Victor Pilon O.C., C.Q., C.A.L.Q.
Victor Pilon belongs to the first generation of artists described as multidisciplinary creators. A director, set designer, visual designer and photographer, he works on stage productions as well as large-scale public events. In the early 1980s, after two years in Europe, Pilon received a Bachelor’s degree in visual arts with a specialization in photography. As the Canadian government’s official photographer, Pilon has covered more than 30 visits by the British Royal Family. He has also photographed various other heads of state during their official visits to Quebec and Canada. Pilon’s work as a visual artist has been exhibited in galleries across Canada. His pieces are housed in the Canada Council Art Bank and Library and Archives Canada collection. A book on his artwork was published in 1988.
In the early 1990s, after moving to Montreal, Victor Pilon met the artist who would become his greatest collaborator: Michel Lemieux. With their production company Lemieux Pilon 4D Art, they devise singular shows in which new technologies intensify the audience’s sensory and emotional experience. The duo masterfully integrates theatre, film, dance, poetry, visual arts, music and sound to create unique theatrical worlds. Their close collaboration has yielded Dreamscape, the installation presented at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to mark the company’s 30th anniversary, Icare, La Belle et la Bête, Shakespeare’s The Tempest and NORMAN, a tribute to Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren. Their partnership with the Montreal and Quebec opera companies resulted in the opera Starmania. TORUK, The First Flight was their fourth collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, after DELIRIUM, Midnight Sun – which jointly commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil and the 25th anniversary of the Montreal International Jazz Festival – as well as a number for the show Michael Jackson ONE. They created Continuum, a production based on Philip Glass’ music catalogue, the first multimedia show presented at the Rio Tinto Planetarium in Montreal. The duo also collaborates regularly on exhibitions and special events. With over 30 works to their credit, Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon have garnered acclaim in Canada, the United States, Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia.
Since 2016, Cité Mémoire, the longest narrative pathway of video projections in the world, created in collaboration with Michel Marc Bouchard, comes alive every evening on the walls of the buildings of Old Montréal. His most recent creation, Sisyphus, is the culmination of his artistic career, as he stages himself in a physical performance of contemporary art that is both introspective and contemplative. An art film created by the artist from footage of his 2021 Montreal performance is currently screened in film festivals.
Michel Lemieux O.C., C.Q., C.A.L.Q.
A multidisciplinary artist, Michel Lemieux never ceases to amaze with the originality and scope of his creative range. As a designer, director, set designer, stage director, composer and performer, Lemieux has always been at the forefront of the integration of the performing and digital arts.
In 1984, his multidisciplinary solo show SOLIDE SALADE made its mark on the national and international performing arts scene, and was performed on stage on four continents for many years.
In 1990, together with Victor Pilon, he founded Lemieux Pilon 4D Art, a company that creates unique works in which meaning and emotion are heightened by the use of new technologies. These include GRAND HÔTEL DES ÉTRANGERS, ORFÉO, ANIMA and NORMAN, as well as the theatrical productions LA TEMPÊTE, LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE and ICARE, which have toured internationally. Lemieux has also created digital works such as DREAMSCAPES, CHROMATIQUE, FOREST WITHIN and THE DISSOLUTION OF LADY MACBETH. The latter work, commissioned by the MMFA, has been seen by over 1.5 million visitors worldwide. Michel Lemieux's narrative works in virtual reality have been presented at various festivals, including the CANNES XR Festival, and have been grouped together in 4D ART SPACE, an open virtual space.
Lemieux also co-wrote with Pilon the arena touring shows DELIRIUM and TORUK for CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, and directed CONTINUUM, an immersive dome film for MONTREAL'S RIO TINTO ALCAN PLANETARIUM.
Since 2016, he has been directing CITÉ MÉMOIRE MONTRÉAL, the world's largest urban projections circuit stretching across Montréal, Pointe-aux-Trembles and Charlevoix. Recently, Lemieux created and produced INSITU AR, a large-scale augmented reality experience featuring 17 of Montréal's cultural institutions, and the INSITU WALL, an interactive public art projection.
