Night Light Travels

Created for Toronto’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2011 and Theatre Direct, Night Light Travels looked at the night-time world through a child’s eyes. Toronto’s Wychwood Theatre was transformed into an lively interactive installation that took the audience on a journey through the secret world children perceive when they get to stay up late. The family-friendly installation (in Nuit Blanche’s “Family Zone”) saw over 1400 participants during the all-night event!

Familiar things always feel different after dark, and Night Light Travels embraces this exciting and magical difference. The installation used sound, special effects, theatrical lighting, and striking large-scale projected images created by the artists, and 3D mapping to a 4’ sphere. The audience entered through a bedsheet tunnel to discover a room filled with magical objects and enveloped by projections that transported them from bedrooms to the moon and beyond! Participants were able to interact with, and become a part of the constantly shifting projections. Hidden triggers activated by the audience made comets, meteors, and mysterious objects appear around the room. With everyone playing together, the room became a beautiful dreamscape, evolving as people moved through the space.

Featuring original artwork by animator and illustrator Jody Kramer, Playground Studios created a space that evoked the emotion and nostalgia for what it felt like as a child when one was allowed to stay up past their bed-time.