Remember the Metros are heated and it is always warmer underground!
The 24 pieces of artworks along the Illuminart circuit are as follows:
1. BETONNEIERE BOULE MIROIR
ANGLE SAINTE-CATHERINE ET DE BLEURY
Ok so it was just a giant spinning mirrored disco ball on a cement truck with disco music playing attracting people on the street to dance. Seen this before.
2. EVOLUTIONS
EGLISE SAINT-JAMES (RUE SAINTE-CATHERINE OUEST)
Not quite VIVID in Sydney but same concept on a smaller scale ie projections in colour on the facade of one of countless churches around Montreal with sound however going one step further with the syncronised stained glass window effect which I thought was very clever.
3. IRRANDIANCE
EDIFICE LA CAPITALE (425 BOUL DE MAISONNEUVE OUEST)
Could not find this therefore missed it
4. PASSAGE
JARDIN DOMTAR (395 BOUL DE MAISONNEUVE OUEST)
It was cold and dark and I am unsure whether we actually saw this piece of artwork or not. I think we also missed this.
5. ELEPHANT ROUGE
PROMENADE DES ARTISTES ( ANGLE DE MAISONNEUVE ET JEANNE-MANCE)
We must have seen the back side of this elephant countless times before approaching it up close and personal face to face. Difficult to miss this giant red glowing elephant in the street behind the ferris wheel made of plastic water containers. I quite liked it - similar to our giant red white and black Santa made entirely of plastic crates on display in Sydney near First Fleet Park over last Christmas holidays!
6. ABAT-JOUR
PROMENADE DES ARTISTES (ANGLE DE MAISONNEUVE ET JEAMBE-MANCE)
Lines of 200 lampshades made by visitors at MAC (Montreal's Museum of Contemporary Art) - where was I when they made them? - that would have been a fun workshop to attend!
7. FANTASTIC PLANET
LE PARTERRE (ANGLE DE MAISONNEUVE ET CLARK)
Giant white glowing inflatables in the shape of humans - I didn't really think much of it because I've seen similar in Sydney before but when I saw the one on top of a roof looking as if it was climbing off it then I became interested. How could I have missed it on the first night out to see Illuminart! The title is in English - was it an Australian artist?
8. LARGE PENDULUM WAVE
ILOT DU METRO SAINT-LAURENT (ANGLE DE MAISONNEUVE ET SAINT-LAURENT)
A giant moving swinging pendulum that changes in colour to music. Trippy but what a piece of engineering. One of my favourites! It started to get extremely cold at this location but no problem go inside the Metro subway entrance and warm up under the heaters or go down the escalators underground and warm up before going out into the cold again.
9 +15+16+17+19. INSTANCE
I think I missed this series of projections and interactive installations altogether - very disappointed.
10. MONUMENT-NATIONAL
MONUMENT-NATIONAL (1182 BOUL SAINT-LAURENT)
This was totally missed unfortunately
11. CHARLOTTE
PASSAGE CHARLOTTE
This was also totally missed unfortunately
12. LANTERNES ELISABETHAINES
This was also totally missed unfortunately
13. CORDE SENSIBLE et TERRA INCOGNITA
HABITATIONS JEANNE-MANCE
(ANGLE SAINTE-ELISABETH ET BOISBRIAND)
I wasn't quite sure if this was part of Illuminart as it was installed in the backyard of a block of apartments - on private property enclosed by fences. It was quite creepy actually and I really didn't understand the lit up arches which had recorded voices from each of them. Was it something about a grave yard? Ghosts ? Neon lit words were at the end of these arches?
I had to yell out to my German roomate who had walked ahead to take a closer look at the illuminated words "the arches are actually talking" but I couldnt really understand what they were talking about - sounded like each arch was telling a different story about their life.
14. MIRAGJARDIN SANGUINET
(ANGLE SANGUINET ET PICARD)
I missed this as well - could not find Sanguinet let alone Picard!
18. KEYFRAMES
CINEMATHEQUE QUEBECOISE (BOUL DE MAISONNEUVE ENTRE SAINT-DENIS ET SANGUINET)
I was extremely disappointed that I missed this entire piece of artwork.
20. L'AIR DU TEMPS EN MOUVEMENT
HABITATIONS JEANNE-MANCE
(MURALE ANGLE SANGUINET ET EMERY)
From a distance I could see a giant screen with a projection on it but did not stay out long enough to watch the entire projection - it was freezing!
21. UNITED FISH
CEGEP DU VIEUX MONTREAL (255 RUE ONTARIO EST)
I missed this piece if artwork as well as it was quite a distance from the other artworks. Old Montreal is a long walk away if that was where this piece of artwork was located at.
22. BAMBOO
HABITATIONS JEANNE-MANCE
(ANGLE HOTEL-DE-VILLE ET ONTARIO)
I remember seeing this from a distance but not up close and personal . Difficult to miss this series of oversized glow sticks. You are just drawn to this piece of artwork from wherever you can see it.
23. CARINA NEBULA
PARC TOUSSANT-LOUVERTURE
My German roomate and I were curious about this piece of artwork. We could see it from the park across from where we were (FACE) and hear it as well. Freezing cold my German roommate insisted on spending quite a bit of time here as she tinkled on the piano to illuminate the series of coloured lights. As she played the coloured lights were syncronised to light up according to the pitch of the notes she played on the piano I have seen similar in Sydney at VIVID but it is mostly with flat electronic keyboards and not a real piano interacting with a series of lights.
I have a video of her playing but have not uploaded online.
A good place to show off your keyboard and musical skills which there was no shortage of! ( if you don't mind freezing your fingers off!)
The attendant stationed at this piece of artwork that night admitted that she had no musical talent and was a little surprised she was stationed there as the organisers could have stationed someone else that did have a musical background to demonstrate this piece of artwork to visitors.
24. FACE
PARC PAUL-DOZOIS
Athough a very clever piece of technology embedded into a luminous sculpture of giant human bust and suppose to be a bit of fun - projecting your face onto a giant sculpture face via a tiny camera was a little creepy - smile and see yourself - selfie!
25. QUAND LA VILLE S'ILLUMINE, J'HABITE LES COULEURS
100, BOUL DE MAISONNEUVE EST
Another one of my favourite pieces of artwork. I have seen many similar pieces of artwork similar to this but this one is the most colourful one I have seen.
Photos still to be attached - Apologies but unfortunately all photos of my 2nd trip to Canada in February March 2017 which were taken on my back up Sony mobile phone were lost due to a Fido simcard used overseas which caused my phone to go randomly "biserk" when turned on just before departing Canada and crashing completely in the process of backing up. If you read my blog I mention that I was having continuous technical issues with using Fido's service and they remained unresolved.
I really needed 2 days off to sort out my Canadian banking problems and my persistant technical issues with my local mobile phone service provider - Fido.
Therefore over these 2 days during daylight hours I was frantically running around sorting things out whether it be by text messaging, phone calls, emails or online or finding the nearest Fido or RBC to speak to someone face to face.
It took me at least 3 visits to local RBC branches and 2 visits to the local Scotia Bank to sort my bank account problem out. To resolve my problem the easiest and quickest way I decided was to close my RCB account after having it for over 2 decades and reopen my Scotia bank account. Problem solved. Don't put up with poor customer service from banks.
To solve my ongoing technical problems on my mobile phone of text messaging never working on my phone, was not as quick or as easy. Going to the nearest Fido store and speaking to someone face to face made no difference and I was now using my main phone as my backup phone crashed when its vpn settings were changed by Fido reps yet it still did not work with a local sim card - ongoing technical issue for over 2 months I did not want Fido reps to touch my main phone's setting incase the same thing happens as this was my only form of communication using wi fi when Fido's mobile data fails. I wanted to cancel my account which could only be done by calling Fido and it was not easy to call them. The call centre officers kept hanging up on me or it just weren't open to take calls. In the end just before I was about to depart Canada I managed to cancel my account and get a CAN$50 credit. I will not know until I receive my next credit card statement whether this was done or if I have to request a charge back.
If you ever want to cancel a Fido casual month to month plan and they ask you to call back on the day you want to cancel the account - a firm NO will get them to take action - it was impossible in my situation as I wanted to cancel my account on the 6th March but there is no way I could call them on that day as I will be on the plane in the middle of nowhere from 5th March to 7th March inclusive and even if I could Fido's coverage is so poor around Canada there would be absolutely no reception. Therefore in the end a note was made to cancel my account on the date requested by me.
The rest of time was running around shopping for groceries gifts snacks etc to take back home with me. I didn't do much shopping on either of my Canadian trips this time round as it was mostly spent sight seeing and attending events.
I took a lot of advice and recommendations of places to see and go to from my roommates and friends which was all very helpful.
I still had not found the closest super market I assume both IGA's in the Complexe Desjardins and inside the Mall At Water were equal distant from the HI Montreal - a 15 - 20 minute walk in either direction. I also found another non IGA supermarket before At Water which stocked a lot of Asian and Middle Eastern groceries - this had some very interesting foods such as falafels tabouli baklava European biscuits of all shapes and sizes cakes pastries and kababs mainly beef not lamb (tradtional kababs are lamb in Australia) - no lamb in sight and no pork in this supermarket just chicken beef and fish ( a lot of chicken beef and fish!)
There sure were a few dollar stores around At Water. I popped into at least 2 to purchase some mashmellows for tonight's venture out to see Illuminart (roasting mashmellows on a stick is a good way to warm up over an open fire before heading off in the freezing cold - mini frankfauts were another popular option but me well I found these amazing mini roasted potatos that worked a treat when reheated on a stick over an open fire and did not keep catching on fire like my mashmellows did!) and tried to find cheap t shirts for when we do the Shabori tie die activity during Nuit Blanche but could not find any.
Now let's talk about what else I found on my adventures to At Water Mall besides finding the IGA. My other roomate had mentioned to me that if I like chocolates then I should visit a chocolate cafe called Juliette & Chocolat. When I found it and stepped inside I could not resist the hand made chocolates displayed in the bain marie. I counted how many flavours there were left and types and advised the cafe server behind the counter that I'll take one of each except the few flavours I just didn't like to make up a full box of 16 individual chocolates. These were places inside a nice cardboard box with a traditional plastic insert to hold each one and finished off with a big red bow tied around the diagonals of the chocolate box to secure it. Then it was placed in a paper bag. MY special box of chocolates which I think totalled a little over CAN$40 after taxes ( yes those damn taxes - everything you purchase across Canada is GST and PST exclusive not inclusive like across Australia - very annoying!)
On the front of the chocolate box it reads
" Juliette & Chocolat
J'AIME LES GENSENS
QUI ONT
le coeur sur la main
et du
Chocolat
dans
l'autre"
On the back of the box it reads in white print on a blue background - in French and English simply
"CONFECTIONNES AU QUEBEC - CRAFTED IN QUEBEC"
Above is my last minute shopping spree of chocolates and snacks from Montreal's IGAs and around At Water to take back to Sydney with me. That is not all of it by the way. I managed to pick up a few other things from the airports in Montreal Toronto and Vancouver.
I am disappointed I didn't get time to travel to Quebec City - I tried to organise a day trip but tours and buses during the winter did not operate daily therefore my schedule was restricted. There is always next trip.
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