Moving Dunes by NÓS Architects

Moving Dunes is inspired by the early arts. It is an extension of the temporary exhibit From Africa to the Americas: Face-to-face Picasso, Past and Present, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)

© Eloa Defly

Architect: NÓS Architects
Client: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Location: Montréal, Canada
Year: 2018
Designers: Charles Laurence Proulx, Gil Hardy, Negar Adibpour, Jean-Benoit Trudelle
Project manager: Charles Laurence Proulx
Collaborators: MU

© Alex Lesage

Project's description: The plastic approach of cubist painters questions the role of perspective in visual representation. Anamorphosis, which is the distortion of the subject reconfiguring itself according to the position of the body in space, is one of the methods used. Through this process, Moving Dunes introduces the public to the essence of this approach in a playful way.

© Raphaël Thibodeau

By manipulating the street surface, large ripples are generated, recalling the features of a body or a face. Reflective spheres and geometric shapes amplify patterns and multiply points of view. As the observer moves, the street transforms, shapes are reversed, the ground comes alive and destabilizes. Moving Dunes is an experiential mirage in the heart of Downtown Montreal. Along the way, the passer-by discovers the presence of spheres reflecting the different buildings of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, all unique in their architecture and history. Moving Dunes brings together the real and the virtual worlds and awakens the senses.

© Eloa Defly

The MMFA animated the pedestrian area of ​​avenue Du Musée, which has become a must-see for citizens and tourists alike. The goal was to pedestrianize the street and to create a temporary signature layout. Among the challenges encountered were the development of a concept in relation to the theme of the exhibition, the activation of a pedestrian public space while allowing the passage of emergency vehicles, and the creation of an experience with high media impact on a limited budget.

© Raphaël Thibodeau

© Olivier Bousquet

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