Palais des congrès de Montréal and MASSIVart expand partnership by launching the Palais Seasons

Palais des congrès de Montréal and MASSIVart are joining forces once again for the Palais Seasons, a series of art installation projects inviting Montrealers to rediscover their convention centre. The new initiative will get started in the month of love, with many bold ideas to be implemented throughout the year to bring a creative buzz to the downtown venue.

This ongoing project is building on Les Printemps du Palais, which featured a variety of creations by local artists and artisans. Highlights of the spring 2019 event included public pianos, collaborative workspaces, ping-pong tables, and self-service libraries. The Palais Seasons is being introduced in an effort to keep this excitement going throughout the year. MASSIVart has put together an outstanding program that will once again showcase Montréal ingenuity.

Spotlight on Michel de Broin

The highlight of the program is without a doubt Thresholdsby internationally renowned Montréal artist Michel de Broin. Comprising a series of Montréal subway car doors, the art installation forms a path for people to follow. The experience recalls the digestive tract’s ingestion process—the installation breathes and swells to the rhythm of the traffic passing through it, creating a contrast between mechanical structure and organic movement. The work repurposes the door-opening components of the city’s original subway cars, first introduced for the Expo 67 world fair. Recently replaced by newer models, the now obsolete MR-63 subway cars have become an iconic part of Montréal’s public transit history. Thresholdswill give Palais visitors from all over the world a glimpse into that past.

Seasonal programming

Themes and installations will change as time goes on to reflect current events. For the launch period, we are celebrating the month of love. Visitors are invited to take a break at the new romance lounge and watch romantic movies selected by the NFB. In exchange for a voluntary donation to the Old Brewery Mission, visitors can also write loves wishes on a ribbon and hang them on a communal arch.

These new additions complement our existing winter lineup:

• Carousel

This playful installation by Labodeco allows young and old alike to enjoy a magical and immersive experience before continuing on their way.

• Paysages divers

Paysages divers is a luminous installation by design studio EN TEMPS ET LIEU that showcases the desire path, especially visible in winter, created by daily foot traffic to and from Palais des congrès. Along the way, you encounter the scent of conifer trees, the warm glow of myriad tree species, and the intriguing sounds of birds of prey perched overhead.

An enhanced partnership with Art Souterrain

Palais des congrès’ annual participation in the Art Souterrain festival, which runs from February 29 to March 22, will also bring in many new creations. As part of the Palais Seasons, three such works have been specially commissioned for the Palais for an extended period:

• Dédales d’almanachs

This installation by Marc-Antoine K. Phaneuf is a book in the form of a maze. Made up of 1,024 pages spread across the four sides of a cube, it tells a post-apocalyptic story illustrated by royalty-free historical photographs. It is a new dimension in time and space, full of déjà-vus and constantly changing expectations.

• Undream

Montréal artist Sabrina Ratté’s video projection depicts an imaginary future where utopia and dystopia collapse. This work is inspired by the photomontages of Superstudio—a major force in the radical architecture and design movement of the late 1960s.

• La Chorale

This movable and easily dismantled, handcrafted piece of furniture was created by arkadi lavoie lachapelle in collaboration with woodworker Gilles Rivard. Since 2012, it has been showcased in various places. This work is about sharing experiences and creating bonds with others to promote a future based on solidarity.

A home for the next generation of artists

This program was launched at the same time as art students from Université du Québec à Montréal set up shop in Palais des congrès’ commercial mall. Areas have been converted into art studios so emerging artists can create and showcase their work before curious onlookers.

See the installations at congresmtl.com/en/seasons.

After the resounding success of last spring’s program, I am pleased to offer the Palais Seasons year-round to Montrealers and visitors alike. The artwork had an immediate impact on the atmosphere in our creative spaces and this second phase designed by MASSIVart promises to be just as exciting.

At MASSIVart, we have always believed that art and culture have the power to revitalize public spaces. We are therefore thrilled to have been given the opportunity to help Palais des congrès de Montréal bring more creativity to its premises. This iconic institution is a perfect showcase for the city’s creative talent, a wide open window into Montréal’s culture. In a place where the future of our society is constantly being reshaped, it is important to bring in local artists and creators to reimagine these public spaces as meeting places where surprise and the unexpected are the order of the day. Just one more example of how art and culture can be compatible with public and commercial spaces!

Thresholdsis made from parts of old Montréal subway cars that are getting a new lease on life for Palais des congrès de Montréal’s diverse audiences. Created for the city’s 375^th anniversary, the installation invites visitors to a dance that’s part organic, part mechanical.

Full credits for Thresholds

Thresholds(2017)

Created and staged by: Michel de Broin

In collaboration with: Samuel Saint-Aubin, Alexis Gosselin, Paul Duchaine, Pierre Fournier, Fred Monast, MDL Énergie, M.O., Generique Design, HMB Controls, and Concept Paradesign.

Produced by: The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership in collaboration with Société de transport de Montréal.

Thresholdswas created and presented in 2017 for KM³, a temporary public art event held in Quartier des Spectacles. The brainchild of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, KM³ was among the Québec government’s legacy projects marking the City of Montréal’s 375^th anniversary. The event was made possible in part by funding from the Government of Québec and the City of Montréal as part of the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal.

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