During the whole summer on Mont-Royal Avenue, passersby who want to take a break will be able to enjoy shaded areas provided by L’Aire, an evocative aerial installation located in the heart of Plateau-Mont-Royal. More specifically, it has been installed 30 feet above Place Fleurs-de-Macadam on the corner of Mont-Royal and Boyer.

The name L’Aire was carefully chosen by its creators who wanted the title to reflect its multiple purposes: an area where passersby can gather to rest, play, and take in the work’s geometric playfulness. Installed diagonally high above Place Fleurs-de-Macadam, L’Aire features ten colourful triangle boxes bathing in the summer light and is meant to evoke a large kite defying gravity. The duality of its transparent/opaque nature results in shaded areas that shift throughout the day. It is a piece that invites onlookers to look up and gaze at the sky through a colourful prism. Its purpose is also to serve as a reminder to enjoy the now and embrace delightful, carefree moments.

This unique art installation was made possible by the Société de développement de l’avenue du Mont-Royal and was produced by Odace Événements and EN TEMPS ET LIEU, in collaboration with Impact Production. L’Aire, which is an experimental project designed to provoke discussion about public spaces, certainly presented a few challenges for its designers. “We had to do a lot of research before achieving the desired result: we studied the movements of the sun to maximize the benefits of the installation. We had to take into account the shaded areas produced that shifted throughout the day and over the season. We were also very focused on how we were going to integrate the installation into the surrounding area. We carefully chose the colours and shapes to emulate the environment of Place Fleurs-de-Macadam,” said Stéphanie Leduc from Odace Événements.

L’Aire, a poetic, summer installation, will continue to float high in the sky until October 2019.

Technical information

Project: L’Aire

Location Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal, Quebec

Size: 32 m x 3 m, suspension 9 m

Co-creators: Odace Événements and EN TEMPS ET LIEU

Structure and engineering: Impact Production

Production: Société de développement de l’avenue du Mont-Royal

Year: 2019

Photographer: Bernard Fougères

Presented by Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal, L’Aire has also received support from the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.