Make beautiful noise with Ville orchestre!

Montreal, April 27, 2022 – The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership is pleased to unveil Ville orchestre, the new springtime installation that will beautify the Promenade des Artistes for the next five years. Presented until this May 29, the musical, interactive and very colourful work by Robocut Studio, Dpt. and Vallée Duhamel gives people a chance to try their hand at being musicians. Ville orchestre entices visitors of all ages to get together, have some fun, laugh and explore!

EVOKING THE ONE-MAN-BAND

Ville orchestre invites visitors to use their feet, hands and voices to play music like the legendary figure of the one-man-band. With four stations, each offering a different user experience and musical world, amateur musicians will create new tunes, whether alone or in groups. The musical notes are supplemented with the sounds of the city. With Ville orchestre, our everyday urban soundtrack takes on a festive air!

After long months separated from each other by the pandemic, the work offers many opportunities for reunions and chance encounters. With its dazzling look and compelling musical elements, it invites everyone to stop and revisit the childhood pleasure of playing and creating with friends. Thanks to the universal language of music and playground traditions, it beckons us to collaborate with each other without necessarily talking or being physically close.

“The all-new installation Ville orchestre is another step forward in the rebirth of downtown Montreal as a festive place brimming with new experiences. The Ville de Montréal is working closely with the Partnership to make the summer of 2022 a summer of rediscovery. This expressive work combines the pleasures of play and socializing, and I congratulate its creators. Ville orchestre is sure to delight children and adults alike,” said Ericka Alneus, Ville de Montréal executive committee member responsible for culture and heritage. 

“This new installation in the Quartier des Spectacles is the result of the Partnership’s desire to offer people of all ages a unique and original experience in public space. I salute the creators, who have made a work with great potential to become iconic, featuring stimulating participatory and social elements, all built around a universal theme. Congratulations! There is no doubt that Montrealers will quickly embrace Ville orchestre as a new springtime ritual,” said Monique Simard, chair of the board for the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership.

A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP

Robocut Studio, Dpt. and Vallée Duhamel joined forces for the call for proposals issued in the summer of 2021 by the Partnership, seeking a successor to the iconic 21 Balançoires/21 Swings, an installation created by Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat of Daily tous les jours, presented on the Promenade des Artistes each spring for more than ten years. The three studios wanted to combine their talent and expertise to propose a simple, original and fun installation inspired by their friendship and previous collaborations. Composer David Drury created the music for the installation, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages thanks to its universal character.

“Our collaboration among friends inspired us to create a playful experience for everyone, of every age. With Ville orchestre we want to invite Montrealers to rediscover their city, stop being spectators and, in the process, rediscover themselves,” said Julien Vallée, Philippe Savard and Nicolas Roy of the Ville orchestre creative team.

Creation: Robocut Studio, Vallée Duhamel and Dpt.
Music and sound design: David Drury and Chris Lackey
Production: Quartier des Spectacles Partnership

The four stations of Ville orchestre:
Step to Step: When people jump on the podiums, reminiscent of the valves of a trumpet, they create a melody and trigger a light. Each step awakens the installation’s orchestra, which responds.

Mix and Match: Using turntables resembling a DJ’s setup, people play and distort beats.

Concerto: Visitors sing, shout or whisper into large coloured tubes. Their voices are multiplied, amplified and transformed.

Bells: Pear balls are an iconic schoolyard feature, but these ones create a melody when you punch them!

ABOUT QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES AND THE PARTNERSHIP

The Quartier des Spectacles is Montréal’s cultural heart, boasting North America’s most concentrated and diverse group of cultural venues as well as numerous festivals and events. The Quartier also hosts innovative urban installations involving cutting-edge lighting design and immersive environments. The Quartier des Spectacles has become an international showcase for digital public art.

The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, founded in 2003, is a non-profit organization with more than 85 members active in the district. It is responsible for animating the Quartier des Spectacles by programming cultural activities, managing and animating public spaces, providing distinctive illumination and promoting the Quartier as a must-visit cultural destination. The Partnership benefits from the support of the Ville de Montréal.

More information: quartierdesspectacles.com  

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MEDIA CONTACT
Communications Mingotwo

melanie@mingo2.ca
(514) 582-5272

Chloé Goldstein
chloe.goldstein@quartierdesspectacles.com
(514) 812-2193