To see more, visit my deco art project, NEON AURA.
Whether working as part of a team or individually, or collaborating with other collectives, I’ve created and helped to install unique deco environments for various music events and festivals (Relaxation Lounge, Lucioles, Resonessence, Free Life, Ralliance, Timeless, Funambule, Natura, R.E.V.E. Samsara). Inspired by themes of circularity, modularity, nature and ancient customs that bring the community together — these colourful, ephemeral spaces are developed with the aim to inspire and honour our inherent interconnectedness.
RELAXATION LOUNGE
(various editions)
The Montreal-based Relaxation Lounge is a nomadic space that not only hosts a chillout music zone at various festivals, but also offers a space to host different workshops for well-being, such as yoga classes. The temporary structure that hosts these offerings was previously decorated with only plain, white-coloured fabric panels. The idea was to infuse this calming space with cosmic colours and inspiring images that would be activated by blacklights. To achieve this, a modular, space-wrapping, mandala-like illustration was created to ’embrace’ visitors to the Lounge. Its modularity, however, means that the panels can be used in various configurations to fit the space, as it was done in indoor events at a recent pop-up of the Relaxation Lounge in Montreal’s Skyloft.
LUCIOLES FESTIVAL
The organizers of this festival asked for something simple and impactful, all to be done under a tight budget and time constraints. In addition to creating the artwork for event’s promotional materials, the scheme features a customized canopy and tapestries, with a modified version of the main illustration, which was hung behind the performers on the main stage.
RESONESSENCE FESTIVAL
The creative brief for this chillout electronic music event called for the installation of a magical setting for the main stage. Using a variety of decorative elements that ranged from UV-reactive string art framed with hoops, to UV-reactive triangles of spray-stencilled fabric, a giant round crochet piece framed with a hoop at the rear, plant garlands, hung accents of beautiful fabric, and colour-changing lights, our team was able to create successive, overlapping “layers” of visual interest and soft illumination around the performing artists.
Centre painting by Montreal artist Élaine Gilbert. Done in collaboration with Nadia Arkison, Relaxation Lounge, Aurakle, and with materials borrowed from Montreal deco company Magic Carpet.
FREE LIFE FESTIVAL
The organizers of this electronic music festival needed a calming, contemplative space for their chillout stage. Working with a team of four people, we were able to once again use modular fabric elements to set up a cool, shaded area that was not only covered with fabric on top, but also reclaimed carpet tiles on the ground, and a comfortable seating area with two recycled sofas. Thoughtful details like the fabric-clad altar at the front, and the little stone sculptures at the perimeter, all work to evoke a hallowed yet intimate atmosphere to relax and listen to music.
The supporting wooden posts at the centre the space were covered and softened with braided fabric — an idea stemming from the traditional May Pole dance that welcomes the spring — and which took no less than eight volunteers to realize. A true communal creation!
“This is the best chillout space I’ve seen since the 1990s back in Europe” (comment from a visitor)
Done in collaboration with Nadia Arkison, Justine Gaultier-Lefebvre, Anne-Marie Viau, and Montreal deco company Magic Carpet.
AMPLI-FI FUNDRAISER
This fundraising event called for the transformation of the vaulted space of a former neighbourhood church into an otherworldly environment, all done with the use of massive video projection, as well as various giant fabric-covered and crocheted hoop installations.
Done in collaboration with Relaxation Lounge and Aurakle. Video projection art by DMTeam.
