Luminothérapie | Cœur battant, A glittering winter experience in the Quartier des Spectacles

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If you want to really appreciate winter, there’s no substitute for some crisp fresh air – this year more than ever. The Quartier des Spectacles gives you some great reasons to spend time outdoors in the heart of the city, with a special walk brimming with amazing experiences. Until March 14, 2021, visitors to the Quartier will find Luminothérapie | Coeur battant, a whole series of beautiful, interactive installations, as well as a short sound and light show called the Moment cœur battant, every evening as an expression of solidarity with the cultural sector. So bundle up and come on down – come alone or with family or friends, and have a fun, fascinating and safe seasonal experience!

A luminous downtown excursion

When you get to Place des Festivals, there’s no way you can miss Loop! The famous zoetropes, which charmed Montrealers at their premiere in 2016, are back with an all-new experience. This year, the installation by Olivier Girouard, Jonathan Villeneuve and Ottoblix has been transformed into a tribute to the literature of Quebec – in anticipation of its journey to Germany to represent Quebec at the Frankfurt Book Fair next fall. To enjoy this immersive visual and musical experience, just take a seat in one of the 12 zoetropes and activate the mechanism. You’ll see a flipbook-style animation inspired by one of our great authors, as interpreted by local visual artists. Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Joséphine Bacon, Dany Laferrière, Gabrielle Roy and Wajdi Mouawad are just some of the authors whose words are brought to life by talented illustrators like Estelle Frenette-Vallières, Todd Stewart and Marie-Hélène Turcotte.

From Place des Festivals you can see Index, an original work by Ottoblix that salutes Quebec’s literary world – a monumental video projection that fills the façade of UQAM’s Pavillon Président-Kennedy. The projection comprises 12 colourful sequences; the entertaining and festive animations spread good cheer while accompanying Loop perfectly.

As you stroll onto the Place des Arts Esplanade, you’ll come upon Entre les rangs by KANVA Architecture. This stylized illuminated wheat field harks back to Quebec’s ancestral farmlands. A little farther along, at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Urbain, there’s moonGARDEN, an installation by Sebbe Joly and Bernard Duguay, produced by Lucion. Using shadow theatre and original music, the large glowing spheres revisit some highlights of cultural life in the Quartier.

That’s not all! Keep walking east on Saine-Catherine and you can’t miss Iceberg, an installation by ATOMIC3 and APPAREIL architecture. The work is a tunnel made of metal arches, evoking the majestic ice formations that float in the polar seas. The installation’s original music and dazzling lights make it a truly awe-inspiring experience.

Your Luminothérapie walk ends on Sainte-Catherine just west of Saint-Laurent, with Spectrum, an installation by HUB Studio. This entertaining interactive work transforms sound waves made by human voices into mesmerizing lights.

After your first look at the installations, why not see them again in reverse order? The walk and related amenities were designed with public health guidelines in mind, making physical distancing effortless. That’s why you can take it all in safely, with no worries!

Moment cœur battant – a show of solidarity

Designed and produced by Martin Messier, Julie Basse and Olivier Girouard, the Moment cœur battant creates a very special atmosphere in the Quartier des Spectacles. Each evening around 6 p.m., the streets and façades of the Quartier come alive with red and white lights that dance to an original tune symbolizing the beating heart of Montreal and its people. The nightly show is a gesture of solidarity toward all the artists and creators on our city’s cultural scene. It’s also a reminder that life goes on in the city, and our creative heart is alive and well.