design montréal | esplanade clark
playful furniture collection competition 2019
backyard fantasy - narrative
The Montreal backyard is a place of magic; limited only by our imagination our backyards transform into the fantastical worlds of childhood invention, in the heat of the summer they tempt us to cool off running unabashed through the sprinkler, they host our friends and families in lively convivial debate in the flickering lantern light as evening extends into night, and on calmer instances they invite us to relax upon a picnic blanket spread on the lawn. They are a microcosm for the wonders of enriched and vibrant public spaces which through a sprinkle of backyard magic become places of play, discovery, friendship and delight: the spaces for life.
Esplanade Clark’s new fantasy furniture collection is a playful invitation into Montreal’s backyard. Let your inner child loose and tell your own story through our interactive, humorously familiar and yet imaginatively different furniture pieces.
Refresh! Come-in, come-in, right on through the mist fountain “gateway”. May all our inner children rejoice as we enter (running, meandering, jumping and instragramable leaping permitted) into Esplanade Clarke through a playground of mist. Emerging (lightly) refreshed, you will discover yourself in a fantastical, magical place where picnic blankets fly and lanterns casts magical rays of colourful light. A cooling fog canopy eases the summer heat with the activation of high pressure mist nozzles embedded in a wave of sculptural chromatic poles. Activate the fountain with manual sensors or wait for the next cloud to emerge; play and race your families and friends to enter the mist and find on the other end the floating blankets and the new carousel.
Explore! It is through us, our imaginations and our interaction with place, that backyard fantasies are imagined into life. It is here, it is us, as we move through, explore and discover, that animate the carousel of light. In the form of a playful lightbox you can enter and walk about within, visitors are drawn through a concentric array of modular, free standing arced panels, each displaying a unique ‘backyard fantasy scene’ reminiscent of childhood tales and the Montreal iconic urban and natural landscape.
Upon arrival at the center, you will discover the heart of the carousel, the source that ignites light, a multi-faceted reflective pillar and spinning wheel which can be spun to cast colour and shadow. Run and spin the wheel as the reflective pillar changes your image, distorted and warped is now your shape.
Remember! no childhood tale is complete without a small thrill, and here too, as dusk settles, join your friends and spin the pillar, spin it fast to trigger the panels to glow stronger than before, and look carefully in the reflection or behind you, as frame by frame images of the “Bonnehomme Sept Heure” are revealed here and there on disguised etched surfaces of the arced panels. And this is how the carrousel is reinvented, no more horse tales it is now an urban legend to keep you from misbehaving. So ask yourself, as you spin, run and play… can you catch him before he catches you?
Reminisce! Time now to relax, chat, laugh, stay awhile in Esplanade Clarke. Catch a ride and make yourself comfortable on one of our floating picnic blankets. These movable platform seating elements create the illusion of levitation, reminiscent of a cozy picnic blanket with gentle undulations as if floating on air. The modular form enables the individual pieces to be combined together to form an overlapping tapestry of blankets that can accommodate larger groups to come together.
The backyard fantastic furniture collection brings a sprinkling of magic to complement the outdoor furnishings of Esplanade Clark. All pieces are modular and sized for ease of transport and storage, as well as allowing them to be reconfigured to create different experiences. The pieces are designed to be animated by those interacting with them, requiring minimal set up and connections for power and water.
In collaboration with:
Rosie Blay, Mengfan Sha, Crystal Vong, Leonardo Garcia, Alison Lumby, Mike Ostrowski, Ruben Reyes-Aguilar