A Montreal artwork presented in San Francisco for a year

 

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release

 

Echoes – A Voice From Uncharted Waters settles in San Francisco for a year

Montreal and San Francisco, November 10, 2025 – After captivating audiences at the Festival Cultural de Mayo in Mexico, where Canada was the guest of honor, the immersive installation Echoes – A Voice From Uncharted Waters, created by artist Mathias Gmachl, comes to life at The Embarcadero in San Francisco. The work will be on display for an entire year, from November 6, 2025, to November 6, 2026, as part of the Big Art Loop project.

Echoes – A Voice From Uncharted Waters is a co-production between the Quartier des spectacles partnership in Montréal, the MuseumsQuartier Wien in Austria, and the LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura in Switzerland, where it premiered before traveling to New York, Boston, Tremblant, and now San Francisco.

On November 6, 2025, the Port of San Francisco and Big Art Loop held a festive event to mark the official launch of Big Art Loop – Portside. The celebration invited the public to discover ten new sculptures installed along San Francisco’s waterfront, including Mathias Gmachl’s artwork.

A universal symbol of the beauty and fragility of life

Echoes – A Voice From Uncharted Waters is a life-sized interactive sculpture of a one-year-old blue whale. Through its imposing yet poetic presence, this monumental work invites reflection on our relationship with the natural world.

By interacting respectfully within the living space of this marine mammal, visitors are immersed in a melodic and mysterious universe, where light and sound evoke the breath of the underwater world. Yet if they venture too close, a sonic reaction calls out to them, followed by a revealing silence — a sensitive reflection of our impact on the planet.

“With Echoes – A Voice From Uncharted Waters, I want to provide an open space – a platform – for the public to have conversations about the future of our planet. Not just about whales, but of all life that exists. The need to create room to learn, and dream, of a better future feels more pressing than ever. The installation is my small contribution towards a larger shift in the narratives and actions needed” . Mathias Gmachl, the creator of Echoes – A Voice From Uncharted Waters

A large-scale project: The Big Art Loop

The installation of Echoes in San Francisco is part of the Big Art Loop, an ambitious initiative by the Sijbrandij Foundation that positions public art as a catalyst for urban vitality. Launched in 2024, the project is built on a simple conviction: art attracts people and ideas — and transforms cities.

In San Francisco, the Big Art Loop aims to install up to 100 monumental sculptures over three years. These works, many of which would otherwise remain in storage, will be displayed along a 34-mile walking and cycling route, transforming the city into an open-air gallery of unprecedented scale.

 

ABOUT THE PARTENARIAT DU QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES

As the cultural heart of Montreal, the Quartier des spectacles offers the highest concentration and diversity of cultural venues in North America. Nearly 80 performance and creation spaces, along with 50 annual festivals, bring life to its one-square-kilometer territory year-round. The Quartier also features innovative urban installations and serves as a showcase for digital creativity and lighting design, positioning Montreal as an international reference and a must-visit cultural destination.

Founded in 2003, the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles is a non-profit organization that brings together over 85 active members within the district. It oversees the programming of cultural activities, management and animation of public spaces, lighting design, and promotion of the Quartier as a premier cultural destination. The Partenariat is supported by the City of Montreal.

More information: quartierdesspectacles.com

 

ABOUT QDSINTERNATIONAL

QDSinternational is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles.

Quartier des spectacles international produces and distributes spectacular artistic installations that shine across the globe. Drawing on the expertise developed in the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles, these works transform public spaces into immersive playgrounds. Combining light, sound, and interactivity, they capture the imagination and invite audiences to experience unforgettable participatory moments.

More information: qdsinternational.com

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Guillaume Aniorté
Executive Director
Quartier des spectacles international
ganiorte@qdsinternational.com
M: 514-512-9444

Marie Lamoureux
Senior Advisor, Strategic Communications, Partners and Media
Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
marie.lamoureux@quartierdesspectacles.com
M: 514-923-6772