John Notten

Up the Creek       2014

Transforming the simple poetry of nature into a contrived, virtual experience, this kinetic canoe-sculpture navigated the Toronto’s Simcoe Park at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche ’14.

The night time urban landscape of Toronto makes an unlikely location for a canoe trip.  And yet, ‘Up the Creek’ presents a vessel that strangely floats across the city’s concrete rivers on a 12-hour voyage.  The canoe seems suspended in a pool of glowing water (2500 water bottles) that gently rise and fall; an ongoing wave generated by the power of this craft’s forward movement. 

The canoe picks up passengers and transports them through the night offering the city-dweller a rare opportunity to experience the nostalgia of a quintessential Canadian experience; the wilderness camping adventure.