Sunday, March 31, 2013

PAC Museum: Beatles in Montreal


Beatles in Montreal
POINTE-À-CALLIÈRE MUSEUM

March 29th, 2013 - March 30th, 2014

The Beatles in Montréal, an exhibition  of the legendary British group which revolutionized pop music around the world, is on a Montréal stopover. The group had a profound influence on musical trends that took root right in Montréal and throughout Québec. Designed as an exhibition-experience, The Beatles in Montréal uses this past musical event as a starting point for an examination of Montréal history and the emergence of “yéyé” music in 1960s Québec.

This exhibition displays a great amount of memorabilia items  from the Montreal's legendary show such as photographs and tickets to the show among others. It also features digitally cleaned Beatles' Montreal stage performance - their concert.



In one of the exhibition halls one can even become the fifth member of Beatles by singing karaoke style along with the legendary group. This participatory activity will no doubt prove to be very popular with the visitors to this exhibition, both the very young ones, as well as with those who actually took part at the Beatles' concert in September 1964.



One of the most memorable exhibits is John Lennon's Rolls-Royce that he owned between 1965-1977. On loan from the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, Canada, this car was manufactured in 1965 by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, in Crewe, Cheshire, UK. The Phantom V was fitted with a limousine body, finished in matte black, measured 19 feet long, and weighed three tons. John Lennon purchased it when he was just 24 years old. Over the years, Lennon had several modifications made to the Rolls: the rear seat was converted into a double bed, and a television, refrigerator, telephone, and sound system were added.


Growing tired of the Rolls’ all-too-classic paint job, John Lennon sought to update its appearance, looking to more daring—and even psychedelic—stylistic influence Shortly after The Beatles had made the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, Lennon and the J. P. Fallon design firm found their inspiration in a gypsy wagon, painted in a flowery style. Artist Steve Weaver was commissioned to complete the work based on the wagon’s design. The roof of the car was painted with Lennon’s zodiac sign, Libra. The newly painted Rolls-Royce was delivered to Lennon in May 1967. But the car’s radical transformation did not meet with unanimous approval. One day, in downtown London, an old woman attacked the car with her umbrella, yelling: “You swine, how dare you do this to a Rolls-Royce?” Proof that the English have a great deal of respect for this symbol of British dignity.

A short film from 1967 gives the exhibition visitors a glimpse of the Rolls, with its new paint job, driving along a country road, and shows the various transformations made to the car.

Visit the Pointe-à-Callière Museum's website for more information and opening hours.

http://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/home

Saturday, March 09, 2013

PAC Museum: New Mariner's House Pavilion


The Mariners' House
Inauguration

March 6, 2013

The Mariners’ House is the Pointe-à-Callière (PAC) Museum's first step toward creating the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex. This project is expected to be completed by 2017. The building, PAC Museum's fifth pavilion, is located at the junction of Place d'Youville and Place Royal. It was renovated and redesigned by Dan S. Hanganu and Provencher Roy + Associate architects, the same consortium that designed the Éperon building – the PAC Museum’s main building, as well as the archaeological crypt underneath the Place Royal square.



Two pictures above show two historical faces of the original building. Between 1875-1953 it was the Montreal Sailors’ Institute. Then it was rebuild and from 1954 to 2012 it housed homeless people and was called The Résidence du Vieux-Port (The Old Port Residence).

Presently, the architects have redesigned the building to make the new Mariner's House a contemporary, urban structure that blends seamlessly with the Museum’s Éperon building that was built in 1992. As you can see in the photo at the top of this post, the façade on Place d’Youville has a two-storey glass curtain wall that brings in a lot of natural light. This gives the building a sense of transparency and invites visitors to explore this new space.

During the renovations of the Mariners’ House, the project crew was surprised to find a time capsule buried when the building was erected in 1953-1954. The sealed box contained a number of symbolic items.  In the photo below to the left you can see its content. 


The new Time Capsule (on the right) was displayed at the new pavilion's inauguration ceremony. However, its contents were not shown or revealed. A signed list of dignitaries present at the inauguration ceremony was inserted inside the capsule.

A number of special elements can be discovered in the new pavilion. For instance, the back of foyer opens onto a monumental staircase. Its back wall  displays an original work of art by Montréal artist Nicolas Baier.



The building's many windows, especially those on levels 3 and 4, offer views of the Old Port, the St. Lawrence River, and Old Montréal.

The new pavilion serves many purposes. At the  basement level there is an educational area for children where they can participate in their own "archaeological digs", by searching for pieces of historical treasures in sand boxes.



The temporary exhibition spaces are located on two levels, the ground and the first floor. On the ground level, there is also a large projection-theatre room.

The first floor also houses the PAC Museum's souvenir boutique, as seen on two pictures just below.


The third floor is taken up by the museum's offices. And the top forth floor has a magnificent glassed in reception area, with a superb view of old Montreal.


To find out more about the current and upcoming exhibitions, visit the  PAC Museum's website

http://pacmusee.qc.ca/en