Iceberg © Courtesy of DDP, Les Diamants © Mario Al Khoury and domino © effect Nicolas Gouin – l’Hibou
Winter is lived at the Quartier des spectacles with the 13th edition of Luminothérapie, from December 1, 2022 to March 5, 2023, with a journey of six interactive and luminous works, four original video projections and an interactive experience on ice. Starting at the Esplanade Tranquille with the premiere of Au bord du lac Tranquille, the course extends this year to Phillips Square. With Luminothérapie, downtown is dressed by the bursts of colour of light installations and makes it the perfect place to marvel, move and have fun in the great outdoors with your family with a unique experience of Montreal’s nordicity.
The common thread of this edition, the beauty of biodiversity is expressed by the poetic universe of video projections, on the skating rink of the Esplanade Tranquille and on the four facades of video projections of the Quartier. Throughout this route, visitors of all ages are invited to fill up on light and fresh air at the Quartier des spectacles, an unparalleled urban winter destination.
“More than ever, this year, the facilities of the 13th Luminothérapie event will showcase our city’s unique personality: Nordic, festive, cultural, and creative. Luminothérapie is a brilliant part of creating a stimulating environment that will encourage many people to move downtown during the cold season. I invite everyone to come and fill up with fresh air, beauty and wonder, in a most pleasant environment, in the heart of the city,” said Valérie Plante, Mayor of the City of Montréal and the borough of Ville-Marie.
“Luminothérapie has been brightening our winters in the heart of the city for 13 years – so many years of wonder for Montrealers and tourists, young and old. This unique journey of interactive and luminous works will once again allow the Montreal community to come together and enjoy the pleasures of winter together. I salute the work of the artists and the collaboration between the various partners, and invite you to take advantage of all that the downtown core has to offer this winter,” said the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Member of Parliament for Laurier–Sainte-Marie and Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
«Throughout the winter, the Quartier des Spectacles maintains its excitement and collaborates with local artists to create a unique urban experience accessible to all. Luminothérapie and the skating rink on the Esplanade Tranquille with its unique interactive work on ice, are key attractions of the Montreal winter season, reflecting the entire ecosystem of the Quartier des spectacles. We warmly salute the work of the creators who bring their touch of art and light to our downtown,” added Monique Simard, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership.
SCREENINGS THAT CELEBRATE NORTHERN FLORA AND FAUNA
Luminothérapie invites the public to discover for the very first time the interactive ice experience Au bord du lac Tranquille, a creation of Mirari and Normal Studio. The flagship work of this edition and the starting point of the journey, it reveals the richness of northern biodiversity through a dreamlike journey into the heart of Quebec’s vast bodies of water. For 30 minutes, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., the largest refrigerated outdoor skating rink in Montreal becomes home to fascinating aquatic wildlife, who enjoy following in the footsteps of skaters.
Throughout the Quartier des spectacles, the NØRD video projection directed by Jason Rodi de NOMADlife.tv continues the poetic reflection of nordicity through its territories and species. On the facades of UQAM’s President-Kennedy Pavilion, the WILDER Building – Espace danse, near the Saint-Laurent metro station and the Grande Bibliothèque, it presents breathtaking images shot in northern Norway and the Arctic Circle. The work is inspired by poems stemming from the international initiative Poets for Climate of the Climate Reality Project and Agam Agenda, integrated into the programming of the Climate Dialogues. Four of these poems are found in NØRD and were written by Alexi Hachey Brunet, Clémence Roy Darisse and Subashini Thangadurai.
A JOURNEY FULL OF SOUNDS AND COLORS
For 13 years, Luminothérapie has been bringing together digital installations designed by local creators. On Sainte-Catherine Street West, from Phillips Square to the Esplanade Tranquille, six interactive works form an installation concentration. Young and old are invited to wander through the structures and discover their secrets.
With Prismaphonik by Anthony Gagnon Boisvert and William Simard, co-broadcast with Place des Arts, and domino effect by Ingrid Ingrid, a playful experience of music is put forward to offer a symphony of colours to passers-by. Nearby, a classic of Light Therapy, Iceberg by APPAREIL architecture and ATOMIC3, sits alongside Alexis Laurence’s Les Diamants and Francis Laporte of Perséides studio, co-produced by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, the Société de Développement de l’Avenue du Mont-Royal, the SDC Montréal centre-ville, Culture Trois-Rivières and the Rivière-des-Prairies borough— Pointe-aux-Trembles. Both co-presented by Place des Arts, these installations are fascinating representations of two natural wonders. Finally, the chromatic bursts of Prismatica by RAW Design and Oscillation by The Urban Conga reflect the colours of the rainbow on Sainte-Catherine Street, in front of Place des Arts and the forecourt of Saint-James United Church.
December 1, 2022to March 5, 2023
Free and accessible every day from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sainte-Catherine Street West and Esplanade Tranquille in the Quartier des spectacles
The skating rink of the Esplanade Tranquille Sunday to
Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Thursday to Saturday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
On the shores of Lac Tranquille: daily at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.*
*Schedule subject to change on Fridays.
Access to the ice rink is free. Skates available for rent,
This schedule may be modified depending on weather conditions or programming See the detailed schedule on quartierdesspectacles.com/esplanadetranquille.
