Montréal. 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 the program.
Spotlight on Michel de Broin
The highlight of the program is Thresholds by 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. Thresholds will 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, the month of love is being celebrated. 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 the 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.
