This summer, the Space for Life thinks big - A journey to the edge of the Universe at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium and larger-than-life horticultural masterpieces at the Botanical Garden

MONTREAL, April 16, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - With the recent opening of the new Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium and the return of Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal® (MIM2013) at the Botanical Garden, the Montréal Space for Life is offering visitors an exceptional opportunity to reconnect with nature. It is a must-see for all those visiting Montréal this summer! 

"It is amazing to be able enjoy experiences of such magnitude on a single site," says Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Executive Director of the Space for Life, which brings together the Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. "The skies of the planetarium are simply touching, and the Mosaïcultures Internationales sculptures at the Botanical Garden are sure to impress. This emotional roller-coaster is a great way to entice people to act in favour of all of nature's beauties!"

The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium: A breathtaking experience
This new, unique world-class facility in Montréal, which had its grand opening on April 6, offers visitors a breathtaking experience. Combining art, science and emotion, the Space for Life pushes boundaries with new ways to get in touch with the Universe. Built to meet the highest environmental standards, the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium stands out with a strong and bold architectural identity. Like two telescopes turned up to the sky, two theatres offer 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 music of Philip Glass. Next, in the Milky Way theatre, a scientific interpreter guides visitors From the Earth to the Stars, like explorers aboard a spacecraft—a "guided tour of the Universe" that changes with the seasons and the current events of astronomy.

Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal® at the Botanical Garden, a horticultural experience like no other
From June 22 to September 29, after a ten-year absence, MIM2013 is back in Montréal. This international competition is a spectacular event that attracts some hundreds of thousands of visitors to each of its editions. Based on the theme of Land of Hope—a picture of the beauty and richness of life on earth used to raise visitors' awareness of the importance of preserving biodiversity—50 or so larger-than-life horticultural sculptures created by representatives of some 30 countries will take shape along the trails of the Montréal Botanical Garden, one of the largest and most prestigious of its kind in the world, covering an area of more than 2 km. 

Packages available online
Tickets and packages to the institutions can now be purchased online, on the brand new espacepourlavie.ca/en website. Visitors can plan their visit of the Space for Life remotely, combining the discovery of all five ecosystems of the Americas at the still one-of-a-kind Biodôme, with a journey through the skies of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, an up-close encounter with the infinitely tiny at the Insectarium, or an adventurous excursion through the 75 hectares of collections at the Botanical Garden. 

"I am delighted to see how the Space for Life and its four components—the Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium—round off the global tourist attractions Montréal has to offer to the 10 million or so visitors it receives annually," enthusiastically declares the Honourable Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. "Two of the three major Montréal attractions our organization counts on to increase tourism in the city are located on the part of the island that is home to the Space for Life."

The Space for Life, the largest natural sciences complex in Canada, brings together the Biodôme, the Insectarium, the Botanical Garden and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. Together, they are committed to preserving and enhancing biodiversity and invite local citizens and those around the world to join this bold, creative and urban global movement.

SOURCE: Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan

Nadine Fortin, Communications Coordinator
514-868-3053
[email protected]

Karine Jalbert, Communications Coordinator
514-872-1453
[email protected]