Impulse to light up downtown Fort St. John
February 1, 2023
Fort St. John will welcome Impulse, an interactive public art installation made up of illuminated seesaws where the public gets to be musicians and artists from Saturday, February 11, through Wednesday, February 22, at the corner of 100 Street and 100 Avenue.
This international exhibit provides a family-friendly light and sound experience to create an ever-changing composition powered by play. Opening night, co-hosted by the Fort St. John Arts Council, will feature music, hot chocolate, and more, from 6 until 8 pm on Saturday, February 11.
Part playground apparatus, part interactive installation, the multiple seesaws transform the space with the sound and light emitted when people play on them. To activate the seesaw, one person sits down on each end. The seesaws, fitted with LED lights and speakers, produce a series of beautiful sounds. The intensity of the light varies as the board’s angle changes. The closer you get to the work and the more you play on the seesaws, the more you notice subtleties in the installation and details in the sound and light. Impulse is an urban installation that renews itself for each different audience. Each person becomes, while on the seesaws, the player of a novel instrument.
"Art has a magical power to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. We cannot wait to see our community enjoying this temporary public art installation while reimagining the possibilities of our downtown,” stated Eryn Griffith, Arts and Culture Manager for the City of Fort St. John.
Impulse is a creation by Lateral Office and CS Design, in collaboration with EGP Group, with sound design by Mitchell Akiyama, mechanical design and fabrication by Generique Design, electronic design and fabrication by Robocut Studio, and produced by Quartier des Spectacles Partnership.
This temporary public art installation is funded by the Government of Canada.
Background
About Impulse
Impulse is an interactive sound and light experience. It comprises a group of oversized seesaws that glow and make sounds, varying in tone and intensity as you move them. This urban instrument lets you create a constantly refreshed ephemeral environment. Impulse explores the concepts of serialism, a technique based on the repetition of musical elements and their variations, creating zones of intensity and calm.
More information, videos and pictures: https://qdsinternational.com/en/installations/impulse/
About Quartier des Spectacles Partnership and Luminothérapie
The Quartier des Spectacles is Montreal’s cultural heart, boasting North America’s greatest concentration and variety of cultural venues. The district is the year-round host of countless festivals and events, including free outdoor shows and activities. The Quartier hosts innovative urban installations featuring cutting-edge lighting design, immersive environments and interactive digital spaces. Year-round, the Quartier presents artistic video projections on building façades. The Quartier des Spectacles is also a showcase for new multimedia technology, making Montreal a global leader in the urban exhibition of digital content.
The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, founded in 2003, is a non-profit organization with more than 80 members active in the district. It is responsible for animating the Quartier des Spectacles by programming cultural activities, managing and animating public spaces, providing distinctive illumination and promoting the Quartier as a must-visit cultural destination. The City of Montréal supports the Partnership.
Luminothérapie is Quebec’s largest competition for temporary public art installations. Each year, Luminothérapie presents an original, interactive and captivating winter experience in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles with a major installation in Place des Festivals. In 2020 and 2021, special editions took place in the Quartier, with a series of installations and a moment of sound and light for an extended experience. Luminothérapie seeks to spur creativity in the design of urban installations and digital art. Impulse was the winner of the 6th edition (2015 - 2016).
About the Commemorate Canada Reopening Fund Program
The City of Fort St. John received $94,966 from the Government of Canada’s Commemorate Canada Reopening Fund Program. This program aims to increase opportunities for Canadians to participate in various activities and celebrations that build a sense of pride and belonging.
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