Palais des congrès de Montréal and MASSIVart have joined forces for the Palais Seasons, a series of art installation projects, inviting Montrealers to rediscover their convention centre.
Palais des congrès de Montréal and MASSIVart have joined forces for the Palais Seasons, a series of art installation projects, inviting Montrealers to rediscover their convention centre.
The initiative, which started in February, puts forth various creative ideas that can be implemented throughout the year. The ongoing project is an extension of Les Printemps du Palais, which featured a variety of creations by local artists.
One of the program’s highlights is Thresholds by internationally-renowned artist Michel de Broin. Comprising a series of local subway car doors, the project forms a path for people to follow. The experience recalls the digestive tract’s ingestion process; it breathes and swells to the rhythm of traffic passing through it. The display also features door-opening components of the city’s original subway cars.
Themes and installations will be updated throughout the year to reflect current events.
These new additions complement the existing winter lineup:
- Carousel: This playful installation by Labodeco allows people to enjoy an immersive experience before continuing on their way.
- Paysages divers: This luminous display by design studio EN TEMPS ET LIEU showcases the desire path, especially visible in winter, created by daily foot traffic to and from Palais des congrès. Along the way, one encounters the scent of conifer trees, the warm glow of myriad tree species, and the intriguing sounds of birds of prey perched overhead.
Palais des congrès’ annual participation in the Art Souterrain festival also brings in many new creations.
Three works have been specially commissioned for this event:
- Dédales d’almanachs: This project by Marc-Antoine K. Phaneuf is a book in the form of a maze. Comprising 1024 pages spread across the four sides of a cube, it tells a post-apocalyptic story illustrated by royalty-free historical photographs. It is a new dimension in time and space, full of déjà-vus, and constantly changing expectations.
- Undream: Montreal artist Sabrina Ratté’s video projection depicts an imaginary future where utopia and dystopia collapse. This work is inspired by the photomontages of Superstudio—a major force in the radical architecture and design movement of the late ‘60s.
- La Chorale: This moveable, easily dismantled handcrafted piece of furniture was created by arkadi lavoie lachapelle in collaboration with woodworker Gilles Rivard. Since 2012, it has been showcased in various places. This piece is about sharing experiences and creating bonds with others to promote a future based on solidarity.
“After the resounding success of last spring’s program, I am pleased to offer the Palais Seasons year-round to Montrealers and visitors alike,” said Palais des congrès de Montréal’s president and CEO, Robert Mercure. “The artwork had an immediate impact on the atmosphere in our creative spaces, and this second phase designed by MASSIVart promises to be just as exciting.”
