Transformative artistic experiences
Old Montréal’s historic sights get a digital upgrade inside Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal, where the art and architecture truly shine in multimedia show AURA by internationally acclaimed experience-makers Moment Factory. By night, the detailed projections of Cité Mémoire illuminate historic moments on Old Montréal’s brick building façades – use your smartphone to go on a self-guided tour and learn more about local history.
An immersive art experience also created by Moment Factory, Miroir Miroir activates the imagination with interactive activities for all-ages, at Place Bonaventure until July 16.
The acclaimed Holographic 3D immersive experience Lasting Impressions returns to Le Studio-Cabaret in Espace St-Denis from June 1 to 18 – see over 100 paintings by Impressionist art masters brought to life on a giant ultra-high-definition screen.
A massive immersive art experience in surround sound and laser light, Oasis Immersion takes over the ground floor of Palais des congrès, with the gorgeous textures and colours of VAN GOGH - Distorsion. And the newest addition that must be experienced to be believed, the Museum of Illusions Montréal in Old Montréal has us questioning our perceptions of reality.
Art exhibitions with immersive elements and projection art are also prevalent at several Montréal museums and galleries, including the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal.
New worlds of VR & immersive cinema
Experience what it’s like to be on board the international space station in VR in Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, created by Montréal company Felix & Paul, NASA and the International Space Station, on the King Edward Pier.
For more award-winning digital art and VR go to the Phi Centre in Old Montreal to experience virtual reality in Chaos & Memories, featuring works from Taiwan presented at the Venice Biennale (until June 11), as well as listening room Habitat Sonore, collections exhibition Figure–Ground, The Fury, created by Shirin Neshat, and starting August 1, new interactive experience Sex, Desire and Data exploring the connections between sexuality and technology.
Downtown, the Society for Art and Technology (SAT) boasts an incredible surround-sound 360-degree multimedia dome on its roof, where audiences can experience generative animation and other forms of cinematic art by local and international artists. Explore the mysteries of the universe in science-meets-art documentaries under the Planétarium’s two domes (one with reclining seats, the other with seats as well as comfy bean-bag chairs!)
Larger-than-life festival creations
Montréal’s famed summer festival season is a perfect time to see high-tech projection art on building façades as well as innovative lighting displays on outdoor stages and large indoor venues in the Quartier des spectacles downtown. See Montréal’s cultural institutions in a new light in Insitu, a visual poem projected on the Maison symphonique. And look up to the immense wall of UQAM’s President-Kennedy pavilion to see impressive video projections like Matière à réflexion.
Watch for more pop-up digital art during French-language music festival Francos de Montréal from June 9 to 17, awe-inspiring circus festival MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE from July 6 to 16, and at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, where there’s something for every music fan on multiple stages from June 29 to July 8. In late-August, MUTEK delivers the latest in electronic music and digital arts from around the world.
In September in the Mile End neighbourhood (as well as pop-up events throughout the year), see creations by up-and-coming projection-mapping artists during the energetic MAPP_MTL festival. And for another kind of technical wizardry, look to the night sky during L'International des Feux Loto-Québec, an incredible fireworks competition on Thursdays from June 29 to August 10 and on July 30.
For tickets and more artistic and cultural activities in Montreal, check the city's cultural calendar at La Vitrine, pick up the Passeport MTL to visit your choice of 5 unforgettable Montréal attractions for one price, and plan your visit with Tourisme Montréal’s official city guides.
