With the artists Michel Lemieux, Victor Pilon and Michel Marc Bouchard in attendance, Montréal en Histoires, Ivanhoé Cambridge and the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel unveiled three new tableaux to be projected indoors, additions to Cité Mémoire, which is making its way downtown from Old Montreal. During the event, The Queen Elizabeth in augmented reality was also launched; it is now available in the mobile app Montréal en Histoires.

These are the first indoor tableaux for Cité Mémoire, the urban multimedia experience inaugurated in May 2016. “The same desire to tell the story of Montreal with a humanist, poetic approach inspired the creation of these new tableaux,” stated Michel Lemieux, who added, “The fact that they are projected indoors makes it possible for Montrealers and visitors alike to enjoy the experience day and night, whatever the weather: this is a new way to discover Cité Mémoire.”

Following an important transformation conducted by its owner Ivanhoé Cambridge, the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel reopened its doors last July. The Fairmont invites Montrealers, visitors and tourists to come and discover these new masterpieces that reflect the history of this institution and the city. These new tableaux and this augmented reality experience include the first stop on the Downtown circuit of Montréal en Histoires, which will be deployed in the heart of the metropolis in 2018.

The Cité Mémoire Agora

The Cité Mémoire Agora is a historical tableau continuously projected onto the panoramic walls of the Queen Elizabeth’s agora. It is a poetic evocation of the great periods in Montréal’s history and some symbolic places and compelling people who used to live there. The multimedia agora is part of the Cité Mémoire project.

The Bed-In (Agora)

The bed-in is a historical tableau that emphasizes the war protest movement of the late 60s by illustrating John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s stay at the Queen Elizabeth hotel in 1969. The tableau unfolds through immersive projections in the agora.

“We are proud to pay tribute to the Bed-in for Peace and to Give Peace a Chance, the universal anthem of peace and hope composed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel in 1969, a song that continues to resonate today, and for always,” emphasized Michel Marc Bouchard.

The interactive river (underground passageway leading to Place Ville Marie)

The interactive underground river connecting Place Ville Marie to the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel symbolizes the time elapsed throughout Montréal’s history. It reacts to people walking by, who can interact with its components and generate sea foam, break its ice and move clouds.

The Queen Elizabeth in augmented reality (in the Montréal en Histoires app)

This augmented reality experience makes it possible to relive the spectacular construction of the hotel in accelerated time. Dynamic narration reveals several historical facts, regarding in particular the technological advances at the time and the hospitality protocols required by Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Montreal, in addition to an overview of the major encounters and events that have taken place in this landmark establishment.

Cité Mémoire in Numbers

1. 3 new tableaux — the first to be projected indoors


2. 77 projectors installed in the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel in order to create the Cité Mémoire experience, including 55 in the Agora


3. More than 150,000 downloads of the Montréal en Histoires app so far


4. 26 Cité Mémoire tableaux deployed in image, word and music on the walls, in the alleys, on the ground and in the trees – and now at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel


5. A total of 156 projectors bring to life the walls of Old Montreal and the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel

“These installations perfectly illustrate our vision of enhancing the urban hotel experience, in collaborations with local artists, while contributing to Québec’s cultural heritage,” said Sylvain Fortier, President, Residential, Hotels and Real Estate Investment Funds at Ivanhoé Cambridge.

“I would like to thank Ivanhoé Cambridge and the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel for their unwavering confidence in us throughout this incredible project. Montréal en Histoires was able to take its expertise and innovations even further in the realization of this permanent large-scale indoor installation. A resounding bravo to our artists, who, yet again, have created three poetic, deeply moving tableaux. Cité Mémoire at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel is a springboard for the development of our projects in downtown Montreal.”, stated Martin Laviolette, Director General and Executive Producer of Montréal en Histoires.

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Photo credits : Jean-François Lemire / ShootStudio.ca