Unframed Collection is a partner of Numix Lab, a touring event in Europe that every year brings together professionals and experts in immersive creation to meet the cultural centres of the host countries. In 2024, Germany welcomed 250 people, with an intense week of exchanges and discoveries between Munich, Leipzig and Berlin! To mark the occasion, we met Myriam Achard, Head of New Media & PR Partnerships at the Centre PHI, a flagship venue for digital and immersive broadcasting in Montreal.
The PHI Centre’s programming ranges from digital art to sound experiences and, of course, immersive experiences (in virtual and mixed reality, etc.). Its scope of action now extends mainly across Canada and the United States, with several large-scale virtual reality exhibitions touring the two countries. Here’s a look back at a name that is often cited as an example, and which in a few years’ time will be opening a new venue covering several thousand square metres in Montreal.
A look back at the programme at the Centre PHI
Myriam Achard – The first project that came to fruition in 2007 was the opening of a foundation for contemporary art. We are presenting exhibitions of big names from the contemporary art world. These include Yoko Ono, Sophie Calle, Christian Marclay , Ryoji Ikeda, Jenny Olsen, Yayoi Kusama… For 17 years, this has been the central focus of the Montreal IHP, and all the Foundation’s activities are free: access to exhibitions, film screenings (which may be linked to an exhibition), and so on.
M. A. – In 2012, we opened the PHI centre in Old Montreal, which is our second institution and a place dedicated to presenting exhibitions and experiences that are at the intersection of art and technology. In general, we do 2 or 3 major exhibitions a year, ranging from virtual or augmented reality experiences to mixed reality, sound immersion and projection.
M. A. – We’re really exploring different types of medium, but for us the medium is there to support the storytelling. That’s really what’s at the heart of our concerns. At the same time, 5 years ago we opened a studio (studio PHI) which is our production unit. The first experience to come out of the studio was a co-production with Félix & Paul Studios, a pioneer in the field of VR and also based in Montreal, where we took the public on a virtual reality tour of the International Space Station: “The Infinite”. We’ve also launched residency cycles in music, contemporary art and immersive environments.
M. A. – And then, last but not least, in 2028 we’ll be opening a new venue called PHI Contemporain, which will allow us to bring together under one roof what we’re doing at the moment in two different institutions, and no longer have to say ‘this is contemporary art, this is tech’. We’ll be talking about it all in one place. In fact, for 17 years we’ve been following what artists want to say. We can really see that there are some great artists who are increasingly interested in VR, augmented reality or mixed reality. In this movement of hybridisation of practices, it is in this new venue that we will be able to welcome all formats, including what is dedicated, as I was saying, to the presentation of immersive, interactive, VR, AR, MR works, etc.
M. A. – For example, virtual reality (VR) has been present at PHI for over ten years now. There have been some emblematic exhibitions that have marked our interest in the medium, often ahead of its time. In particular, I’d like to talk about “The Enemy“, an experience that had a major impact not only on us, but also on our audience. It’s a work that still resonates today and one that I hope will resonate in a variety of places.
M. A. – Our programme has also included work by Adrien M. and Claire B (a duo of French artists who make a lot of projection-based works, but also VR and augmented reality works) and, more recently, “Noire” by Tania de Montaigne and Novaya. A work by a French studio telling a forgotten story in augmented reality. Finally, in 2024 we presented In “Pursuit of Repetitive Beats”, a virtual reality work by a British studio, East City Films. We work around exhibitions by Quebec and international artists, always with the idea of supporting new forms of storytelling.
Distribute immersive experiences: “Horizon of Khufu” in Montreal
M. A. – For the past year and a half, we’ve been renting a space located about ten minutes from the PHI centre in the port of Montreal. It’s right next to the science centre, on the banks of the river, and it’s an extremely busy place, visited by all the tourists passing through Montreal. We previously presented “L’Infini” there for over six months. Since February 2024, we’ve been running “Horizon of Khufu” by the French studio Excurio (ex-Emissive) there, and it’s been a phenomenal success. By November 2024, we had already sold over 200,000 tickets for this immersive VR expedition, which is quite phenomenal.
M. A. – This adventure with Excurio has prompted us to open a new distribution branch for the time being in North America, and we’ll see where that takes us later. But the idea is to devote new resources to the distribution of large-scale LBE works in Canada and the United States. We’re already in discussions with other studios about presenting other projects.
“The Infinite” a public success with over 500,000 admissions
M. A. – “The Infinite” had its world premiere in Montreal in 2021. At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic was still raging, we still managed to welcome 70,000 visitors in just four months. Given the context, that’s pretty good! And Montreal, which is not Paris, London or New York, is still a medium-sized city. Then we went on tour in the United States: Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, other cities… and then we came back to Montreal and added 100,000 spectators locally. We ended the year with over 500,000 visitors having seen L’Infini since its launch in 2021.
M. A. – The market means that we’re going back to places we’ve already visited, like Houston, while developing new opportunities in Asia with Shanghai and Singapore. We’re having a bit of trouble breaking into Europe, but I think that 2025 will be the year when we’ll be able to present The Infinite there if all goes well.
What does the future hold for consumer XR?
M. A. – I’m quite optimistic about the future of all these immersive formats. I can see that more and more places are interested in presenting the kind of works that are produced in our ecosystem. More and more museums in particular, and I’m delighted about that. Because museums have sometimes been resistant to these new objects, with a lot of technologies, especially those that have just arrived and sometimes failed to convince completely. But that happens. And then there are more and more established artists who are adopting technologies in their creative process. This speeds up the adoption of these technologies.
M. A. – And all these new places, whether in North America, Europe or Asia, if we could get together and create a network, that would also be a great step forward. I’ve been talking about and dreaming about this network for years! But above all I dream of an international network that could make our work easier, and make it easier for the studios, who sometimes don’t necessarily know who to contact or where to seize opportunities. I think we’ll get there.
The Numix Lab’s role for professionals
M. A. – As Chairman of the Board of XN Québec, I’m a bit biased on this issue. The Numix Lab is obviously an important, unifying event, which enables people from this community, from this industry, to get together for a few days, and also to discover territories where we’re perhaps less present. It’s not a festival, so there’s not necessarily an exhibition, but it’s a chance to spend time together and listen to panels.
M. A. – It’s an event that, in a short space of time, has really become a must-attend. It’s also important to open up to other countries, because it was all about the French-speaking world. The Netherlands last year (with Belgium), Germany…
