MOVING DUNES IN THE SCULPTURE GARDEN OF THE MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

An installation by NÓS Architectes on Du Musée Avenue

It is not a mirage: What you are seeing is Moving Dunes, the Montreal Museum of Fine Art’s (MMFA) seventh annual transformation of Du Musée Avenue into a pedestrian street. This latest temporary installation is inspired by the MMFA’s exhibition From Africa to the Americas: Face-to-face Picasso, Past and Present. In place until October 29, 2018, it will transport visitors into an off-kilter abstract geometric landscape.

Moving Dunes
The presence of the dunes – motifs distorted by an illusion called anamorphosis – gives Du Musée Avenue an expressive dimension. “Through anamorphosis, we wanted to add virtual amplitude to Du Musée Avenue. This optical illusion creates a sense of imbalance and, in so doing, establishes a new relationship between the observer and his environment; a nod to the approach used by cubist painters inspired by non‑Western art,” explains Charles Laurence Proulx, architect at NÓS Architectes. All along the installation, the spheres reflect the Museum’s various pavilions and their respectively unique architecture and history. With this clever illusion, NÓS throws into the question the singular point of view of modern pictures, often frozen in time and generic. In this installation, real and virtual come face to face, intermingle and awaken the senses. Moving Dunes is meant as a mirage in the heart of Montreal.

This pedestrian zone bordering the MMFA’s Sculpture Garden – a hotspot for Montrealers and tourists alike – will be set up throughout the summer.

For more information visit: www.mbam.qc.ca