A festival of light: 30 glowing see-saws illuminate downtown Montreal
A group of Canadian designers have collaborated on a huge illuminated playground in Montreal where members of the public can ride 30 glowing, musical see-saws.
Located in the city’s downtown, each see-saw is fitted with LEDs and speakers and emits waves of light and sound which change in intensity depending on movement. The subsequent music and visuals merge together to create an ever-changing composition.
The dreamlike effect is enhanced by abstract pulsing, soundtracked video projections displayed on the walls of nine surrounding buildings. These play with concepts of balance, symmetry, harmony and their binary opposites.
The art project, named Impulse, is the work of lighting designers CS Design, architecture studio Lateral Office, composer Mitchell Akiyama and engineer EGP Group and was commissioned by Canadian cultural organisation Quartier des Spectacles. It will be open to the public until the end of January 2016.
“We wanted to create a holistic environment through the use of physical objects,” CS Design partner Conor Sampson told CLAD. “The response has been overwhelming. The public love it. We’ve had more than 500 people using the see-saws every day.”
Sampson said that Impulse, which was created in just four months, is designed to be easily assembled and dissembled and revealed that several other cities have expressed interest in exhibiting the installation.
“It’s certainly a model that can be used again and again,” he said. “Public art can lift environments, change perspectives and create added value to an urban area.”
Impulse forms part of Montreal’s Luminotherapie festival, now in its seventh year. The annual event is organised to create an original winter experience for city-dwellers and provide a platform for young designers and digital artists.
David Rockwell installation dazzles New York with cascading LED light display
Lumiere set to light up London with winter street art installations
Shirane + Miyazaki's 3D kaleidoscope installation stars at Vivid Sydney light festival


BIG's designs Prague concert hall to be vibrant centre of life

Mather & Co-designed Gretna Green Experience opens to the public

Project to save last major bellfoundry which cast bells for St Paul's and Washington National Cathedral

Perkins & Will reveals designs for net-zero sports and cultural centre in Toronto

World’s first living waterslides announced for Therme Manchester

Heatherwick reveals Volcano-inspired opera house designs for Hainan

Natural history museum planned for Abu Dhabi

Controversial London music venue, MSG Sphere, gets full planning permission

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Glasgow's iconic Burrell Collection reopens after five-year, £68.5m revamp

SB Architects delivers Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica with tree-house spa and private residences

Ole Scheeren designs vertical jungle resort complex in China

Designer Brian d’Souza launches Swell to create evocative soundscapes for physical environments

Basalt Architects create geothermal Forest Lagoon in the wilds of Iceland

Hot Pickle design £73m Guinness visitor attraction for Diageo in London

Amsterdam's new digital art centre Fabrique des Lumières will use tech to bring art alive

Pharrell Williams to launch tropical Bahamian beach resort

Banyan Tree curating solar-powered wellness retreat on private Mozambican island

Dubai Expo hits 10 million visits

Foster + Partners designs Dorchester Collection's first hotel in Middle East

Neil Jacobs reveals Six Senses Places concept for major cities

Orient Express returns to Italy after 46 years with six trains designed by Dimorestudio and new Rome hotel

400-year-old mineral spring will power Preidlhof’s €2m medicinal bath experience

Universal Beijing Resort reveals expansion plans for second phase

Pop-up stadium built with shipping containers opens ahead of 2022 World Cup

Playfulness will inspire Serenbe’s new wellness community, Spela

John McAslan + Partners-designed M7 cultural hub and museum opens in Doha

LPO Architects and GrecoDeco create vast subterranean wellness retreat for Oslo
