Nearly 21,000 visits in two days!
A record number of visitors took advantage of the third annual Design Montréal Open House on May 2 and 3. A total of 20,955 visits were recorded, double last year’s number. During these two days, devoted to a gathering of Montréal designers and architects and to the discovery of inspiring places in the city, the public had the chance to see more than 65 agencies, projects and design venues free of charge. You can view an interactive map (In French) for more information on participating sites and offices, organized by neighbourhood. And for an overview see the promotional video (In French).
A weekend of discoveries
Visitors had the opportunity to meet the designers of award-winning projects in national and international competitions at their workplaces. These designers proudly displayed their most recent achievements. Projections on giant screens, 3D models, activities, guided tours and interactive workshops – all this and more was organized to give the public a better understanding of designers’ work and to demystify common images of design, in a friendly atmosphere well suited to exchanges and discussions.
Among the new features this year was the “Youth Design” component, intended especially for young people aged 10 and over. The program aimed at initiating them to the many facets of design and having them meet designers. Almost a third of the participating professional firms offered educational activities, such as animated or video presentations, sensory or sound experiences, design workshops, quizzes, rallies, interactive technological experiments, and more. This proved decisive: there were more than 1,200 visits from young people.
In addition, nearly a dozen young designers and emerging design collectives opened their doors to the public (Pecha Kucha Montréal Emerging Practices Selection). The up-and-coming generation also had a place of honour, with visitors having the chance to see exhibitions of work by university students who are graduating in the various design and architecture disciplines.
