Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Diana P. Olano

When you think of an "all-nighter" you probably imagine an evening of drinks and dancing with friends until the wee hours of the morning. However, this May 16th, get ready to experience an all-nighter of a different kind when the district of Miraflores is transformed for "Noche en Blanco".

Noche en Blanco began as the dream of Deputy Mayor of Paris, Christophe Girard. With a little inspiration from the 1997 German festival "Long Night of Museums", Girard created "Nuit Blanche" (literally "White Night" in French): an all-night cultural festival in which public buildings, parks, private and public art galleries and other cultural centers offer free admission to all of the city's residents. The city of Paris became a sort of art gallery itself, allowing space for art installations, music and dance performances, and other activities. Since its creation in Paris in 2002, cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Rome, Madrid and Brussels have celebrated their own "White Night". And to the delight of art aficionados in Peru's capital, Lima finally gets its own with "Noche en Blanco" this Friday night.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and lasting until 5 a.m., the modern and beautiful district of Miraflores will become a district that doesn't sleep with Noche en Blanco thanks to the project "DELIVERI: las políticas del intercambio". Miraflores was chosen as the home of Noche en Blanco because in Lima, the 21st century has made a move to this district. It is the "modern heart" of this metropolis. Those wanting a taste of classic Lima can head to Barranco or Lima's historical center, but those who want to know what the new century means for Peru have to look no further than Miraflores.

Noche en Blanco is taking place the same week as the V European Union, Latin American and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit, taking place at the Museo of la Nación, and which will see more than 60 international leaders congregate and discuss topics such as poverty and climate changes and how they affect their respective countries. "Just as debates and treaties are signed behind closed doors, other spaces exist in which the future of the world is being decided and taking place."

DELIVERI has asked national and European artists to participate in this event and "begin the adventure of transforming the every day and routine-filled world that every man and woman knows." Each artist created a different type of work.

German lighting engineer Norbert Mohr, “no-mohr-light”, will illuminate the Palacio Municipal of Miraflores (cuadra 4 of Avda. Larco). Playing with the duality of day and night, Mohr's piece "splits" spaces of the city with the use of lighting techniques.

Spanish artist Antoni Miralda will bring us an "Homage to the Potato", a performance piece that will begin at Parque Salazar, take him all the way to the Palacio Municipal and back to Parque Salazar. Miralda always tries to unite a large number of people around a ritual they're familiar with and have them not be passive spectators but active participants in his pieces.

Also at Parque Salazar will be Peruvian-Swiss Francesco Mariotti's "Jardín híbrido" (Hybrid Garden): an illuminated installation. The art work is the fruit of distinctive elements. Made of throw-away bottles and lovely flowers, artificial and natural things, pieces both organic and synthetic, this hybrid garden is sure to surprise.

Jean Pierre Castro will pay homage to Argentine and conceptual artist Víctor Grippo with his "Light and energy-generated Potatoes" art display at Calle Tarata. Grippo's pieces were always a mix of both art and science, which makes sense since he studied both chemistry and art in college. One of the first materials he used in his pieces was the potato, a vegetable native to Peru. Grippo used the energy contained in potatoes to make other machines function solely on that output.

Electronic German band Mouse on Mars and experimental Peruvian rock band El Aire will also be performing at the Ovalo of Cine el Pacifico for those who want to take a musical break.

The people behind Noche en Blanco believe that in this century, we get to know cities though mediums: the television, the internet, and so on. They capture "the new, the different, what a city is ready to demonstrate for the future... the image of a city should be memorable, not erasable." They believe that with Noche en Blanco, Limeños and those watching us around the world will see something they'll never forget. These are the ideas behind Noche en Blanco, Nuit Blanche, or whatever you want to call it. This is why you shouldn't miss this event.



For more information and a program of events on Noche en Blanco, check out our Events Calendar.