Celestia Embarks on a Five-City Tour Across Quebec

 

 

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Celestia Embarks on a Five-City Tour Across Quebec

Montreal, June 8, 2026 — After traveling through several UNESCO Creative Cities across Canada, the interactive installation Celestia, designed by Kleis Studio, is embarking on a tour of five Quebec municipalities this summer. Presented by Quartier des spectacles international, the artwork will visit Blainville, Repentigny, Saint-Hyacinthe, Joliette, and Val-d’Or.

This tour introduces an innovative model for circulating public-space installations, based on resource sharing and intermunicipal collaboration.

The initiative aims to make a major public art installation accessible to a wider audience across Quebec while showcasing local creativity and expertise in interactive installations. Supported by the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), the tour marks a first for this type of installation and highlights the potential for collaboration among municipalities in hosting public cultural projects.

A Collaborative Model Opening New Possibilities

Designed with territorial equity and universal access to art in mind, the Celestia tour is built on an innovative resource-sharing model among several Quebec municipalities, initiated by Quartier des spectacles international. This collective approach helps reduce the financial, technical, and logistical barriers often associated with presenting digital artworks in public spaces.

The model enables communities outside major urban centers to experience ambitious artistic projects, promoting greater circulation of artworks and more equitable cultural outreach throughout Quebec.

“The co-production of Celestia is based on collaboration among several cities. We are delighted to see this work continue its journey through a collaborative model, demonstrating how it can become a driver of cultural dissemination, showcasing Quebec creativity in all its richness while offering the public experiences that transform everyday life into moments of shared wonder.” Monique Simard, Chair of the Boards of Directors of the Quartier des spectacles Partnership and Quartier des spectacles international

The tour builds on the work carried out by the eight member cities of Quebec’s Public Space Planning and Animation Committee, financially supported by the Ministry of Culture and Communications as part of the 2023–2028 Strategy for the Growth of Digital Creativity in Culture. Initiated by the Quartier des spectacles Partnership, the committee aims to strengthen intermunicipal collaboration and foster expertise in cultural programming and public-space design.

The tour will be featured in the panel discussion “Celestia: A Case Study of Municipal Partners in a Quebec Public Art Tour,” presented on June 9, 2026, at the Arts and the City Forum, where project partners will discuss collaboration, logistics, cultural mediation, and community engagement throughout the tour.

 

An Artwork Born from UNESCO Creative Cities Collaboration

Celestia is the result of an artistic collaboration involving Carolanne Foucher, Quebec author and poet; Jérôme Guilleaume, sound designer; Yolande Okia Picard, Huron-Wendat storyteller and writer; and Kleis Studio.

Initiated by the cities of Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and London, Celestia brings together the creative disciplines associated with each member of Canada’s UNESCO Creative Cities Network: literature for Quebec City, design for Montreal, digital arts for Toronto, and music for London.

To help audiences explore the artwork and its creative process, a cultural and educational mediation kit accompanies the tour. Participating municipalities will be able to offer educational and awareness-building content tailored to different audiences.

Sandrine Thériault, creator at Kleis, describes the experience: “From a distance, the installation attracts spectators with its flashes, colors, and shapes. But the interaction goes far beyond this first impression. It is participatory urban furniture that genuinely engages the public.”

 

CELESTIA TOURING QUEBEC
Blainville — July 9 to August 10, 2026
Repentigny — August 14 to September 27, 2026
Saint-Hyacinthe — October 1 to November 1, 2026
Joliette — Dates to be confirmed
Val-d’Or — Dates to be confirmed

 

ABOUT CELESTIA

Celestia, created by Kleis, is an interactive artistic installation composed of seven colorful modules that come alive through sound and light as people approach and interact with them.

Inspired by the Seven Sisters of the Greek Pleiades myth, each module is associated with a specific color and personality trait revealed through poems and stories. Conceived as a space for gathering and contemplation, Celestia encourages social interaction and community engagement in public spaces.

The modules are divided into two levels of interaction: contemplative modules and participatory modules. Visitors are invited to interact with the movable modules and sit on the fixed ones. Celestia adapts its lighting and sound environment according to audience interaction, revealing poetic narratives through audio storytelling.

 

ABOUT KLEIS

Kleis is a Quebec-based creative studio specializing in the design of interactive experiences and immersive installations for public spaces. The studio develops sensitive and participatory works that foster connections between audiences, technology, and urban environments.

 

ABOUT THE PARTENARIAT DU QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES

The cultural heart of Montréal, the Quartier des spectacles features the highest concentration and diversity of cultural venues in North America. Nearly 80 performance and creation spaces, along with 50 annual festivals, keep this 1 km² district vibrant year-round. It is also renowned for its innovative urban installations and leadership in digital creativity and lighting design. The Quartier des spectacles positions Montréal as an international benchmark and a must-see cultural and tourist destination.

Founded in 2003, the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles is a non-profit organization made up of more than 85 active members on its territory. It oversees cultural programming, public space management, urban lighting, and the promotion of the Quartier as a premier cultural destination. The organization benefits from the support of the City of Montréal.

 

ABOUT QDSINTERNATIONAL

Quartier des spectacles international is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles. It creates, co-produces, and tours immersive, participatory public art installations around the world, in collaboration with artists, cultural institutions, and cities invested in urban innovation.

 

 

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Mélanie Mingotaud 
Communications Mingotwo 
melanie@mingo2.ca 
514 582-5272 

SOURCE

Marius Gellner
Marketing and distribution coordinator
Quartier des spectacles international
mgellner@qdsinternational.com