LUMINO

For its 15th edition, Luminothérapie, the iconic Montreal winter event, is now LUMINO! A spectacular phased program transforming downtown Montreal into a celebration of light and creativity highlighting our Nordic character. LUMINO will brighten the Quartier des Spectacles and downtown all winter, through to March 9, 2025, daily from sunset to 11 pm.

This year, more than 30 works – 14 outdoors, 11 indoors, 7 video projections plus some surprise works – will be unveiled in phases, from Esplanade PVM at Place Ville Marie to Place Émilie-Gamelin. The works, created by 15 studios and 20 artists both local and international, will offer Montrealers and visitors a refreshed experience throughout the winter with contemplative and participatory installations.

MARQUEE WORKS TO DISCOVER
Starting November 28, the public will enjoy an impressive set of outdoor installations. On Esplanade PVM at Place Ville Marie, Éloge de l’air by Chevalvert invites members of the public to make an enormous 5-metre banner float in the air; Les Fabuloscopes by La Camaraderie with Eruoma Awashish, set up in front of the Grande Bibliothèque, invites passers-by to create stroboscopic animations; Lustres by TILT, on the parvis of St. James United Church, is a unique open-air ballroom experience; 1000 Visages by Alejandro Figuerroa of +Amor, facing the Esplanade Tranquille skating rink, is a colossal 12-metre archway with 1779 moving mirrors; Biolumen by Rahda Chaddah and RAW Design, at the Palais des congrès, is a unique contemplative experience inspired by bioluminescent oceanic organisms. There are also two special guest works: Cercle Polaire by Jason Carter and M.A.D. Collectif, on Esplanade PVM at Place Ville Marie, invites visitors to immerse themselves in the world of majestic Far North fauna; and Orb by Spy transforms the Place des Arts Esplanade with 90 convex discs made of polished steel.

NEW WORKS AFTER THE HOLIDAYS
In January, three new outdoor works will be added to the already extensive program. Starting January 9, Chaleur Humaine is a piece by Anne Lagacé that resembles a suspended sun. It will bring colour and warmth to Place Pasteur. Featuring 16 four-metre-tall arrays of LED lights, arranged to form a 30-metre light tunnel, Le TUNNEL by Big Art can be experienced in Place Émilie-Gamelin starting January 16. On Saint-Denis St. in the Quartier Latin, the three illuminated stations of the interactive installation L’Orchestre Endormi by Ottomata will invite the public to step into an orchestra conductor’s shoes, starting February 13.

UNPRECEDENTED INDOOR EXPERIENCES
For the first time, LUMINO’s programming will be enhanced with indoor installations, open to the public starting January 9. The works include Équilibre : Tensio by Guillaume Bourassa and Francis Théberge. Located at the entrance to Le Central, this dynamic immersive installation plays with perception. Apparently chaotic, it becomes a harmonious structure when viewed from a certain position. With VORTEX, artist Nicolas Paolozzi stages an encounter between light, water and geometry. Positioned above the Complexe Desjardins fountain, this immersive work provides a poetic sensory experience. Meanwhile, an interactive work called Cinétique, by Ottomata, will be located inside The Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth starting January 16. Its dozens of luminous stems, arranged in a circle, invite the public to explore the invisible kinetic forces that surround us and shape our everyday lives. Inside Place des Arts, starting January 30, the public is invited to discover Kaléidoscope: A Social Media Trinity by Alejandro Figueroa of AMOR+. The installation explores the impact of social media through a reflection on the creation, dissemination and consumption of content. LUMINO will also occupy the Balmoral block with six experimental works curated by three local galleries: perte de signal, Elektra Galerie and Eastern Bloc. The public will have an exclusive opportunity to discover Microstars by Charline Dally and Gabrielle HB, Porteur de Lumière by students from NAD-UQAC, Afflux by Jade Delobre, Mechanicolor by Stéban SanFaçon, Chasing Waterfalls by Hidden Edges and Matière Première by Yan Breuleux.

LUMINO: A SHOWCASE FOR STUDENTS
LUMINO will also feature plenty of up-and-coming talent. Starting January 23, video projections by UQAM design students can be seen on the façades of UQAM’s Centre de design and the Grande Bibliothèque. In addition, on March 6, 7 and 8, Exotopie, a group project by the graduating class in the interactive media program at UQAM, will invite the public to enter an enchanting alternative world inspired by exoplanetary biology, with luminous and aural installations positioned near the UQAM bell tower, along with an immersive interactive experience in UQAM’s Agora.

VIDEO PROJECTIONS TO ENLIVEN WINTER NIGHTS
Starting November 28, the public will see video projections that transport them to immersive visual worlds. Étrangement satisfaisant by COLEGRAM illuminates the façades of Édifice WILDER | Espace Danse, UQAM’s Pavillon Président-Kennedy and the wall adjacent to Saint-Laurent metro station, with a series of three video projections riffing on online culture and videos. On the façade of the Grande Bibliothèque, Hyperobjects, by artist Aude Guivarc’h, invites viewers to ponder the ephemerality of seemingly permanent and unchanging things. Lastly, the Esplanade Tranquille skating rink will once again present the interactive video projection Au bord du lac Tranquille by Mirari and Normal studio, taking Montrealers and visitors on a dreamy journey through Quebec’s Far North.

To learn more about the works, and where to find them, visit: www.luminomtl.com