A TRIBUTE IN LIGHTS TO THE MUSÉE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN AND THÉATRE MAISONNEUVE - PLACE DES ARTS

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The Quartier des spectacles Lighting Plan has reached the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) and the Theatre Building at Place des Arts.

The result of a collaboration between the MAC, Place des Arts and the Quartier des spectacles Partnership, the new architectural and dramatic lighting created by Lightemotion has enlivened the two buildings.

Under the direction of François Roupinian, the lighting experts of Lightemotion integrated the illumination of each building with the overall luminous signature for Place des Arts, while assuring that the Musée and the theatre each maintain their own visual identity. This energy-efficient installation includes more than 400 light sources, and consumes surprisingly little power -- a 34kW maximum, the equivalent of 340 traditional bulbs.

Luminaries arrayed on the base of the MAC flood its facade with blue and white light, while the copper roofing of the building is bathed in an orange-red glow. The designers have also included an urban clock on the wall facing the plaza. "A mobile point of light swings like a pendulum, back and forth the facade, stopping still every 15 minutes to extend across the rest of the wall" described François Roupignan, founder of the Montreal lighting company Lightmotion.

The stepped roof of the Théâtre Maisonneuve is wrapped in a still, warm light, while bands of white LEDs run across the concrete walls of the lower volume of the building. These programmable bands of light are like a dynamic belt that enhances the large windows of the building as well as its sparkling curtain, the work of the recently deceased Micheline Beauchemin. To complete the new look of the theatre, directional projectors establish a visual contrast between the upper and lower parts of the building, creating the illusion that the roof is floating in the air.

"With every new achievement, the Quartier des spectacles Lighting Plan makes another kind of tribute to Montreal's culture. A nocturnal tribute that reveals in light all of the splendor of the buildings and the personality of the institutions. When complete, the plan will offer an urban experience that is unique in the world" added Charles Lapointe, president of the Quartier des spectacles Partnership.

To read the full press release (in french only), click here.

To see other photos of the Quartier des spectacles Lighting Plan, click here.

Videos of the unveiling

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