The artists Philippe Allard and Alexandre Burton have been collaborating since 2017. Each is inspired by natural phenomena. Both Allard and Burton live and work in Montréal. Allard’s pieces have been in solo and group exhibitions in Canada, Europe, and Asia. He has created ten works integrated with architecture. With Justin Duchesneau, he produced the work of public art Le Joyau royal et le Mile doré (2017). Burton, an artist and digital luthier, uses technology to connect sound, visual, and somatic phenomena to reveal a specifically digital sensibility. His installations and performances have been presented in international contexts and have received awards.
Artwork description
Formed of two components – an outdoor sculptural installation and a generative digital installation inside the plant – Passages exothermiques combines the practices of Philippe Allard and Alexandre Burton. They worked from several sources of inspiration: a decomposing leaf through which air and light pass, the heat fluctuations produced by composting, and the polygons generated by the growth of cells. The outdoor installation, standing in the paved walkway leading to the building on Boulevard Henri-Bourassa Ouest, illustrates what happens aboveground. Its triangular monoliths, evoking trees in a forest, come alive in the evening thanks to plays of shadow and light. The indoor component, installed in the hallway leading to the plant’s second-floor educational walkthrough, offers an atmospheric experience representing the exothermic activity – what happens underground – in the plant. The wall’s large reflecting surfaces immerse visitors in an infinite environment, with a multitude of moving light effects triggered in their presence.