Summer is over, but that doesn’t mean the city of Montreal is running out of ideas for how to make people enjoy a chilly autumn evening on the town.
Elixir, created by Moment Factory, is a multimedia fountain show on display in the quartier des spectacles that combines sight and sound to create an awakening of the senses. The hour-long show is put together with music and color and is separated into several parts. What you see depends completely on where you’re standing, changing as you shift your viewpoint. The meaning of each episode within the hour is open to interpretation. Sometimes the projectors make the alley-long assembly of fountains turn green, yellow and orange and, when set to music which resembles animal noises, the combination evokes a jungle theme. Later, the water turns blue and a little child’s voice speaks of the fish, the whales, and the ocean. One can’t help but notice that there may be some environmental message in Elixir, and not just colourful streaks of water bouncing up and down the pavement.
Overall, this multimedia show is like food for the senses. Every drop of water acts like a musical instrument. Even the Musée d’art contemporain, the neighbouring building, acts as wallpaper to the show, with all combinations of shapes and colors jumping over each other on the walls.
Moment Factory is described on its webiste as a “collective of personable, culturally literate digital media specialists.” Based in Montreal, the Factory has produced public media projects all over the world since 2001, including a 30-minute long projection onto the Parliament buildings.
The Elixir fountain can be compared to the Magic Fountain in Barcelona, a venerable display of lights, water and music, but our Montreal version is even more impressive, with its diagonal composition and the interesting play with perspective. Go out and see it before it gets too cold outside.
Elixir is presented three times a night, from Wednesday to Saturday, at 8, 9, and 10 p.m. until Oct. 9 in the quarter des spectacles.
