For our Advanced Seminar in Art & Animation, we took a walk back to the S.A.T. (Montreal Society for Arts & Technology) building; an area we’ve gone to at least three or four times now for various interesting events and meetups. What some of us didn’t know was that the building had a third floor which housed a large, dome-like room. This is where they were holding an event called “Re-Generation,” which took a look at the constant cycle of humans, life, and the universe.
Even before we were informed that we were going to this event for a class, I wanted to attend. I didn’t have much of an idea as to what exactly we would be seeing. But now, after coming back from this display, I can tell you that there’s a very good chance that you’ll want to go if the opportunity crops up again. As we walked into this room, there were bean bags covering the floor for people to lay on, and the entire space was coated by a gentle, blue light. The entire perimeter of the room besides the floor itself had projections covering it. The projections were of a soft, slow, glowing blue and white pattern. It looked almost like shifting diamonds.
After we’d gotten comfortable, the display began. The first thing we saw projected on the dome was a pattern of connecting triangles. There were sounds of someone breathing, and as they breathed in, the triangles shattered apart from the center outward. And as the person exhaled, the reverse happened as all the triangles formed back into their original organized position. As the show went on, a woman began to speak, as abstract images filled the dome. The projection on the walls and the sounds were of fabulous quality. What we saw was as close to 3D one could get without wearing 3D glasses. Throughout the exhibit we saw everything from a short history of humanity’s evolution, to the depths of space, to flowing raindrops swirling around in a black space, washing over the spectators below like being in a suspended ocean.
The display couldn’t have lasted more than 45 minutes to an hour at absolute maximum, so it did not take up too much of anyone’s time, but it was long enough to be absolutely worth the trip. The S.A.T. building rarely disappoints, so if you get a chance to see something even similar to this, I can guarantee it will you will be entertained and mesmerized.
