LUMINOTHÉRAPIE 2015: FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Press release - For immediate distribution

Montreal, June 18, 2015 – The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership is proud to announce the finalists for the 2015-16 edition of the Luminothérapie competition. Now in its sixth year, the annual event features innovative and participatory urban installations that offer a playful winter experience to visitors to the Quartier des Spectacles.

The concept is required to showcase and enliven the Place des Festivals with a luminous and audible primary work that can be enjoyed both day and night, plus video projections for the nine permanent projection sites in the Quartier. In previous years, the competition had two components: the main installation and the video projections. This year, participants are required to combine both components into a single project. The goal of merging the components was to arrive at a unified concept for the Quartier. Designers were invited to form multidisciplinary teams (design, architecture, visual and digital arts) to create an experience highlighting diverse perspectives and emerging practices.

Five finalists have been selected from 38 entries:

• Architecture Open Form in collaboration with Induktion Groupe Conseil, Samuel Bernier-Lavigne, Elizabeth Laferrière, Je Thème and Olivier Ouellet-Hébert
  http://openform.ca/

• artificiel and in situ atelier d’architecture
  http://www.artificiel.org/
  http://atelierinsitu.com/

• Lateral Office, CS Design Inc, Irregular, Maotik, Mitchell Akiyama and EGP Group
  http://lateraloffice.com/
  http://designcs.ca/

• Renée d’Amours Architecte, Atelier Gris, Yan Breuleux and Louis-Philippe St-Arnault
  http://www.damoursarchitecte.com/
  http://ateliergrismontreal.com/

• Stéphanie Henry, Jeanne Faure, Olivier Schmitt and Jean de Giacinto
  http://stephaniehenry.fr/
  http://www.jeannefaure.com/

All proposals received, along with the jury’s report, will be released to the public in October via the mtlunescodesign.com website, at the same time as the winner is announced. The winning project will be presented from December 10, 2015 to January 31, 2016.

THE COMPETITION

The competition selection process has two rounds: first, the jury reviews proposals submitted anonymously, in order to ensure transparency and openness to new talent; second, the finalists selected in the first round give a presentation to the jury. The proposals are reviewed using criteria detailed in the Competition Rules. The total production budget for the project is $300,000.

JURY MEMBERS

The Jury has nine members:

• Marc-André Carignan, urban design and architecture journalist
• Mikaël Charpin, Assistant Director and Luminous Pathway manager, Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
• Pascale Daigle, Director of Programming, Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
• Pierre Fortin, Executive Director, Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
• Émilie F. Grenier, narrative experiences designer
• Benoît Lemieux, Director of Operations and Luminous Pathway, Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
• Gabriel Poirier-Galarneau, multimedia producer
• Judith Portier, environmental designer
• Catherine Turp, Creative Director, Moment Factory

To learn more about the competition: mtlunescodesign.com/luminotherapie2015

ABOUT THE QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES

The Quartier des Spectacles is Montreal’s cultural heart, boasting North America’s most concentrated and diverse group of cultural venues. The district is the year-round host to countless festivals and events, many of which include free outdoor shows and activities. The Quartier also hosts innovative urban installations involving cutting-edge lighting design, immersive environments or interactive digital spaces. The Quartier des Spectacles is an international showcase for new multimedia technology, making Montreal a global leader in the urban exhibition of digital content. For more information, visit quartierdesspectacles.com.

ABOUT MONTREAL, UNESCO CITY OF DESIGN

Montreal is part of UNESCO’s international Creative Cities Network in the Cities of Design category. The Network includes 69 cities in 32 countries. It helps creators in member cities share their experiences, while promoting the international exchange of best practices and knowledge.

The Ville de Montréal’s Bureau du design works with the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership on preparing and running this annual competition. Such competitions are among the many commitments taken on by the city and the partners in Action Plan 2007-2017 – Montréal, Cultural Metropolis, which aims to promote excellence in design and architecture while affirming Montreal’s status as a UNESCO City of Design.

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Images from previous Luminothérapie works are available on our Flickr account. Please include proper credit. More information : Press kit
Media enquiries: Marie Lamoureux | marie.lamoureux@quartierdesspectacles.com | 514 923-6772