OASIS immersion at the Palais des congrès de Montréal

Opening soon: New Montréal immersive destination
featuring the exhibition Inspirations,
starring David Saint-Jacques and Alexandra Stréliski

A new immersive indoor attraction is coming to Montréal: OASIS immersion^TM. The brainchild of Québec entrepreneurs, it will be making the Palais des congrès de Montréal its permanent home. Set in a space spanning over 2,000 square metres, OASIS immersion will present contactless walkthrough exhibitions driven by 105 laser projectors and 119 surround sound speakers. The experience will include three immersive galleries featuring 360-degree projections – walls and floors, two lightshow exhibits, and a gift shop with coffee lounge. The programming will showcase people, ideas and places inspiring the world around us.

In addition to serving as a new exhibition space, OASIS immersion may also be rented as of today as a venue for virtual or hybrid conferences and events, film shoots or corporate meetings.

A multimedia odyssey starring David Saint-Jacques, Alexandra Stréliski and Émile Roy

For its first exhibition, OASIS immersion will present Inspirations, a tonic, energizing, and thoroughly positive experience. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the space universe of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques to relive the highlights of his mission and to also discover what spurred him to embrace space travel and exploration. The exhibition will co-star pianist Alexandra Stréliski, who will regale visitors with two multimedia experiences inspired by her music and her musical journey, supported by selections from her sublime album Inscape. The exhibition will also feature YouTuber Émile Roy, who will offer an inspiring outlook on resilience and action, against the backdrop of the upheavals we experienced in 2020.

Also included in the programming of this first exhibition:

• A dive into hygge, the Danish wellness lifestyle;
• A tour of eight of the world’s new architectural wonders; and
• A playful and poetic tribute to Québec creativity.

“With OASIS immersion and Inspirations, we wanted to unleash all of the power of immersive audio and video, by offering a positive outlook on our world, here and now, in a congenial, innovative space. Considering what we’ve all lived through these past months, we could never have imagined how relevant and timely this project would be,” says Denys Lavigne, CEO, Creative Director and Cofounder of OASIS immersion.

OASIS immersion comprises six distinct rooms:

• The Anticipation Room – a lighted transition space that shepherds visitors from the urban frenzy to the opening immersive gallery;
• The Portal Room – the first full gallery, which introduces visitors to the theme and topics of the exhibition, while delivering ambient surprises to better ease into the OASIS immersion atmosphere;
• The Teleportation Room – an immersive gallery that takes visitors all over the world and beyond;
• ThePanorama Room – the largest gallery, it delivers an immersive account of the people, ideas and places behind the exhibition.

After a break at the OASIS coffee lounge and gift shop, visitors cap off their walkthrough along the Decompression Corridor, for one final sound-light-olfactory experience.

An initiative perfectly aligned with the new vision of Montréal’s convention centre

For the first time in its history, the Palais des congrès de Montréal will serve as a permanent home for a cultural attraction open to the general public. The attraction will also further enhance the Palais’ offering for event organizers, who will in turn be able to provide yet another unforgettable experience to their convention-goers from all over the world. OASIS immersion will renew its exhibitions twice a year.

“Open year-round, we hope OASIS immersion becomes a must-see attraction for Montréal and a prime space to hold events or business activities in an environment where technology is at the service of creativity. This initiative is a perfect fit within the scope of our vision for the ‘Palais of the future,’ especially in the way it integrates local talent and innovation to enable us to distinguish ourselves nationally and internationally, and transforms the Palais into a meeting place for Montréalers and visitors where ideas and discoveries come together,” explains Robert Mercure, CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

Denys Lavigne adds: “We are particularly proud that this initiative is being included as part of the city of Montréal’s restart efforts, especially during these uncertain times. The OASIS immersion management team endorses the new vision of the Palais des congrès and will work closely with the main players of the local economy in helping our modest contribution play a role in Montréal’s big comeback”.

A captivating experience, courtesy of local creative and technical talent

Over two years in the making, the project was developed by local entrepreneurs, including Denys Lavigne, the brainchild behind numerous local and global multimedia initiatives, Nicolas Lassonde, a lawyer specialized in technology ventures, and Groupe Écorécréo, which operates several tourist sites in Montréal, including the Voile en voiles adventure park in the Old Port. The OASIS immersion team was also able to count on the contribution of many local collaborators, such as Eltoro Studio, Département, Halo Création, Comme C’est Beau, Uberko, Manuel Chantre, Choses Sauvages, Sylvie Moreau, Dominic Champagne, Stefan Verna, Jesse Freeston, David-Étienne Durivage, Yoktown’s, Annie Sama, Clara Furey, Minimal, Mohammedraza Akrami, Joe Fiola, Yanneek, Léa Stréliski, Mark O Fearghail, Nils Fluck, Anita Bombita, Marelle Communications, Coyote Audio, Baillat Studio, Thaila Kampo, Numérart, 20K, EXO-C, Atelier JD, and Parox.

“OASIS immersion resides at the intersection of technology, art and discovery, and speaks to the latest experiential trends. Think of this first exhibition as the first issue of a new-genre immersive magazine, where the topics of the day are presented on the walls and floors of an innovative immersive space. It also serves as a platform for local creative and technical talent. We are privileged to be able to count on such an amazing pool of creative developers, designers, musicians and tech experts, who have all played an integral role in the project’s process,” says Nicolas Lassonde, SVP Business Strategy and Cofounder of OASIS immersion.

A preview of the exhibition with Inspirations, The Podcast Series

A companion podcast series has been produced alongside the exhibition, chronicling the exceptional journeys of the show’s headliners and some of our society’s leading influencers. CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques, pianist Alexandra Stréliski, YouTuber Emile Roy, architect Pierre Thibault, businesswoman Fabienne Colas, and the cofounders of OASIS immersion all spoke with host Grégory Charles. The podcast episodes are available on www.oasis.im as well as on major podcasting platforms.

Health and safety measures, and planning your experience

By virtue of its size and the design of the exhibition, OASIS immersion promotes social distancing and allows for a contactless visit, in a very well ventilated space. For the safety of visitors and staff, OASIS immersion has put in place health and safety measures that are in accordance with government directives and in line with the Palais Reopening Operating Guide to Running Events with Safety Standards (PROGRESS), which the Palais launched in June.

We recommend allowing yourself approximately 75 minutes to fully experience Oasis immersion. Departures with limited places will be available every 20 minutes. Ticket prices range from $19 to $25. Presale tickets are now available online at www.oasis.im or www.ticketpro.ca. Presale ticket holders will enjoy priority selection of show dates and times.

The OASIS immersion project and the Inspirationsexhibition were made possible thanks to the support of strategic partners such as the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec, Investissement Québec, the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal and the Canadian Space Agency. Project partners also include the architecture firms BIG, FMZD, Freaks Architecture, Heatherwick Studio, MAD, Safdie Architects, Zaha Hadid Architects, CEBRA Architecture, Marina Tabassum Architects and Brooks + Scarpa, as well as the firm Bee’ah.