Interactive And Digital Public Art Illuminate Winter In Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Luminothérapie is an opportunity for creators to present light-based works to brighten the public spaces of the Quartier des Spectacles in winter and help make them a major attraction in the heart of Montreal.
This year, until Feb. 1, 2015, Montrealers and visitors are invited to discover two new works, Prismatica by RAW Design and Fascinoscope by Lüz Studio, selected by the juries of the fifth annual Luminothérapie competition.
Interactivity is an particularly important part of Luminothérapie this year. The public can participate by making Prismatica’s giant prisms rotate on Place des Festivals and by playing Fascinoscope’s four carnival games outside Saint-Laurent metro station.
The works will be on display for free daily, with Prismatica open around the clock and Fascinoscope starting at nightfall.
Starting January 15, there will be free guided tours of the Luminothérapie works. Online registration will begin on January 6.
“Luminothérapie brings a playful, creative touch to winter in the Quartier des Spectacles,” says Jacques Primeau, chair of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership. “By presenting new works every year, the event democratizes public interactive art and makes it an integral part of Montreal’s DNA. It is an exceptional calling card for our city, helping it earn an excellent reputation among cities that are distinguishing themselves as cultural centres.”
Manon Gauthier, the Ville de Montréal’s executive committee member responsible for culture, heritage, design, Space for Life and the status of women, says, “I am once again proud to say that Montreal’s reputation extends well beyond our borders, and that as a UNESCO City of Design, the city is attracting a great deal of interest from creators. Luminothérapie is an important platform for the next generation of designers and a gathering place for all Montrealers and visitors. It democratizes art and encourages discussion.”
The Prismatica installation by RAW Design, comprised of 50 pivoting prisms more than two metres tall, transforms the Place des Festivals into a giant kaleidoscope. The prisms are made of panels laminated with a dichronic film that transmits and reflects every colour in the visible spectrum, varying with the position of the light source and the observer. The prisms are mounted on bases containing projectors. As visitors wander among and manipulate the prisms, they will enjoy an infinite interplay of lights and colourful reflections. As the prisms rotate, a variable-intensity soundtrack comprised of bell sounds will play.
With Fascinoscope, the eight permanent video projection sites in the Quartier des Spectacles evoke the atmosphere of an early 20th-century carnival. Each projection is accompanied by an original soundtrack of organ, bass and drum music.
Outside Saint-Laurent metro station, the work’s focal point, the public is invited to play four interactive games inspired by carnival classics. Players control the games with four small punching bags fitted with sensors that measure their rotation and speed. By punching the bags, players interact with the projection and score points to win the game.
One game, eg., Is Les fulgurantes machines volantes. In this flying-machine frenzy, each punching bag controls a hot-air balloon. Players try to make their balloon rise faster than the others by activating the controller non-stop;
In addition, there are several video projection sites. Two of them, for example are:
- Pavillon Président-Kennedy at UQAM, like a giant circus tent, will show acrobats performing in a dizzying landscape of optical illusions, in which perspective loses all meaning.
- Cégep du Vieux Montréal will present the hypnotizer, which will enthral passers-by with a series of psychedelic optical illusions based on spheres and infinite spirals.
RAW Design (Prismatica) is a Toronto-based architectural firm that works on a wide variety of scales and project types. From community greenhouses to large residential developments, not to mention outdoor interactive installations, its team of 30 architects and designers takes a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. For Prismatica, the firm assembled a team of professionals from several fields (applied science, technology, art and architecture).
For Prismatica, lighting design is by ATOMIC3 + Jean-François Piché; sound design by Dix au carré; and production and technical direction is by ATOMIC3 + Louis Héon.
Lüz Studio (Fascinoscope) is a Montreal-based visual design company providing integrated lighting, stage design and video content services. Specializing in the performing arts, the firm takes a unique creative approach. The team includes nine creators and several collaborators who have worked, together and individually, on projects for Broken Bells, Adam Cohen, Rock et Belles Oreilles, the Gémeaux awards gala, Cirque du Soleil and Wintuk.
Sound design for Fascinoscope is by XS, la petite boîte à musique.
Luminothérapie is Quebec’s largest competition for temporary installations. Organized in two parts, its purpose is to present an original, interactive wintertime experience for visitors to the Quartier des Spectacles, and to stimulate creativity in urban installations and digital art. It is the only time of year when all of the video projection sites in the Quartier feature the work of a single creator.
The Quartier des Spectacles is Montreal’s cultural heart, boasting North America’s most concentrated and diverse group of cultural venues. The district is the year-round host to countless festivals and events, many of which include free outdoor shows and activities. The Quartier also hosts innovative urban installations involving cutting-edge lighting design, immersive environments or interactive digital spaces. The Quartier des Spectacles is an international showcase for new multimedia technology, making Montreal a global leader in the field.
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