Our goal was to create a seamless design that would not only draw visitors to the building, but connect them in useful ways to all that’s happening on a given day in Montreal. Outside, we created an enormous “2-22” light signature for the building that conforms to the visual identity for the neighbourhood designed by Ruedi Baur and Jean Beaudoin. At its most ambient, the exterior installation glows like a beacon in the cityscape, and at its most active, it becomes a dynamic stage design that can be incorporated into live performance. From the street, floor-to-ceiling windows give way to the futuristic interior, where a central column appears to draw light energy upward. Once inside, visitors see that high overhead, light energy from the column is released into ribbons of light that curl whimsically downward, a visual metaphor for the abundance of centralized artistic energy that defines a Quartier des Spectacles experience.
The custom-made column and LED ribbon installation runs 24/7, presenting the latest in local cultural offerings as well as ambient creative content. On the ground level, interactive touch screens allow visitors to interact with a map of Montreal as they research cultural events by date and category. Through the system, users can even share detailed information by email or SMS. This multi-user interactive installation is powered by X-Agora, Moment Factory’s in-house software, which is specially designed to seamlessly integrate new content from multiple sources and manage simultaneous interactivity within the displays. In all, this artistic installation is an ode to Montreal’s effervescent culture of innovative design as well as an informative and interactive medium offering access to the city’s rich art scene.
