THE WARM SHOWCASE AT PLACE DES CANOTIERS

the warm showcase

The Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec is pleased to partner with Manif d'art to offer a unique and luminous artistic experience at Place des Canotiers. This unique site, located on the banks of the majestic St. Lawrence River, is transformed this winter into a genuine space of contemplation and wonder. Through the Warm Showcase of the Place des Canotiers building, the work Umbra, Darkness and the Absence of Light offers a subtle play of light and shadow inviting the viewer to daydream and explore. Enjoy this unique sensory experience!

Visitors can fully appreciate the beauty of this Warm Showcase at any time, but the luminous work has been designed to offer a most dazzling experience once night has fallen.

UMBRA, DARKNESS AND THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT

Multi-disciplinary artist Pavitra Wickramasinghe's kinetic and luminous work features three suspended sets, with variable shapes reminiscent of kites. Two of these are mobiles propelled by motors rotating slowly on the ceiling to create a dazzling play of light and shadow.

Under the combined effect of directed lighting and the rotating impulse of motors, the mobiles take on an unexpected dimension and become “augmented” kinetic sculptures. Their rigid armatures, covered in dichroic film—a kind of transparent polyester film that can change colour and create different reflections according to lighting conditions and viewing angles—lets their changing, gleaming silhouettes drift across the surrounding surfaces.

The term umbra refers to the darkest part of a shadow cast by an opaque object. In astronomy, this also refers to the area of the earth or moon affected by a total eclipse of the sun.  In this monumental installation, Pavitra Wickramasinghe explores the mysterious nature of the relationship between darkness and light, and its impact on our perceptions. The artist seeks to reroute the negative connotations associated with darkness by revealing its inherent redeeming and transformative qualities.

Drawing inspiration from the darkness of winter and the rhythm imposed by longer nights at this time of the year, the work echoes the potential restorative power of our cold season. At the edge of tangible and the elusive, Umbra, Darkness and the Absence of Light immerses the viewer in a hypnotic, contemplative, and restful world where reality and dreams combine.