William Simard and Anthony Gagnon Boisvert
Trois-Rivières, Canada
William Simard and Anthony Gagnon Boisvert
Comprising a labyrinth of musical, luminous and colourful prisms, Prismaphonik offers stirring interpretations of selections from the classical music repertoire. The work is a symphony orchestra in which each prism represents a musician who plays the sound of a distinct instrument. Coloured lights flash all around to illustrate the musician’s motions during their performance. Each prism is also equipped with sensors that detect nearby stimuli, causing the intensity of the sounds and colours to vary depending on the number of people around the prism.
Immerse yourself in the magic by wandering among the prisms, venturing into the heart of the orchestra and becoming the music.
Composition: 12 luminous prisms
Footprint: About 3,100 sq. ft. (62 ft x 50 ft)/285 m2 (19 m x 15 m)
Electrical specifications: 4 independent 15 A-120 V-60 Hz circuits
Sound environment: two sets of symphonic repertoire selections: classical and Christmas music (orchestral)
Several configurations are possible depending on the site and desired experience
Design
William Simard and Anthony Gagnon Boisvert
Software and lighting design
William Simard
Musical arrangements
Anthony Gagnon Boisvert
Production
Gestion Willart
Executive producer
Gestion Willart
Distribution
QDSinternational
« We wanted to create a giant orchestra in which visitors could “see” the music and would feel as though they were part of it.
A composer writes a musical piece like a story, nuanced by the interplay of tensions and resolutions created by their selection of notes and the order in which they’re played.
Based on that principle, the idea was to create an algorithm to measure those relationships and discover their harmonic ratios. Then, we transpose the results to the colour wheel to create a link with a colour that would make sense.
[…] for the work to be truly complete, it was essential that the coloured light effects and music have a symbiotic relationship. »
Prismaphonik de William Simard et Anthony Gagnon-Boisvert, 2023 © Fred
Prismaphonik de William Simard et Anthony Gagnon-Boisvert, Luminothérapie 13e édition, Montréal, Canada, 2023 © JF Savaria
Prismaphonik de William Simard et Anthony Gagnon-Boisvert, 2022 © Gestion Willart
Prismaphonik de William Simard et Anthony Gagnon-Boisvert, Montréal, Canada, 2023 © HUB Montréal
Prismaphonik de William Simard et Anthony Gagnon-Boisvert, 2023 © Fred
Prismaphonik de William Simard et Anthony Gagnon-Boisvert, Luminothérapie 13e édition, Montréal, Canada, 2023 © JF Savaria