PHI Centre
Galerie 2 & 3
407 Saint-Pierre St
Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 2M3
Monday & Tuesday:
Closed
Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday:
11 AM to 6 PM
Friday & Saturday:
11 AM to 7 PM
Duration: 74-minute film
Last entry: 1 hour before close
All ages
Online: $22
On site: $25
Children (12 and under**): $12
Children (5 and under**): Free
*Taxes not included
**Please take notice that the installation includes high sound levels. Thank you for your understanding.
Before visiting, please review some essential information about the visit, including details on accessibility at the Centre.
To plan a school, community or corporate visit, go to our Group Visits page.
In the Heart of Amazonian Deforestation
Discover the new immersive work by award-winning artist Richard Mosse, which takes you to the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Broken Spectre immerses audiences in a gripping cinematic spectacle that documents the intensive deforestation of the world's largest rainforest.
With this installation, Richard Mosse seeks to create a visual language in order to highlight the invisible systems that are victims of the ecological catastrophe affecting the Amazon basin, on microscopic, interpersonal and colossal scales.
The exhibition includes an immersive video installation in the form of a high-definition projection on a 14-metre-high screen, accompanied by a quadraphonic sound system with 20 loudspeakers, lasting 74 minutes. It will be complemented by a selection of the artist's photographs from the project.
Just in the last fifty years, within living memory, mass deforestation, carried out willfully by millions of people, has wiped out more than one-fifth of the original Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world. In 1975, only 1% of the original forest had been lost to human resource extraction. Today, we have lost almost 20%, leading to species extinction, affecting the world’s weather patterns and contributing to global warming.
With Broken Spectre, Richard Mosse offers a work halfway between art and documentary practice. The immersive video installation plunges you into the heart of this environmental tragedy, bringing to light all that is invisible in the increasing devastation of the Amazon. Through this powerful cinematographic work, you'll be transported into a universe that seems straight out of a dream, providing the audience an unprecedented connection with the largest tropical forest in the world. The Amazon, the last bastion of biodiversity, is unfortunately being ravaged at an alarming rate to meet the demands of global markets.
Explore these vast spaces, revealed through Mosse's unique lens: through three distinct types of cinematic sequences, this exhibition offers a multidimensional perspective on the devastation caused at different scales and points of view.
To illustrate the extent of the destruction, Mosse used a multispectral video camera on board a helicopter, thus competing with the view from detection satellites. On a more human scale, the artist used 35mm black-and-white infrared film, recalling the historically charged aesthetic of westerns. Finally, microscopic images, illuminated by ultraviolet light, reveal life invisible to the naked eye, shedding light on the biodiversity and interdependent violence within just a few square inches of the forest. Dive into this immersive installation and discover the various facets of this environmental issue.
Broken Spectre is co-commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, VIA Art Fund, the Westridge Foundation, and by the Serpentine Galleries. Additional support provided by Collection SVPL and Jack Shainman Gallery.
What can I expect from the experience?
Broken Spectre is an exhibition that uses photography and video installation to plunge viewers into an invisible ecological catastrophe, revealing exponential environmental devastation in the Amazon basin. The principal piece - the immersive video installation, takes the form of a high-definition projection on a 14-metre-high screen, accompanied by a quadrophonic sound system with 20 loudspeakers.
How long does the experience last?
The film lasts approximately 74 minutes, however, we invite you to take the time you need to experience the exhibition.
In what language is the experience presented?
The majority of the video is without dialogue. Some dialogue will be in indigenous language, and these are subtitled in French and English simultaneously.
In what format is the exhibiton presented?
The exhibition includes an immersive video installation and a series of photographs by the artist.
Is there mediation available for this experience?
The PHI Centre offers meditation for all its exhibitions and experiences. We encourage you to engage with our staff!
Is the exhibition accessible to those with reduced mobility?
Yes, the experience is accessible to individuals with reduced mobility. Please contact us before purchasing your ticket(s) so that we can accommodate you: call (514) 225-0525 or email [email protected]
Companions are entitled to free admission.
Is the exhibition accessible to children?
Yes, the exhibition is accessible to children.
Please take notice that the installation includes high sound levels. Thank you for your understanding. We thus recommend the exhibition to persons 8 years of age and over.
Where can I get tickets?
You can purchase tickets on our box office website as well as on site at our reception desk.
Is it possible to purchase tickets on site?
Yes, it is possible to purchase tickets on site from our box office. However, we suggest that you purchase your tickets in advance as places are limited.
What are accepted forms of payment?
We accept debit and credit cards, except AMEX. Cash payments are not accepted.
Do I have to print my ticket(s)?
It is not necessary, however, we accept both printed and electronic tickets.
Can I refund or reschedule my ticket(s)?
We do not offer any refund or rescheduling services. If you have any further questions, please contact: [email protected]
What happens if I can't find my tickets?
You can contact us by phone at (514) 225-0525 during our opening hours or via our email address [email protected], mentioning your full name, the email address associated with your purchase, and the exhibition in question.
Is it possible to transfer my ticket to another person?
Unfortunately, the PHI Centre ticketing system does not offer the ability to transfer tickets. You can share your ticket with a friend or family member, but you will remain the ticket holder and purchaser.
If a time slot is full, is there another way to get tickets?
Unfortunately, once a time slot is full, it is not possible to obtain additional tickets. We recommend to check back regularly as tickets might occasionally become available.
If I have a problem with my online order, who can I contact?
You can contact us by phone at (514) 225-0525 during our opening hours or via our email address [email protected].
Please provide us with your full name, your purchase order number, the name of the exhibition concerned and a description of the issue.
What are the different rates available?
Please refer to our box office website to access pricing. Please note that our prices are subject to changes with presale and promotional offers or special rates.
What happens if I am late for my time slot?
If you happen to miss your time slot, please ask a staff member upon arrival and our team will try to accommodate you to the best of our abilities. If the day's time slots are full, then you may lose your access. It is very important to arrive on time.
I would like to book a group visit; how does it work?
For school visits, please write to [email protected].
For corporate tours or group tours of 10 persons or more, please call the box office at (514) 225-0525 or email us at [email protected].
Do all members of my group have to be present to do the experience together?
Yes, if you would like to do the experience together. If you are planning a tour and think your group may arrive at different times, we suggest you order your tickets separately
Is there on-site parking at the PHI Centre?
The PHI Centre does not have a parking lot. There are City of Montréal parking spaces available in the vicinity of our building.
Are there restrooms available on the premises?
Yes, we have restrooms at your disposal.
Is there a coat check on site?
We have a self-service coat check area. However, we suggest that you do not bring any bags with you.
Richard Mosse (born Ireland, 1980) lives in New York. He earned an MFA in Photography from Yale School of Art in 2008. His work has been the subject of recent solo exhibitions at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, Barbican Art Gallery in London, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Recent survey exhibitions were held at Kunsthalle Bremen (2022) and MAST Foundation, Bologna (2021). Recent group exhibitions include Kunstmuseum Basel; ICA Boston; Akademie der Künste, Berlin; Hamburger Kunsthalle; Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt; and Louisiana Museum, Humlebæk.
Broken Spectre was awarded the S+T+ARTS Grand Prize of the European Commission at Ars Electronica in 2023. Mosse was also awarded the Prix Pictet (2017), the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize (2014), the Yale Poynter Fellowship in Journalism (2014), the B3 Biennale Award (2013), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2011), and a Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Performing & Visual Arts. In 2013, he represented Ireland at the 55th Venice Biennale with The Enclave, an immersive six-channel video installation that utilized 16mm infrared film. Mosse will begin a one-year residency at the American Academy in Rome in September 2024.
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