Utopie is a work of public art designed specifically for Allée Calder in Parc Jean Drapeau in Montréal. An interactive and light-kinetic installation, it offers a different experience depending on the time of day. In day mode, the work evokes the geometry of the Biosphere, an iconic architectural structure of Expo 67. By making triangular shapes, Villeneuve wanted to pay tribute to Buckminster Fuller’s emblematic work, which still stands on the site. In night mode, motion sensors make Utopie light up as visitors stroll through. At sunset, the installation is bathed in warm light. The formal elements of the work evoke the idea of a futuristic utopia: the vision of a connected, non-hierarchical future, in which human genius serves a shared ideal built in symbiosis with the environment.

This work was created in the context of redevelopment of Parc Jean-Drapeau, situated on the heritage site of Île-Sainte-Hélène. It was produced under the Gouvernement du Québec’s Politique d’intégration des arts à l’architecture et à l’environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics.