The Société des musées québécois awards it 2013 Prix Excellence to The Montréal Space for Life for the creation of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 10, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Last night, with immense pride, the Montréal Space for Life team accepted the Prix Excellence - institutional group 1, awarded by the Société des musées québécois for the creation of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. Officially inaugurated last April 6, this new institution, a milestone for the Montréal Space for Life, offers a unique approach to the world by creating new ways of connecting with the Universe. The jury was moved by this ingenious combination of art, science and emotion that propels the visitor into a dizzying experience, and it praised the innovative concept as much as the architectural quality that aligns strength and distinctiveness while respecting the highest standards of sustainable development. This peer recognition highlights the boldness of the Montréal Space for Life in making this ambitious project a reality.

"The redeployment of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium marks not only the concrete realization of the destination of the Montréal Space for Life, it is also the embodiment of our vision. The innovation, creation, boldness needed to break down barriers to make it possible to experience the emotion of contact with nature, this is what inspires the people who have made the Montréal Space for Life. If the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium has been crowned with such success today, it is because all its artisans have worked with the constant preoccupation of remaining completely true to our mission of guiding humans to better experience nature. This is a great source of pride to all our team and an inspiration for our future projects," affirmed Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Executive Director of the Montréal Space for Life.

The Universe as you have never seen it before
Designed for an international architecture competition and built according to the highest environmental standards, the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is already considered as a signature edifice of the city. Like two telescopes turned up to the sky, two theatres offer two complementary experiences of the sky and the Universe. The journey begins in the Chaos Theatre, where the immersive show Continuum, created by world-renowned Montréal artists Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, plunges visitors into a cosmic fable set to the symphonic music of Philip Glass. Then, in the Milky Way Theatre, a scientific interpreter guides visitors From the earth to the stars, like cosmic explorers on board a space ship. A guided tour of the Universe that changes with the seasons and with new astronomical discoveries. Outside the theatres, the Exo exhibition, on our search for life in the Universe is anything but static. Its completely interactive and multimedia content evolves along with the topic it presents. In a spectacular and welcoming environment, the visitor explores a theme that is not dealt with very often in planetariums. A fascinating exhibition complete with a real geology laboratory and a rich collection of meteorites, the largest public collection in Québec.

A new era for the Montréal Space for Life
A place of collaborative creativity, the Montréal Space for Life has initiated a bold, creative urban movement that takes a new look at the connections between humanity and nature, and that cultivates a new way of living. The arrival of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium in proximity to the Montréal Biodôme, the Montréal Botanical Garden and the Montréal Insectarium marks a decisive phase in the consolidation of the Montréal Space for Life, which is now the biggest concentration of institutions dedicated to natural science museums in Canada and the number one worldwide location dedicated to humanity and nature.

SOURCE: Espace pour la vie

Marie-Joëlle Filion
Communications Co-ordinator
514 868-4840
[email protected]

Nadine Fortin
Communications Co-ordinator
514 868-3053
[email protected]