INSPIRATION VILLAGE
PHOTOGRAPHY: BENOIT BRÜHMÜLLER
LA MACHINE
PHOTOGRAPHY: LA MACHINE
In mid-summer, we’ re hosting a company from Nantes, France, called“ La Machine.” This street theatre company will be bringing a giant dragon, about four storeys high, and a giant spider bigger than Maman to Ottawa.( Maman is the large-scale bronze, stainless steel and granite spider that sits outside the National Gallery of Canada.)
La Machine will take over the downtown core with scenes to engage crowds in interactive stories. The mechanical creations will move along and be supported on truck beds and run by operators dressed in Matrixlike outfits. The machines will be so life-like, people will believe that they’ re moving along under their own power. It’ s edgy, futuristic and something adults and children will be amazed by. It will be a North American premiere.
On July 2, we will be hosting the“ Interprovincial Picnic on the Bridge,” which takes place on the Alexandria Bridge overlooking Parliament Hill. It’ s already a sell-out. We will have four seatings on the bridge and will cover the pedestrian zone of the bridge with sod so people can have a memorable picnic overlooking Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River. This is also a great way for us to celebrate Confederation as this spectacular event is on the bridge that connects what used to be Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
Later on in the summer, on August 27, we will host“ Canada’ s Table,” the most spectacular fine dining experience in the history of the country, in front of
Parliament Hill on Wellington Street. We will install a table with a 1,000-seat capacity where you will be treated to cuisine from the top 10 chefs in Ottawa and 10 top chefs from across Canada. We will enhance this experience with a sound and light show called“ Northern Lights,” which will be projected onto the Parliament Buildings.
Over the course of the entire year, we will have events as part of“ Ignite 150,” a series of 17 epic stunts to illustrate the creativity of our artists and showcase the vibrancy of Ottawa. For example, on a beautiful summer day, we will produce seven consecutive dance performances in fountains around the city. So imagine a contemporary dance performance in Strathcona Park, children dancing in a wading pool or a professional ballet in one of the city’ s major fountains.
Outside the city core, there will be other points of interest and activities.“ Agri 150” will consist of about 25 rural performances where people can discover local produce and new venues. At these venues, visitors will see all kinds of stunts and artistic productions. For example, think about visiting a traditional farm and seeing an aerial ballet with dancers attached to the branches of an old oak tree, swirling around layers of silk. Or enjoy a five-course meal in the middle of a cornfield. Or go on a boat cruise where we take you back to the Prohibition years and be treated with“ quasilegal” products from back in the day. six star magazine 13