From August 30 to October 15 2017 as part of KM3
Location: Métro Saint-Laurent, Quartier des spectacles, Montréal
To prevent unwanted behaviours, we are constantly monitored and observed. But what if those algorithms measured our propensity for kindness? This is the question raised by Ensemble Ensemble. By letting themselves be scanned by the massive camera, spectators receive a personalized prediction of their future altruistic actions. If they wish, they can also influence the settings of the machine which measures the goodwill index of the Saint-Laurent Metro station’s public square in real time. An invitation to reject everyday suspicion.
In the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks, multimedia director Sylvain Dumais began to question the future of the world he would be leaving to his children. Will they be able to travel as freely as he can? Will they have a chance to be open to the world around them? In pondering the impact of the terrorist attacks on daily life, from divisive fear to the increasingly heightened surveillance of citizens by the authorities, Sylvain found the inspiration for what would become the Making the Invisible Visible winning project.
He recruited Jonathan Bélisle, Marianne Prairie, François Pallaud and Franck Desvernes. Together, they developed the concept of an interactive work based on surveillance technologies in public spaces by combining them with sound and light installations.
The multidisciplinary team views this techno-artistic approach as a poetic response to both the atmosphere of bereavement that has prevailed since the tragedy and the inevitable proliferation of surveillance initiatives it has generated. Rather than a mere consequence of a society in which privacy is losing ground, the team hopes to make their work a tool to promote empathy and openness to others in a world where an ever-growing sense of fear too often causes people to retreat within themselves.
This ambitious project aims to take back control of surveillance and personal data collection technologies to transform them into an interactive art installation that is as fun as it is informative.
Presented as part of KM3
From August 30 to October 15, 2017
KM3 opens a new perspective on the city through highly innovative forms of public art. Ranging from iconic places to the most unusual locations in the Quartier des Spectacles, this art walk consists of twenty immersive, participatory and contemplative works that renew our view of the urban fabric and the people with whom we share it.
km3artpublic.com