Nuit Blanche 2014 @ The Rectory a big success

Art installations at The Rectory Art House attracted a huge audience during Nuit Blanche last Saturday. Participating artists Karen Bailey, Lori Victor, and Karen Rasmussen dealt with this years’s theme “Bypass” in entirely different ways:

Karen Bailey with "Passage", Nuit Blanche 2014, at The Rectory Art House.

Karen Bailey's “Passage” was an installation of a wonderful painting depicting a gravedigger at her mother's funeral. Once again, Bailey focused on people behind the scenes as in her previous series like "Cut" (2005-2007), or "Are you being served?"(2004-2005). Visitors were encouraged to place down flowers underneath the shrine, while a white Madonna (which belongs to the office at The Rectory by the way) watched them graciously. Bailey's work “bypasses more traditional forms of grieving” and reflects on her personal loss.

"Cut-Outs" by Lori Victor at The Rectory Art House.

Lori Victor engages in discussions with visitors about her installation "Cut-Outs" during Ottawa's Nuit Blanche 2014.

Lori Victor's installation instead was political: Her “Cut-Outs” at the second floor showed strings of more than 4,000 cut-out figures of an Ottawa Citizen article reporting that over 4,000 aboriginal children died in residential schools. A powerful, meaningful installation that led to interesting and controversial discussions all night long. Victor's second installation “Ottawa's Kitimat” refers to the pipeline through Ottawa carrying tar sand bitumen from Alberta.

Lori Victor's "Ottawa's Kitimat"

Karen Rasmussen's “Closing Time?”, an installation of chairs, stools, books, and clocks focused on personal challenges. Her installation is according to the artist “a decision-making chamber for considering changes we face and for figuring out our next move. A chance to bypass the usual anxiety of change, forego meds and psychotherapy, and take art instead.” What a great approach!

Karen Rasmussen's "Closing Time?" at Nuit Blanche 2014.

A wonderful addition to the art at The Rectory were the Ottawa Storytellers. They told enlightening, thoughtful, serious, sad, and sometimes even humorous tales in response to the paintings and installations.

Ottawa Storyteller before Karen Bailey's "Passage" during Nuit Blanche.

Ottawa Storyteller before Karen Bailey's "Passage" during Nuit Blanche.

Artists' websites:
http://www.karenbailey.ca/
http://lorivictor.com/
Karen Rasmussen: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.138248893037302.1073741834.121343688061156&type=1&_fb_noscript=1