All the must-sees at Halifax's Nocturne 2023

There's a magic to Nocturne, the art-after-dark festival that returns to Halifax this week (Oct. 12-15). It's the "magic of bumping into things," says Melany Nugent-Noble, Nocturne's executive director. And while there's plenty of free Nocturne programming between tonight and Sunday — including artist talks, extended gallery hours and parties — most of that magic will be conjured on Saturday, when some 80 public art projects come alive for a one-night-only event, activating the streets between 6 p.m. and midnight.

At its core, Nocturne is about exploring the city through art and getting swept up in the wonder of it all, and unique to this year, Saturday's anchor projects have been produced by four key partners, local non-profit arts organizations the Khyber Centre for the Arts, Eyelevel, Kinetic and Eastern Front Theatre. 

There's an interactive map to help visitors find their way between every multimedia installation, giant inflatable sculpture and experimental dance performance. (Consider hopping a boat between downtown Halifax and Alderney Landing if you want to do some Ferry-o-ke!!! — a returning Nocturne project that is exactly what it sounds like.) And guided tours ("Noc-Tours") are available as well (find further info in Nocturne's map).

But before you plan your itinerary, consider these must-see attractions, recommended to CBC Arts by Nugent-Noble. 

"I would definitely say they are projects that are on the ambitious or experimental side," she says. "A lot of these, I feel, are pushing boundaries in different ways.… They are things that haven't been seen in Halifax, and I think a lot of them are new within a Canadian context, as well."

Becoming Halifax

Expect a high-energy scene outside Nova Scotia Power on Saturday night. Every hour between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., models wearing costumes by Colin J. Muise will be walking the runway. 

Muise, a self-taught tailor, makes outfits based on Halifax landmarks. (Among his greatest hits: a head-to-toe ensemble inspired by the Town Clock on Citadel Hill and a minidress version of the Wave sculpture.)

"They're very fun," says Nugent-Noble. "I think [this project] is really speaking to the community, the landmarks, the land — the spaces that everyone recognizes," she says. One of her favourite examples: the striped smokestacks of the Tufts Cove Generating Station — another muse of Muise.

"I don't know if community pride is the right word, but everyone knows them and loves them," she says. "People from elsewhere might not necessarily know about them.… I didn't!" she laughs. (Nugent-Noble moved to Halifax from B.C. last year.) "Now I'm like, 'Yeah! The smokestacks! Cool!' There's an endearing quality about all of the pieces that Colin picked."

Qiaqsutuq

Involving video projection and an installation of laser-cut masks, this piece was co-produced by Inuit Futures and the Inuit Art Foundation, and involves the work of five Inuit artists from across the circumpolar North: Jamesie Fournier, Coco Lynge, Erin Gingrich, Malayah Enooyah Maloney and Taqralik Partridge. 

In the summer of 2023, the group began developing Qiaqsutuq through an incubator program at NSCAD University's CiMADE Lab, and their creation is described as a lament for the land, one delivered through the voices of five Arctic inhabitants: Iguttaq (Bee Woman), Tuktu (Caribou), Nanuq (Polar Bear), Tulugak (Raven) and Natchik (Seal). Nugent-Noble has been excited to see it all come together, and she expects the sheer scale alone will impress audiences. Find it in the back courtyard of the Halifax Central Library.

Killim

From Toronto-based artist Roda Medhat, this inflatable sculpture takes the shape of a nomadic Kurdish tent. Per the Nocturne website, it's meant to spark the imagination, encouraging viewers to "consider the valuable lessons traditional nomadic lifestyles can offer in the face of global environmental challenges." 

The piece itself has been doing a bit of travelling — earlier this fall, it appeared at Nuit Blanche Toronto. "I think it will be stunning on the waterfront," says Nugent-Noble, and Nocturne-goers can see it at Foundation Landing on Saturday night. (The evening prior, Medhat will be giving an artist talk at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.)

