When winter lights shine beyond the Quartier des Spectacles

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As night falls over Montreal, the downtown core shines with the dazzling lights of LUMINO. The adventure starts as you step around a streetcorner, and continues as you pass building façades and cross squares and plazas. You are drawn into a compelling sequence of shadows and lights, one installation after another inviting reverie and interaction. Two of the key architects of this edition of LUMINO, programming and development director Émilie Chabot and programming director Shantal Bourdelais, spoke with us about the 15^th edition of this iconic and significantly refreshed winter event.

Be amazed by thirty luminous works, indoors and out, until March 9. Put on your mittens and lace up your boots, because this winter LUMINO is going beyond the borders of the Quartier des Spectacles to light up the whole downtown!

A text by Philippe Couture

A new format and a new vision

For the programming team at the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, which produces the event, Luminothérapie’s rebirth as LUMINO is a pivotal moment. “It’s no longer just a two-month event, in December and January, with a handful of installations resulting from a design competition, as it was for more than ten years. Now it’s a four-month experience that evolves as the weeks pass, with numerous works to be seen within the Quartier des Spectacles and outside it, to the south and west.” More specifically, this edition covers the event’s largest territory yet, and includes high-profile sites like Esplanade PVM at Place Ville Marie, Place des Arts and Place Émilie-Gamelin. Repeat visits will be rewarded with new works and activities. “The luminous art walk is designed to encourage people to get outside in the winter and rediscover the downtown core with fresh eyes, while also offering spaces for relaxing and warming up.”

Beyond the beauty of the installations, LUMINO is an ode to Montreal’s winter. “All too often, winter is seen as an obstacle. With LUMINO, we want winter to be a season for amazement and shared experiences. It’s fascinating to see how technology makes it possible to create a dialogue in light between art and the viewer,” Émilie says.

Some of the works in this edition of LUMINO also cross the threshold into the great indoors. “We wanted to broaden the scope of LUMINO by adding some interior spaces, like Complexe Desjardins and the Palais des congrès,”  Shantal adds.

“The works are in a harmonious dialogue with the architecture. For example, the Palais des congrès is hosting Biolumen by Ontario artist Radha Chaddah and the Toronto-based studio RAW Design. The installation projects clusters of colour evoking bioluminescent organisms in the ocean, and we selected the site because it resonates with the famous colourful panels of the Palais,” Émilie explains. “We wanted to respect and enhance the identity of each site while integrating luminous works that amplify each site’s unique identity.” The majestic chandeliers of Lustres by the French studio TILT transform the area outside St. James United Church into an open-air ballroom, another example of harmony between the work and the spirit of the place. Artistic director Mélanie Tessier supported the Partnership’s programming team in their work selecting the installations.

Numerous collaborations were essential to this edition of LUMINO. “We work with partners like Place des Arts and Complexe Desjardins to animate spaces that become hubs for discussion and sharing,” says Shantal. The partners participate in the process of matching the right work to their space, while respecting the site’s particular identity. “It’s important to us to involve private and public partners to build a representative network, spanning the entire downtown core, and co-create a program that’s aligned with each partner’s needs.”

A wide range of works creating a unique luminous sequence

The programming of the 15^th edition of LUMINO explores three major kinds of works, inviting visitors to an immersive and varied experience. The exterior spaces are best suited to participatory works like Éloge de l’air by the French studio Chevalvert, which invites passers-by to play on swings to make giant banners dance in the wind. “We wanted to create installations that transform public spaces into interactive playgrounds, where everyone becomes part of the work,” Shantal explains. On the Place des Arts Esplanade, visitors pause in front of At the Hand, a monumental sculpture by Montrealer Patrice LaCroix. The work is an enormous holographic hand that dances in response to people’s gestures, thanks to a fascinating artificial intelligence.

The façades of Édifice WILDER – Espace danse, UQAM’s Pavillon Président-Kennedy and the building beside Saint-Laurent metro station are all presenting the hypnotic video projections of Étrangement satisfaisant, by Montreal studio COLEGRAM.

Other, more contemplative, works run the gamut from strictly luminous pieces to elaborate digital works. “Montreal is a pioneer in the digital arts, thanks to artists’ centres and institutions like Centre NAD and UQAM,” says Shantal. “To highlight high-profile local and international artists, LUMINO emphasizes local and emerging talent, a particular priority under the event’s new format. It’s also a way to support young artists who don’t always have the means to produce monumental works for outdoor spaces.”

A tribute to an original architect of the event

This edition is also noteworthy because it’s dedicated to the late Pierre Fortin, the former Quartier des Spectacles Partnership executive director who passed away in March 2024. “Pierre was a pioneer in the creation of Luminothérapie. He helped craft a vision in which public art redefines seasons and public spaces,” Shantal says.

Lumino is a production of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, presented with the financial support of the Ville de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal and the collaboration of the co-presenters: Place des Arts, Complexe Desjardins, Montréal centre-ville, Place Ville Marie (PVM), Palais des congrès de Montréal, SDC Quartier latin, BAnQ, Le Central, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth and UQAM.