Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/821088
DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2017 12 M ontréalers are marking all three occasions with their signature theatrical flair. (Québec, after all, is the province that gave the world both Cirque du Soleil and Céline Dion.) Some of the cele- brations will last just a few days. Others will roll out over weeks and months, or become permanent additions to the city's attractions. TALES OF A CITY A fascinating way to get a sense of Mon- tréal's past is by sampling Cité Mémoire. Hard to describe but easy to grasp once you experience it, this project includes more than 20 videos projected onto building façades throughout Old Montréal. Visitors use a free smartphone app to trigger the videos to play, then listen to the narration on headphones. Interestingly, the creator of Cité Mémoire—a non-profit group called Montréal en Histoires—has chosen some lesser-known tales of the city's history to engage locals and visitors alike. For instance, the obvious choice for a segment on Rocket Richard would have been the 1955 Richard Riot, sparked when the hockey legend was suspended for several months. However, Cité Mémoire shows how Richard set an NHL record one night in 1944 by scoring eight points in a single game . . . after spen- ding the entire day moving furniture. "Montréal en Histoires was created to tell the story of Montréal, but differently," says Jean Bérubé, the organization's director of development. "We tried to tell the story another way—to tell also the story that Mon- tréalers didn't know about their own city." NEVER A CITY TO HOLD ONE PARTY WHEN IT COULD HOLD THREE, MONTRÉAL IS CELEBRATING THE 50 TH ANNIVERSARY OF EXPO 67, CANADA'S 150 TH BIRTHDAY AND THE CITY'S 375 TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2017. MONTRÉAL Celebrates in Style BY LAURA BYRNE PAQUET TOP: Montréal is renowned for its festivals and those planned for 2017 promise to be more spectacular than ever. © Frédérique Ménard-Aubin OPPOSITE TOP: Cité Mémoire includes more than 20 videos projected onto building façades throughout Old Montréal. Jean-François Gratton—Shoot Studio OPPOSITE BELOW LEFT: Robotic giants are going to invade the streets of Montréal in 2017. Pascal Victor—Arcomart OPPOSITE BELOW RIGHT: The Revolution exhibition ( June 17–October 9) at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts shines a spotlight on the music, film and history of the late 1960s. © Philip Weech