Glenn Gear

ulitsuak | marée montante | rising tide tide by multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Glenn Gear is the first Indigenous art commission created specifically for the Museum’s outdoor spaces. In this new projected animation, Inuit geometric figures follow the architectural lines of the Museum, gradually filling in its facade. The result is a spectacle of light and colour in Montreal’s downtown core.

A kaleidoscopic space evoking Inuit beadwork and motifs

From October 1, 2024, to March 30, 2025, a new work will light up the facade of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion every night, from dusk to 11 p.m. In ulitsuak | marée montante | rising tide, artist Glenn Gear explores systems of symmetry and order, aiming to convey the power of water, which has the potential to erase, erode, sustain life and elicit many emotions.

The projection reveals an animated world inspired by Inuit geometric designs and symmetries within a kaleidoscopic space comprising photographs of the artist’s beadwork. Contemporary Inuit motifs rooted in tattoo traditions together with the artist’s connections to land, water, stars and animals conjure a space that is at once magical and familiar.

Deeper issues swirl beneath the surface of the work: rising sea levels, melting ice caps, and the disruption of ecosystems. ulitsuak | marée montante | rising tide invites us to reflect on the complexities and interdependence of those systems by reminding us that natural forces have a direct impact on living beings.