The official launch event for Luminato, Toronto’s new festival of arts and creativity, was a decadent cocktail soiree for 1,300 guests in the six-storey Allen Lambert Galleria in BCE Place. The venue’s stunning arched glass ceiling served as a backdrop for one of Luminato’s key art installations, artist Xavier Veilhan’s “Le Grand Mobile,” which consisted of 25 large black PVC spheres that were suspended from above but, from below, appeared to float overhead like weightless bubbles. Trish McGrath, Luminato’s development director, said the atrium was chosen in part because “‘Le Grande Mobile’ is a striking piece and we wanted to be able to show it off.”Barbara Hershenhorn, president of Party Barbara Co., supplied event management and decor services for the gala. Other decor elements included a blushing pink peony tree from Emblem florists, cocktail tables with metallic, reflective linens from Around the Table, pink uplighting on various permanent pillars throughout the space, and a blue uplit water wall from Waves Design Group (formerly Solar Aquatics), with the LuminaTO logo on the surface in white letters.
A performance artist in a large clear sphere entertained guests by rolling along the long atrium walkway. In his gold body paint costume, he looked like an alien from another planet. Other entertainers included acrobats, the Danza Cuba music group, and violinist Sonia Lee. Video screens hung from the ceiling by Westbury National Show Systems showed live footage of the performances throughout the evening.
A performance artist in a large clear sphere entertained guests by rolling along the long atrium walkway. In his gold body paint costume, he looked like an alien from another planet. Other entertainers included acrobats, the Danza Cuba music group, and violinist Sonia Lee. Video screens hung from the ceiling by Westbury National Show Systems showed live footage of the performances throughout the evening.
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel
Photos: Joseph Manuel