The Wayfinding Care Project

You won't find this one on the Nocturne map. The Wayfinding Care Project is a roaming performance, and on Saturday night, a fleet of volunteer couriers will take to the streets, delivering care packages to Nocturne artists: homespun parcels filled with treats and notes of encouragement. 

The organizers (artists Melissa Marr, Heather Wilkinson and Leesa Hamilton) were inspired by the time and care that artists pour into the event, says Nugent-Noble. This project, she explains, is a way to pay some of that love back.

In the lead-up to Nocturne, artists were asked to send special requests to the care package team. "A cookie or a red balloon or whatever they might need," says Nugent-Noble, and some 150 care packages will be prepared in advance of Saturday. The project's emissaries will be busy traversing the entire festival map, so wherever you wind up exploring, you should be able to spot them. (They'll be dressed to stand out from the crowd.)

The Invisible Artists Carnival

Earlier this fall, Ontario-based circus artists Erin Ball and the Other Hearts performance collective arrived on Nocturne's Nova Scotia turf. Since then, they've been developing this show with help from folks in Halifax's Mad and Disability communities, and according to Nugent-Noble, the project's commitment to accessibility — plus its engagement with local performers — makes it a major festival highlight.

Expect music, clowns, aerial acrobatics and more. Showtime is 6 – 8 p.m. at the Alderney Landing Outdoor Stage in Dartmouth.

Meander/Drift

Feel like getting lost in thought? Meander/Drift, a labyrinth/sound installation by artists Lauren Runions, Marite Kuus and Lou Campbell, is all about quiet reflection, and on Saturday night, you can find it in Grand Parade. (According to Nugent-Noble, organizers have worked closely with residents of the park encampment, inviting them to be part of the planning process.)

Visitors to the labyrinth will be given headphones so they can access the project's original soundtrack, and in case you're not big on puzzles, don't worry about getting trapped in there. "It's large, but it's not a corn maze by any means.… It's more of a meditative space," says Nugent-Noble, who notes that the maze is wheelchair-accessible. The artists plan to build the structure itself out of second-hand materials: fabric, fishing rope, snow fencing, etc.

Deep Ocean Listening

From the bottom of the ocean to your ears, Deep Ocean Listening is a 12-hour sound piece by acoustic oceanographer David Barclay and sound artist Lindsay Dawn Dobbin. But you don't have to leave your couch to dive into this one. Starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dalhousie University's campus radio station CKDU 88.1 FM will be broadcasting a recording of the ultimate deep-sea journey — a voyage to the floor of the Mariana Trench, nearly 11,000 metres below the waves. 

"Even though a lot of it is silence, you get really invested in small moments," says Nugent-Noble — subtle sonic disruptions that defy easy classification. "I think [the project's] touching on really important things to an ocean community — thinking about sustainability."

The broadcast wraps at 6 a.m. on Sunday, but if you're left wanting more, listeners are invited to join an online workshop next month. Led by Dobbin, participants will have the chance to respond to this mysterious underwater soundscape. More info can be found on the project's website.

Collect/ive Grief Collect/ive Joy

After the go-go-go energy of Nocturne's Saturday night, you might be craving a change of pace. Sleep in on Sunday … then head to the gazebo in Dartmouth Commons. 

Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., artist Corrie Peters will be leading this family-friendly project for the final day of Nocturne. Visitors of all ages can join Peters in making a textile installation that imagines the process of moving through grief into joy. And what could be more cheerful than a bounty of colourful pompoms? 

Inspired by the crocheted blankets her Mennonite grandmothers would make, Peters has gathered a ton of thrifted throws. Visitors will work together, unravelling the woolly hand-me-downs. The yarn will be turned into pompoms (another way for visitors to keep their hands busy), and according to Nugent-Noble, any leftover blankets will be donated to local charities.

Nocturne 2023. Oct. 12-15. Multiple locations, Halifax. www.nocturnehalifax.ca