The House of Murmurations

The House of Murmurations is a multisensory installation where light, sound and movement highlight and illuminate the architectural features of the site, preserving the memories held within its walls while signaling its change and transformation (PHI, 2022).

In keeping with the desire to symbolize the migratory birdlife of Old Montreal’s waterfront that is intimately tied to the project site, the lighting concept — decidedly contemporary and contrasting with the heritage character of the buildings — revolves around flocks of birds glimpsed freely moving inside the structures, their luminous traces appearing through sunsets in rich, saturated hues. Through its interplay of light, this ballet serves as a poetic representation of the energy and life that these history-filled buildings have sheltered over the centuries, allowing passersby to witness these past activities while also, through windows turned toward the future, catching a glimpse of the new story about to be written.

In each of the 54 openings, alongside a light projection inspired by shadow puppetry originating from the roof of the annex of the Maison Pierre du Calvet, a skillful combination of light outlines and mapping — causing light to emanate along the traced paths of birds in flight — was used to highlight the richness of all four buildings as they stand in their final moments before giving life to the future PHI Contemporain.

The predominant use of LED lighting allowed us to consume minimal energy and complete the project at low cost, despite the scale of the light installation, the number of buildings involved, and the size of the site. Furthermore, the equipment used to realize this ephemeral installation will be repurposed for various upcoming projects.