This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
The weather was uncertain: watch for thunderstorms and showers throughout the region for the entire duration of the stay during which we were to attend the launch of Charlevoix memory city and the first flight of the Mechanical Bird. But the gloom will not have succeeded in making us regret the road which transports us, between river and mountains, towards Charlevoix. Nocturnal discovery in two stages.
The story, the night
After Montreal, it is now in Charlevoix to see its history come to life in the form of grandiose projections. In La Malbaie, the night portion of Charlevoix memory city comes in five outdoor tableaux through which one falls or falls in love with the region, its people and its history. Among the places chosen, we find the colossal cliff overlooking the Café de la Gare, the Charlevoix museum and the facade of the Charlevoix casino.
Just like in Montreal, Charlevoix memory city is a creation of Michel Lemieux in collaboration with Michel Marc Bouchard. Charlevoisian Marie-Christine Dufour, known for her many cultural and communication projects across the country, took on the role of content producer, as she had done at Montreal Memory City.
Met a few hours before the first screening, she describes all the pleasure she had in working on such a large-scale project in a region that is so dear to her: “I finally have the impression that I can give back something thing in Charlevoix […] There is a pride for the people here. It is their story. »
Among the guests, on the evening of the media launch, walking alongside us are actress Guylaine Tremblay and actor Vincent Leclerc, who both participated in the project. “I am extremely proud to have taken part in it”, confides the one who embodies Ti-Louis the blind, itinerant storyteller invited to the notables of the region at the turn of the 20th century to entertain with his stories, his songs and his poems. “We are carried from one place to another by the different paintings. They managed to amalgamate the technique, the story, the text and the place. We are not only entertained, it also allows us to discover the place, to drop us off, ”continues the actor.
With its smart phone application, Charlevoix memory city also offers six historical circuits that bring together up to 70 points of interest, presented in the form of podcasts, images or augmented and geolocated reality on a huge playground that spans the entire region.
The light projections of Charlevoix memory citybetween Pointe-au-Pic and the Charlevoix Hotel-Casino complex, take place every evening, from dusk until 11 p.m.
The mountain, the night
Billed as the world’s first nocturnal carousel on a mountainside, the Flight of the Mechanical Bird pulls the giantess of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François out of her bed. On the belly of the mountain of the Massif, light shows, projections, music and sound effects follow one another throughout a six-kilometre scripted course under the stars.
In this immersive multimedia experience that visitors live at their own pace, they stroll through the mountains, lantern in hand, up to a quadruple chairlift which then lifts them above the slopes of the Massif, between sky and earth.
In two acts, the ascent and the descent plunge us into two totally different atmospheres. The party, the dance and the colors towards the top; the void, the unknown, the mystery towards the river. The Forest Ballet, the Waterfall, the Valley of Mirrors, the Heart of the Mountain and more, each painting evokes an emotion on which we linger for a moment, following the movement of the chairlift.
“Spectators are discovering a whole new form of entertainment, totally unprecedented. An occasion where time stands still, between sky and sea,” says Daniel Gélinas, executive producer. By improving the activity offer for the whole family, in the evening moreover, Daniel Gauthier, owner of the Massif de Charlevoix, believes that the entire Charlevoix region will benefit from the added value of the Vol de l’Oiseau mechanical.
“It’s the disco! I could spend the night here dancing to the music! enthuses Jacob, 9, from the top of the chairlift. “It’s as if you could touch the light. What I find incredible is that it rises very high in the sky”, adds his sister Léa, visibly impressed at the end of the course.
The Flight of the Mechanical Bird, produced by Atelier Occhio, the Massif de Charlevoix and executive producer Daniel Gélinas (Festival d’été de Québec, 400e de Québec), will be presented until September 4.
Some other stops in the area
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.