McLaren's luminous legacy, a Montréal artist by adoption

Norman McLaren’s colourful work lives again on seven façades of Montréal buildings. The metropolis was fertile ground for his creation as an artist in residence attheNational Film Board of Canada. With good weather finally back, a stroll is in order to take

in the spectacleand feel likea child again. McLaren Murà mur, presented by the NFB and the Quartier^des spectacles, transforms downtown into a digital laboratory celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of a master of animated film. Film journalist Odile Tremblay describes him as the world’s most famous animation filmmaker, the first artist widely recognized for taking animation beyond childhood. Painter, musician and choreographer, he created in many forms and used the NFB

as a

cradle of experimentation, influencing artists around the world.

McLaren Mur à mur launched a call for video-projection projects paying tribute to the artist’s work. Nearly 100 projects from 17 countries were submitted, with one

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rule: each work had to include a visual quotation from McLaren. Marc Bertrand, chair of the jury, explains that the objective was to celebrate McLaren’s work

and show the global influence he still has.

Color.Rythmetic by Spain’s Christo Guelov, Co Existence by France’s Léna Badabjian, The Baby Birds of Norman McLaren by Japan’s Mirai Mizue and Dix anagrammes autour de Norman McLaren by France’s Delphine Burrus were selected for public presentation. The winning works fit perfectly with the architecture of the sites and create a new fantastic universe for passersby.

Robert Verrall, winner of a Palme d’Or and an Oscar nominee, met McLaren when he was 17 and worked alongside his mentor throughout his life. He sees the project as truly in McLaren’s spirit, full of madness and imagination, and as

a sign that the possibilities

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are endless.

Printemps numérique spokespeople Melissa Mongiat and Mouna Andraos of Daily tous les jours created McLarena near Saint-Laurentmetro, inspired by the film Canon. They imagined a friendly space where visitors build the content of the film together by reproducing a dance. Two other interactive works, Phonophotopia by Kid Koala and Hololabs, and Diagonales by Théodore Ushev and Iregular, also engage passersby along the playful route. The works are accessible seven days a^week until