LIGHTING
LIGHTEMOTION ILLUMINATES VIGER SQUARE
All the World ’ s a stage : Lightemotion ’ s personification of inanimate objects infuses life into an urban public square
Lightemotion , a global lighting design consultancy creating pathways to enhanced human experiences , proudly presents its enlightenment of Square Viger , a neglected public space bridging Montreal ’ s contemporary downtown core with the preserved history of Old Montreal . Forming part of an 8-year contemporary overhaul to restore the space as a green and accessible public square , the project anchors around the preservation of an existing historic monument , and the revival of pergolas originally designed by Quebec artist Charles Daudelin .
“ In the 1950s and 60s , Square Viger was an iconic space in the style of a New York City park ,” explains François Roupinian , President and Design Director of Lightemotion . “ But then a highway through the downtown core was constructed underneath it , and it was restored in more of a Brutalist style in the 1970s .”
Heeding the call In addition to restoring elements of Square Viger ’ s past , the project envisioned the infusion of fresh new life to carry the public space beyond the present and into the future . On a macro level , that vision unfolded through the addition of abundant perennial plants able to withstand the challenging elements of Montreal ’ s four-seasons , as well as through the addition of more than 50 new trees . In approaching the task at hand , the project ’ s landscape architect , NIPPAYSAGE , brought Lightemotion in from the very beginning to bring it all to life .
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