Unveiling of the digital artwork Choreographies for Humans and Stars At the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium at the Montréal Space for Life

MONTREAL, Jan. 23, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Tonight, the City of Montréal proudly presents Choreographies for Humans and Stars, the first digital artwork of its public art collection, specially created for the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium at the Montréal Space for Life. Conceived by Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, this unique installation invites visitors to enter into a poetic dialogue with celestial phenomena. In this fascinating exploration of astronomy, movements made in front of the work affect animations that are projected onto the building's facade. Visitors and passersby are invited to participate in this playful activity every evening after dusk next to the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium.

"Québec is proud of its policy for integrating the arts into architecture, also known as the 1% policy," said Maka Kotto, Minister of Culture and Communications. "With 3,200 works of art designed specially for our public spaces and buildings, Québec has become not only an open-air art gallery but also a true force for the democratization of art. For our artists, this policy is an ideal way of showcasing their work and a tool for sharing it with the public".

"For the past 25 years, the City of Montreal has enriched its public art collection with over 315 pieces. We are pleased to welcome to our collection the first digital art installation which demonstrates Montreal's leadership in terms of cultural metropolis, know-how city and as a UNESCO city of design and digital art. Mouna Andraos, Melissa Mongiat honours us once again with virtue, poetic and intelligence which is demonstrated in her work Choreographies for Humans and Stars," said Manon Gauthier, member of the Montréal Executive Committee responsible for culture, heritage, design, Space for Life and the status of women.

"The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is offering a dramatic encounter between art, science and emotion. This digital artwork is in keeping with the Montréal Space for Life vision; it is yet another expression of our desire, together with our visitors, to create fresh, reconceived spaces. On arrival here, the visitor is invited to dance with the stars—a whole new introduction to astronomy!" adds Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Director of the Montréal Space for Life.

Dance with the stars... 
Choreographies for Humans and Stars is a participatory performance that boldly combines art and digital technology. Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, the creators of 21 Balançoires (21 Swings), a 2011 installation in Montréal's Quartier des Spectacles and who are known for their extraordinary artistic projects, invite visitors to rediscover astronomy through play and to reinvent the movement of the stars and planets. By moving inside a demarcated circular space, alone or with others, participants can interact with the work and embody different cosmic scenes, which then translate to giant images on the Planetarium's facade. Thus combined, the moving images and the movements of the participant-dancers become a living theatre for the poetic movement of stars and the Universe.

Art for all in every neighborhood … 
This new acquisition is an expression of Montréal's commitment to improving the quality of urban life through works accessible to all, which transform the city and promote encounters between its citizens and artists. The designers opted for an open and participatory project, so young people in the area have had the privilege of participating in the creative process. This way of doing things is completely in line with the desire of the Bureau d'art public and the Montréal Space for Life for the citizens to own, animate and occupy the space.

Reinventing our relationship with nature 
Now forming the largest natural sciences museum complex in Canada and the first in the world dedicated to humankind and nature, the Montréal Space for Life catalyzes a bold and creative urban movement to rethink the connection between human beings and nature and cultivate a new way of living. For the Montréal Space for Life, the inclusion of this unique work of art is a direct invitation to citizens to participate in this movement.

Photos, videos and fact sheets: http://bit.ly/oeuvrenumerique

SOURCE: Espace pour la vie

Sources:

Marc-André de Blois
Press attaché
Office of the Minister of Culture and Communications
418-380-2408 / 514-873-4199

Sabrina Williams
Press attaché
Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee
514-346-7598

Information:

Marie-Joëlle Filion
Communications Coordinator
514-443-6801
[email protected]

Karine Vendette
Communications Assistant
514 872-2227 / 514 236-9392