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Flat Street In Montreal Is Visual Playground That Looks Like Undulating Sand Dunes
FLAT STREET IN MONTREAL IS VISUAL PLAYGROUND THAT LOOKS LIKE UNDULATING SAND DUNES
This transformative installation is the work of NÓS, a Montreal-based architectural practice founded in 2016 by Gil Hardy and Charles Lawrence Proulx. , Past and Present was developed in response to the artistic approach taken by Cubist artists to question the role of perspective in visual representation.
"We see the installation as a sort of extension of the outdoor/outdoor exhibition," Prue tells My Modern Met, "to allow the visitor to immerse themselves in an abstract and playful environment, a gigantic nod to Cubist techniques." The architecture firm achieved this goal through the use of an optical illusion process called anamorphosis, which requires the viewer to view the mural from a specific angle to fully appreciate its form. Looking at it from alternative angles will destroy the illusion.
Because of this, the full impact of the composition cannot be fully conveyed through photographs (although they are also quite remarkable). Instead, the viewer has to immerse himself in the moving landscape. It's a visual playground for kids and adults alike, offering a new way to appreciate the ordinary street in the city. "We wanted to create an experiential mirage, a kind of oasis in the middle of downtown Montreal," says Proulx. “The figure of the dunes also refers to a moving landscape that is constantly changing. And that allows us to take a fresh look at the historic buildings in the area and emphasise the depth of the relief.”
Ultimately, Pru and the NÓS team want visitors to "see an artwork that is not a fixed image, but an environment to be discovered as the body moves through space".