A metaphor of light for the Cinémathèque québécoise

Montréal, March 06, 2009

Within the Lighting Plan of the Montreal Quartier des spectacles, Lightemotion, the Montreal firm specialized in lighting design, has just completed the architectural lighting as well as the light signature of the Cinematheque Quebecoise.

“We wanted to create a scenario with moving lights, to create a metaphor of moving images which is what cinema and video represents”, explains François Roupinian, founding President of Lightemotion.

If the old section of the building is delicately unveiled with a soft white light, that only highlights specific elements and ornamentations of this heritage architecture – just like the front stage lights would do for an actor – it is quite the contrary for the contemporary wing designed by Saucier + Perrotte Architects.

Lightemotion literally drew the contours of the glass catwalk with blue light, not only to underline the dynamic shape, but to give as well the illusion to passers-by to see a suspended light box in mid air. By hiding all light sources in the building’s architecture, the designers succeeded in creating a halo of light that remains subtle and at the same time sufficiently visible to serve as a light beam in the middle of the night. The lighting design then becomes a signal and captures the attention of street walkers on Saint-Denis.

To complete the impression of movement that transpire from the whole, Lightemotion designers gave the Cinematheque a truly original virtual marquise. They placed behind the sandblasted glass panes in the centre of the atrium window, translucent acrylic panels, planted with white coloured LED’s. Because this marquise is transparent, it enables the day light to pass through and does not block the view of the street. When the light of the diodes opens and shuts alternately according to a pre-programmed sequence, it creates waves, pulses or geometric figures, suggesting the unravelling of a film reel. Thanks to this dynamic lighting scheme, the Cinematheque can change the ambiance of its building.

If on the one hand, the lighting outside of the building offers a peaceful feeling to passers-by, those that venture inside will definitely go through a very strange sensory experience. The spotlights, hidden behind heat radiators, slide along the metallic window posts to fade away on the ceiling and the light that the LED’s produce transfigure the space on the first floor. As François Roupinian describes it, “individuals find themselves to become the colour that is projected. We are literally part of a volume of light points.”

This illumination project is the first realization of the Quartier des spectacles Lighting Plan’s phase 1 that follows the successful pilot project initiated in 2006. The project was realized with a $25,000 contribution from the Cinémathèque québécoise, and $50,000 from the Quartier des spectacles Partnership, the latter coming from the financial contribution of the City of Montreal and the Ministère des Affaires municipales et des Régions du Québec.