this light piece, the installation is slowly lit in stages to entrance visitors in a mesmeric show of bright lights. (CanCulture/Samantha Jackson)
This exhibit has something for art appreciators of all ages and is just one of many ways to enjoy the Canadian winter while it lasts.
The Toronto Light Festival runs weekdays from Sunday to Wednesday from sundown to 9pm and Thursday to Saturdays from sundown to 10pm until March 1.