Avenue du Musée
STRUT THE CATWALK!
The avenue du Musée was crossed by a huge, colourful silhouette during the Thierry Mugler: Couturissime exhibition. Traced on the ground and visible from the sky, the intervention was inspired by three of Mugler’s key themes – texture, metamorphosis and femininity, extending the exhibition into the public domain through the use of the great couturier’s favourite medium.
7,000 brightly coloured sequins line the floor to provide a unique urban experience for pedestrians. Made up of photochromic films, they are fixed to the ground at a slight angle to capture a maximum of light rays. The experience varies according to the degree of sunshine and the angle of view: the surface shines brightly in the summer sun or proudly displays its colours on cloudy days.
Photography
Denis Farley,
Country
Canada
City
Montréal
Client
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Year
2019
The ascending topography of the Museum Avenue makes it possible to contemplate the shimmering surface as a whole from Sherbrooke Street, and thus better perceive the large silhouette that crosses it.
The glitter effectively diverts a gigantic gold-tinted “femme fatale”. Visible from the sky, she draws a curved pedestrian walkway, inviting the pedestrian to take possession of the space, by walking or contemplating from one of the low furniture integrated into the intervention.
Designed as a bas-relief, the design preserves the visual breakthroughs on the permanent works in the surrounding area and their rich architectural context. It has been the setting for many spontaneous events, aperitifs and happenings, which have taken advantage of the low furniture punctuating its curves and animating its surface.