My Alerts Montréal, October 3, 2011 – The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, together with its collaborators the Ville de Montréal and the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), are proud to present the winners of the 2011 Create Winter at Quartier des Spectacles competition. The aim of the competition was to produce three distinctive experiences throughout the coming winter on Place Émilie-Gamelin, Place des Festivals and the area near the Saint-Laurent metro station.
“I welcome the Partnership’s leadership in deciding to hold this competition and to choose the creative teams for these three important spaces. The competitive process provided the opportunity to select from a large talent pool representing a wide variety of disciplines, including event design, multimedia, visual arts and the performing arts, to name a few,” said Helen Fotopulos, the Ville de Montréal’s executive committee member responsible for culture, heritage, design and the status of women.
“From December 15 to February 26, the public will see a whole new face of winter in Quartier des Spectacles. Visitors will be able to extend their cultural outings from indoor venues to the outdoors thanks to the unique and brilliant installations created by the winners of the 2011 Create Winter at Quartier des Spectacles competition. Once again this year, you are invited to enjoy a collective light therapy session,” said Pierre Fortin, executive director of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership.
The competition attracted 38 proposals by 27 creators. After the first round of judging, three finalists were selected for each of the sites. Shortlisted participants each received $5,000 towards the preparation of their detailed proposals. All finalists' proposals will be made available at www.mtlunescodesign.com.
The 2011 winners are:
Place Émilie-Gamelin: Atomic3 – Félix Dagenais, Louis-Xavier Gagnon-Lebrun, Éric Gautron, produced by Michel Granger – the Éclats de verre installation
In the heart of Montreal, winter city, festive city, city of a hundred steeples: Éclats de verre. A giant stained glass window, deconstructed and reconfigured into a labyrinth glimmering in the snowy mineral space of Place Émilie-Gamelin. An island of warmth, an oasis of colours inviting passers-by to come in and out of the wind. This field of stunning colours, visible from the street, beckons pedestrians to wander through a maze of multi-coloured glass panels and become part of an ever-changing tableau of moving shadows, constantly re-created as the sun crosses the sky. After dusk, floodlights in the centre of the labyrinth illuminate the space dynamically, modulating the interplay of multi-coloured reflections, while a giant projection – with which visitors can interact – illuminates the two buildings bordering the square.
Saint-Laurent metro: Amandine Guillard, Anik Poirier, Albane Guy, TagTeam Studio, produced by Impact Production – the Forêt Forêt installation
Forêt Forêt is a dreamlike sliver of landscape: an enchanted forest at the exit of the Saint-Laurent metro station. This landscape features earth shaped and ready for snow, figurative trees of various sizes and species, a trail, tree trunks that call visitors to listen closely, and luminous trees. Forêt Forêt provides a new space where metro riders, neighbourhood residents and passers-by can linger. The installation creates a new topography that invites people to explore, away from the nearby hum of city life. The forest produces ambient sound through speakers hidden in some of the tree trunks. These audible trees invite visitors to approach and become part of the life of the forest. After dark, the landscape is lit up to create a distinctive, warm, welcoming environment. The illumination will vary in sync with the ambient sounds and the soft noises made by visitors, such as breathing.
Place des Festivals: Jean Beaudoin + Erick Villeneuve, produced by Multimédia Novalux – the Nuage de givre installation
Place des Festivals will be home to a large cloud of frost made of 7,777 frosted lights. Suspended above the granite triangle, they are a celebration of the triangle’s impressive scale. By day, the frost cloud hangs like a large veil fluttering in the breeze, its 7,777 shadows falling on the Place below, whether it is covered in snow or still waiting for the season’s first blizzard. Reflecting light, the wind becomes visible, like a real cloud carried on its gusts. By night, the frost cloud is animated by luminous movements generated by solitary pedestrians, or a flurry of rhythmic bursts of light brought on by a lively crowd. In 2011, the cloud will be dominated by bluish lights, while in 2012 it will be red with white lights.
The seven members of the jury were:
- Céline Poisson, Industrial Designer, Professor and Director of the DESS in event design program, École de design, UQAM - Jury president
- Pierre Fortin, Executive Director, Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
- Pascal Lefebvre, Programming Director, Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
- Réal Lestage, Urban Planner and Partner, Agence Daoust Lestage inc.
- Alain Lortie, Lighting Designer, Lortie Design Lumière inc.
- Melissa Mongiat, Designer, Andraos & Mongiat
- Annie Ypperciel, Landscape Architect, Ville de Montréal – Direction des grands parcs et du verdissement – Division de la gestion stratégique - recherche et développement (parks and green spaces department, strategic management and R&D division)
The professional consultant for the competition is Véronique Rioux
About Quartier des Spectacles
Quartier des Spectacles is about much more than festivals. Every month of the year and every hour of the day, Quartier des Spectacles offers an exceptionally diverse range of activities, including film, theatre, dance, art exhibits, art and technology demonstrations, music, opera, design competitions and more. With every step, a new experience awaits.
To find your way, simply follow the red dots that appear on the sidewalks after nightfall.
More information: www.quartierdesspectacles.com
About Montreal UNESCO City of Design
The Ville de Montréal’s Bureau du design guided the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership through the process of preparing and operating this competition. The process is consistent with the commitments made by the city and its partners in Action Plan 2007-2017 – Montreal, Cultural Metropolis, including the promotion of excellence in design and architecture by encouraging the use of open competitions, and contributing to the city’s full realization as a UNESCO City of Design.
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