An immersive digital installation by a trio of Daniels Faculty alumni will be among the projects on view this weekend during Toronto’s popular all-night Nuit Blanche festival.

Called Distance to Mars, the installation consists of an illuminated mesh canopy that emits a soft, otherworldly glow as a band of numbers displaying data from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory marks our real-time position relative to the Red Planet. 

As the numbers change, humanity’s collective cosmic journey is conjured, “inspiring unity and purpose as we navigate the complexities of our time.”

The installation is the brainchild of three recent BAAS and MARC grads: Siqi Wang, Yi Zhang and Xinyue Gu.

“We are thrilled…that our project, Distance to Mars, has been selected for this year’s Nuit Blanche Toronto art exhibition,” says Wang. “I…am excited to share this project with the community.” 

Wang, Zhang and Gu operate as Manifesto Lab, a multidisciplinary creative studio based in Toronto and New York. Their work encompasses architecture, interiors, installations, exhibitions, communication and experience-driven projects. 

Distance to Mars, which “seamlessly blends technology, art and human connection to create an engaging experience,” is characteristic of their oeuvre.

It will be on display in Toronto’s HTO Park West (375 Queens Quay West) from 7:00 p.m. on Saturday (October 5) to 7:00 a.m. on Sunday (October 6). 

The installation is part of the exhibition The Weight of Levity, which “examines the physical and emotional distance between up and down.” The overall theme of this year’s festival is Bridging Distance.

For the full roster of works on view at Nuit Blanche, click here.