PHI Centre
Space D
315 Saint-Paul St West
Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 2M3
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday: 11 AM to 7 PM
*Last departure at 6 PM
Friday and Saturday: 11 AM to 9 PM
*Last departure at 8 PM
Visit duraton: 1h
Between $10 and $30 Taxes not included. Free for ages 12 and under.
The value of the ticket is at your discretion.
**Please note that there is (1) work in virtual reality and that it is not recommended for an audience of 12 years old and under.
Interact with the creations of 10 local artists in residency
The itinerary Parallel Lines is the culmination of a singular creative process in which 10 artists engaged during 60 days of virtual residency in 2020, laying themselves bare in front of the public, inviting them to witness and sometimes even intervene in each of the stages leading to the end result. These works were the subject of a digital exhibition presented in the summer of 2020, that highlights each of the laureates and their artistic approach. This exhibition remains accessible on our platform.
The artists who participated in the virtual residency :
In the media
> Given the diversity of the explorations undertaken, one can bet that this experiment will not be a unicum; indeed, the formula is likely to be legion as it seems so rich in possibilities.
- Marie Claude Mirandette, Vie des Arts
> Parallel Lines is doubly innovative in that it offers a pertinent solution to the confinement and the putting on hold of culture while transforming the natural aim of the exhibitions.
- Dominique Sirois-Rouleau, Esse
> Virtual in vivo residences at the PHI Centre
From virtual to physical
You are now at the culmination of this residence. The digital exhibition is transposed to our physical spaces to give you a striking experience in an enchanting setting that will make you forget the time of a moment, the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Once you have passed through the doors of space D on the 4th floor of the PHI Center, let yourself be transported on a multi-sensory journey, mixing poetry, imagination and collective memory.
A fun and interactive experience
Do you feel the need to have fun, to experience something new and exciting? Come and discover this immersive experience where you will rediscover your child's soul, navigating between the different personal universes of each artist who will not fail to surprise you, make you smile and make you think. Get ready to be in the action. Be curious and attentive to the environment around you. Take ownership of the space, decode the messages behind each wall. Make this journey of astonishing works your playground from which you will emerge lighter and more invigorated.
A surprising scenography
Create your own itinerary in this incredible journey in which each volume is home to an original and unique staging, immersing you in an intimate and special atmosphere and arousing a mood, a feeling, a state of mind, distinct. Immerse yourself in the interpretations of the confinement perceptible in each of the works. Feel the emotions that resonate in each of the aisles. Explore the idea of being "alone together" through this experiential scenography that will evoke in you memories and feelings of déjà vu of this period that will mark us forever.
Duration of the route and departure times
Choose from the following departure times: 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm.
The duration of the tour is one (1) hour.
A safe environment for visitors and PHI staff
To ensure the safety and comfort of our community, we have carefully followed the health protocol developed by public health authorities. We suggest that you read our health and safety policy.
PHI in support of artists
Join PHI in supporting local artists
Can't make the trip to see the work of local artists at the PHI Centre, or perhaps you live in another province or country? Would you still like to show your support for the artist-in-residence programs initiated by PHI? Participate in the pursuit of creative impulses of local talent and the development of exceptional artistic projects. Make your contribution here.
The PHI artist-in-residence programs are talent incubators and propellers that provide the necessary support and guidance to local artists for the development of their careers and the promotion of their respective projects.
About Parallel Lines virtual residency
The first PHI virtual residency
Recognizing the impact of the pandemic on the local artistic community, PHI wanted to assist Montreal artists by putting its expertise and know-how to good use. From this desire was born the first PHI virtual residency, which came into being during the first containment, allowing artists to exercise their free will through creation as a means of research, expression and action.
For 60 days, the artists selected by a jury of PHI members reflected on the shared solitude that gave rise to personal works, emanating from the imagination, experience and individual interpretation of the unusual circumstances they encountered collectively. They documented their creative process on a daily basis. Discover behind the scenes of their creation here
Referring to the mantra “Ça va bien aller”, the piece originally took the form of an extension on the Chrome web browser. By inserting itself into our experience navigating the web, the graphic environment adds a touch of lightness in our everyday life.
Caligram allows us to manipulate written texts, forcing them to clash with each other within physical spaces to form new abstract configurations, echoing our experiences of confinement. The work is designed to be used in a variety of ways, giving us the opportunity to revive the spaces that surround us.
With DATA EYES, the artist rematerializes our experience of the web by documenting a series of origami on which screenshots have been projected. The Internet thus becomes a decidedly physical and modular space. The action becomes a form of resistance to our technological alienation.
During his sixty-day artist residency, Philippe Collard invited the public to observe his writing sessions online. These sessions revealed the author’s process of creating and revising his novel, Interludes. This interactive installation evokes the writing process, enabling us to revisit the novel.
The work depicts fragments of Sharifi’s daily life. Through them, a new kind of intimacy, tinged with melancholy, is formed - a reflection of the time spent at home. Solvents were applied to surfaces covered with Prussian blue paint; lifting the colour then allowed the image to be revealed.
Video Chat Portraits presents a series of drawings made during online portrait sessions. The project acquired a relational dimension during the residency. Willumsen’s drawings incorporate the glitches of video chat platforms, suggesting the fragmented nature of conversations that rely on them.
In the Artist Survival Station, a variety of microgreens were grown, harvested, and delivered to fellow artists during last spring’s confinement. At the PHI Centre, the work is now managed by a cooperative group of employees who maintain the living sculpture and regularly harvest the produce.
Drone Garden is an environment that proposes a new way to listen and to be together. The work presents an original composition, in which 25 simulated musicians are spaced out in a virtual environment. By moving around, you can explore the different textures created by the juxtaposing of the instruments.
The artist documented her sleep problems using a camera placed at the foot of her bed. Restless is a work resulting from this documentation. A part of the work is presented outside the PHI Centre at nightfall, blurring the boundary between the intimacy of sleep and the public nature of artistic activity.
The work invites us to explore three emotions that have been part of our daily lives since the start of the pandemic. Lexis recommends that you listen to the audio tracks on your walks: the pieces thus become an invitation to rediscover the spaces around us.
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