18 Shades of Gay

+ 2017 – Our American Dream

Montréal (Québec), Canada
2017 – 2019

18-SHADES-OF-GAY_PLAN_CLAUDE-CORMIER-ET-ASSOCIÉS — + Plan – CCxA

18ShadesVillage002HiRes-(7-of-57) — + Jean-Michael Seminaro

18-SHADES-OF-GAY_02 — + Concept, 18 Shades of Gay – CCxA

J-M_SEMINARO_PROMENADE-DE-COULEUR_MONTAGE — + Photomontage – Jean-Michael Seminaro

Village_2080_RaphaelThibodeau_HR_NEW — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1804_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1838_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1815_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1964_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_2038_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_2027_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

18-SHADES-OF-GAY_04 — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1833_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1976_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1805_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1854_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1846_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

BOULES-2017_OUR-AMERICAN-DREAM_@ouramdream-(9) — + 2017 – Our American Dream

BOULES-2017_INSTAGRAM-(4)—Copie — + Claude Benatar, Instagram (poisson_pisces)

18ShadesVillage001HiRes-(20-of-69) — + Jean-Michael Seminaro

Saules_9044_RThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Saules_8966_RThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1934_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1914_RaphaelThibodeau_HR — + Raphaël Thibodeau

18-nuances-de-gai-60 — + Raphaël Thibodeau

Village_1811_RaphaelThibodeau_HR-copie_NEW — + Raphaël Thibodeau

aireslibres-0944-p_NEW — + Albert Zablit

18-nuances-de-gai-26 — + Jean-Michael Seminaro

18ShadesVillage002-(34-of-57) — + Jean-Michael Seminaro

18NDG-0032-RaphaelThibodeau_HR_300dpi — + Raphaël Thibodeau

18NDG-0029-RaphaelThibodeau_HR_300dpi — + Raphaël Thibodeau

18-SHADES-OF-GAY_01 — + Raphaël Thibodeau

+ Video of 18 Shades of Gay, Drone aerial view by @azulrossetti

03_AERIENNE_BOULES-2017_11X17_PORTRAIT_200DPI_NEW — + Rendering, Aerial View – CCxA

18_nuances_de_gai — + Rendering, Axonometric View – CCxA

18-nuances-de-gai-01 — + Rendering, Aerial View – CCxA

ECHANTILLON-COULEUR_01_NEW — + Color Samples – CCxA

Behind the scene

Balls Workshop - CCxA

Description

1km long linear installation suspended above the pedestrian axis of Sainte-Catherine Street East in Montreal.

For the 2017 edition of Aires Libres, Pink Balls has been transformed to become a pastel promenade inspired by the rainbow flag of the LGBTQI community. A succession of six principal colours, each in three distinct hues, combine to form an experience of 18 shades across 180,000 recycled plastic balls. Two sizes of balls are attached on tensor wires and suspended above the street and through the trees. The rhythm and tangle of nuance combine to become an unbroken 1 km long chromatic ribbon, vibrant both day and night, above the summer pedestrian axis of Sainte-Catherine Street East, in the Gay Village of Montreal between St-Hubert Street (Metro Station Berri) and Cartier Street (Metro Station Papineau).

18 Shades of Gay celebrates the evolving spectrum of LGBTQI community identities – plural, diverse, inclusive and nuanced. In the context of the 35th anniversary of the Village, the 10th edition of Aires Libres, the 1st edition of Pride Canada in Montréal, and the 375th anniversary of the City of Montreal, this transformation had the imperative to be all the more flamboyant!

Specifications

Client: Société de développement commercial - SDC du Village
Area: 1 km (longueur)
Year: 2017 — 2019
Status: Built
Address
Categories: Streetscape — Installation
Collaboration: Éclairage Public - Gilles Arpin
Rig-Rite Productions
Les Productions du Grand Bambou
Les Services exp inc.

Awards

2020 National Urban Design awards – Royal Architectural Institute of Canada – Urban Fragments Category Award of Excellence
2018 AZ Awards (Azure) Architecture – Temporary/Demonstration Award of Merit and People’s choice

Also see

Pink Balls

Montréal (Québec), Canada
2011 — 2016