On the Place des Festivals, a great cloud of frost is installed, a cloud of 7,777 icy glows. Suspended above the granite triangle, they celebrate its scale and its status as an emblematic and media-friendly place in Montreal.
During the day, the frost cloud asserts itself as a great veil rocked by the breeze, whose 7,777 shadows outline the surface of the square, whether they are snow-covered or waiting for the first wave. Reflecting the light, the wind will be visible as a real cloud carried by its breath. At night, the frost cloud will be inhabited by luminous movements generated by solitary passers-by, or by a storm of light punctuated by a moving crowd.
In 2011, in the image of the cold that settles in our northern city, the cloud will be tinged with lively glows of blue. It is the passage and the animation of Montrealers that will give it a white and lively glow. The lighting produced by the Mega Structures will be turned off in the square, leaving only the safety lighting for the car lane. The lighting on the west façade of the Musée d'Art Contemporain (MAC) as well as the lighting licking the Mega Structures will be harmonized with the blue produced by the cloud.
On the evening of December 31st at 11:30 pm, a tribe of tamtam and fire dancers will transmit the rhythm of their drums to the frosted cloud and the façade of the MAC. Pulsating the cloud, they will call the aurora blower, a giant puppet, who at the stroke of midnight, will transform the frost cloud into an immense blue and red aurora borealis modulated by the celestial and musical wind of the aurora blower. In 2012, after the passage of the aurora, the cloud will be red to be inhabited by white glows. The lighting will follow this new red dominance on the MAC and thus the new year will be launched with the colors of the Quartier and the city.
Through its exceptional size and the live aerial view of the Place des festivals via the web, the frosted cloud will carry the district and its animation through the media worldwide.
Through its recognition of the scale of the square, and the experience of the passer-by leaving a luminous trace in his city, the installation will weave the links between Montrealers and their space. The large suspended work will give a new expression to the scale of the Quartier des Spectacles' festival square. A presence all the more distinctive as the horizon will be clear.
By strolling between the square and a luminous summit, Montrealers and tourists will experience a moment of surprising tranquility in an urban environment... a moment and a space to see the winter wind.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
The jury liked the installation because of its large scope, its considerable visual impact in the space and its poetic character. The installation does full justice to the scale of the Place des Festivals. The jury emphasizes the grandiose effect of this cloud of frost achieved with few means. The colossal roof thus created on the square and the shadows cast on the ground add a new dimension to the experience.
The very artisanal manufacturing techniques and the eco-responsible nature of the project bring depth to the concept and are all the more relevant for an ephemeral installation. The interactivity strategy is rather simple and brings few elements of surprise in itself but proves to be effective.
On the technical level, the team demonstrated the feasibility of its concept and responded well to the various questions asked by the technical committee and the jury. The jury was reassured by the team's emergency plan in case of heavy freezing rain. In addition, the team quickly revised the method of anchoring the net on the Museum of Contemporary Art following the reservations expressed by the technical committee. Validations carried out by the team demonstrated that a simple anchoring on the megastructures is feasible. The team convinced the jury of the feasibility of its concept, both technically and in terms of user safety.
The jury finds it highly relevant to provide the Quartier des spectacles with an installation powered by entirely renewable energy. However, it has reservations about the autonomy of the lanterns and the capacity of the batteries to charge, which depend on the hours of sunlight available during the day. The jury discusses the possibility of a power supply problem but believes that the risk is acceptable and easily justifiable in terms of the artistic and environmental quality of the project.
Jury recommendations for the continuation of the project
- The jury questions the relevance of having a giant puppet on the evening of December 31. It recommends eliminating this event part, which it considers superfluous, in order to allocate more budget for engineering and contingencies.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
13 scanned / 13 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
- Site Plan
- Elevation
- Schema
- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Site Plan
- Section
- Schema
