Exotopie

Project Description

Exotopie is an immersive and interactive installation inspired by exoplanetary biology, the work immersing the audience in an imaginary and luminous ecosystem where energy flows between species in the form of light. This sensory experience invited reflection on our own relationship with the environment by combining art, technology, and science fiction.

The installation began at UQAM’s Place Pasteur with a series of illuminated portals, guiding visitors through a scenographic journey structured in three evolving phases, each offering a distinct atmosphere and performances:

• Light: a contemplative phase focused on space-time, marked by an ambient performance and a dramatic build up of electricity in the air;

   

• Twilight: a livelier phase centered on the evolution and transformation of living beings, paced by dynamic performances;

   

• Eclipse: the final phase, festive and vibrant, featuring UV effects, live musical performances, DJs, and VJs in an immersive, dance-friendly environment.

   

Created using video projections, sound effects, and technological devices (LEDs, sensors, smoke machines, etc.), Exotopie crafted a sensitive environment in constant flux.

The title Exotopie — formed from exo (outside) and topie (place) — evokes a foreign territory, another culture. It proposes a reflection on our own cultural identity through the experience of otherness. The event thus offered a poetic and critical exploration of alternative worlds where science, imagination, and sensitivity meet.