Humber students looked toward the future through recalling artistic memories for the 20th anniversary of Nuit Blanche on Oct. 3 and 4.
The art spans different media, including audiovisual projects and art installations from students in different programs including interactive media, digital arts, and electromechanical engineering.
Loreanne Larbi recently graduated from the postgraduate program in Interactive Media Management – Creative Technologies. Her capstone project for the program is featured for this year's Nuit Blanche at Lakeshore campus.
"Graduating out of the program, I didn't feel confident enough or competent enough to be able to execute projects," she said. "So signing up, being accepted, being able to execute it, and having it done successfully created a milestone."
Larbi said her project explores the changes in the community since the development of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. She saw the changes to the neighbourhood she grew up in.
She said she wanted to look back at the community, and she realized how hard it was to source historical images.
The images she projects onto a screen are from the Little Jamaica BIA, including an image from 2026 and another of the same place prior to the LRT development.
"I created this piece to live in different communities for the purpose of being able to document the history and also do it from the narrative of people that live there," Larbi said.
This is her first art installation being featured.
Another Humber graduate celebrated her second year at Nuit Blanche with her art installation "Secret Trees."
Kelsey Wolff Power said her installation explores the theme of butterflies as a messenger of the gods in many cultures, and wanted to use trees in her art.
The installation allows participants to speak personal secrets into a metal tin can connected to lights, representing butterflies. The lights dazzle to the sound of the speaker, and move through the tree it's attached to and dissipate.
"The idea is that you are able to unburden yourself of your secrets, which can actually weigh us down quite a lot," Wolff Power said.
Wolff Power graduated from the Visual and Digital Arts program at Humber Polytechnic and volunteered for Nuit Blanche as a student and later became a part of the Nuit Blanche Fellowship, having her art featured last year.
Joshua Hon is also featured at Nuit Blanche this year, with this 3D artwork of a statue of Lady Justice taking on many different pieces held together by a central spine, and its pieces can rotate around.
He said the inspiration comes from his background in Hong Kong, where political strife remains. He notes he uses plastic instead of the typical bronze or metals that the statue of Lady Justice is made of, to convey a lack of quality.
Participants are welcome to move the pieces around throughout the night.
"If you want to rebuild it or put it back to its original position, it takes time," he said. "So it's very easy to destroy something- including systems."
Hon is currently completing his degree in electromechanical engineering technology at North Campus to learn more about how to incorporate technology into his art.
Other artwork by Humber graduates includes Liam Sawyers, whose work featured more than 60 videos on a projector that visitors were able to control from a central machine they're welcome to use.
Humber Polytechnic also celebrated its fifth anniversary showcasing Nuit Blanche art installations. It featured 10 installations this year at Lakeshore campus, including from faculty, alumni, current students and Arts Etobicoke and Lakeshore Arts.
Nuit Blanche also celebrates its 20th anniversary and explored its history with its theme "Tomorrow's Memories," inviting back artwork from previous years.
A few of the installations have been extended until Oct. 10, including UFO, I Miss You: T.Dot Memories, and Networked Growth.
