(By: Emma Sandri)

Between sunset and sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 30, the city of Toronto was transformed into a living, breathing art exhibit.

The annual festival known as Nuit Blanche invites people from around the world to view, celebrate, and participate in the work of contemporary artists. Their work includes, but is not limited to sculptures, music, poetry, photography, film and graffiti.

These installations, while varying, generally focused on activism and the central theme of “Many Possible Futures.” Issues such as gender equality, Indigenous rights and poverty were brought to light by numerous artists in a variety of different mediums.

As such, submissions to the festival were received from international, national and local artists, both obscure and well-known. This included several past and present Ryerson students, who created and hosted such events as DELIGHT, Domesticate Me, and Foreign Bodies.

From Old City Hall to Ryerson campus, and back again, here are some highlights of Nuit Blanche 2017.

In Nathan Phillips Square, a couple stops to read a map of the Nuit Blanche installations. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Attendees of the Flash Forward/Flash Back installation examine the photography at the Ryerson Image Centre. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Netflix’s Red Forest combined hit-shows Stranger Things and Riverdale into one installation. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Displayed at Yonge-Dundas Square, TRUTH is a 3D graffiti installation created by Toronto-based artist Kwest. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Spectators move through the tunnel, a piece of The Transformation, located at Old City Hall. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

A man stops to add his own art to the tunnel of The Transformation. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Attendees line up to view Domesticate Me, one of the many exhibits located at Nathan Phillips Square. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

A crowd gathers to hear live poetry and music at Nathan Phillips Square. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

A member of Red Slam Collective performs at The Rematriation of Revolution installation, located at Nathan Phillips Square. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

“You can’t box me in, ‘cause I’m wearing own skin,” sings Mahlika Awe:ri, a member of the Red Slam Collective. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

In Nathan Phillips Square, passersby sign their name to How we RISE From our Struggles, another installation part of the project Monument to the Century of Revolutions. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Located in Nathan Phillips Square, More or Less illustrates the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty’s long history of campaigns and resistance. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

An installation part of the Monument to the Century of Revolutions. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Cherish Violet Blood speaks to attendees of Life on Neebahgeezis; A Luminous Engagement, a 12-hour installation at the Campbell House Museum. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)

Performance artists of The Forest, an installation at the Art Gallery of Ontario, recite poetry to spectators. (Photo credit: Emma Sandri/RUtv News)