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The Image Mill wows viewers
Robert Lepage's 40-minute sound and light show is a tribute to Quebec City's history depicting the four major eras of the capital's history, with each segment having its own colours and rhythm
Famed artist and director Robert Lepage unveiled his magical outdoor projection Friday night, which pays tribute to the history of Quebec City in images, light and sound.
One of the most anticipated and spectacular events of the year-long celebrations of the city’s 400th birthday didn’t disappoint the thousands of spectators massed in Quebec City’s Old Port.
“It’s sublime,” said one couple. “It’s better than I could have ever imagined,” added another spectator.
Lepage, one of the city’s most famous sons, displayed his artistic genius on a 30-metre-high, 600-metre-long row of grain silos transformed into a massive screen.
Titled The Image Mill, the 40-minute show mixes archive images and new video footage to tell Quebec City’s story, from the time of its founder, Samuel de Champlain, to the present.
It covers four major eras: the age of rivers and exploration; the age of dirt roads and settlement; the age of railways and resource development; and the age of air travel and communications.
Each segment has its own colours and rhythm and it is synchronized with a soundtrack from Quebec composer René Lussier.
The result is far from a drab history lesson. Known for his creative use of new technologies, Lepage pushed his boundaries to come up with an extravagant visual feast.
With powerful photos, videos, engravings and paintings, he created an animated mosaic that is impressionistic and playful.
“I think we can say mission accomplished,” Lepage said Friday.
The show is a unique combination that he likened to a mix of fireworks, a movie and a rock show.
It highlights the agitated past of the city, from the pivotal battle of 1759 when the British troops fought the French on the Plains of Abraham, to the visit of the Queen in 1964, which triggered violent demonstrations.
“I wanted to show a different side of the city and how controversial was its past. It was put to fire and sword,” Lepage said.
The free show, billed as the world’s largest architectural projection, will be splashed nightly at 10 in Quebec’s old port until Aug. 24.
