Kontinuum - Light and Sound

This morning, I logged into facebook quickly before I began the ride down to Ottawa to visit my family. Out of the blue, I saw a sponsored page concerning tourism in Ottawa, which I decided to click on.

One of the highlighted events was a multimedia event called Kontinuum - taking place in an LRT station currently under construction. I was intrigued, and once I realized that it was totally free, I quickly ordered a ticket for this evening.

After a wonderful ride down to Ottawa on my speedy little Fazer, and a great visit with my family, I headed up through downtown Ottawa as quick as I could, just making it in time to check my bag and head into the venue.

The truth is, that you can't capture this event with photographs. A large part of the experience lies within the amazing music that pipes into every room. However, I did manage to shoot a few frames that I liked.

The first step on the Kontinuum journey is to step into one of the scanning booths. The booth captures an image of you, tagged to your ticket which you scan in. The rationale behind this step becomes obvious at the end of the event.

The winding path is, to say the least, a bit disorienting. You are confronted with blank corridors punctuated by flashing lights, see through curtains, and haunted by the inescapable music piping through every room. The music itself is wonderful, sliced electronic tunes that really enhance the experience.

Shooting inside was very challenging. I pinned my X-t10 at it's maximum ISO - 6400. Even then, the shutter speed was very low, and I had to choose my subjects carefully. I love this shot for the brilliant light that creates its own frame.

The cinema room appears right before you journey downwards into the actual subway station. Filled with lasers that reflect off of everything, it was a truly memorable experience.

In the subterranean depths of the LRT station, you come face to face with the final multimedia performance - a stunning light show that simulates the arrival of a train. In a special touch, the screen also projects a few of the scans from earlier - giving some of the members a chance to see themselves projected on the screen.

As I exited the venue, I was quite pleased I had chosen to visit. Most importantly, I was elated by the realization that creativity still has its place in modern society. By most definitions, Kontinuum could be considered a work of art, a contemporary one at that. I typically disdain contemporary art, however this installation was both clever and well executed. A big round of applause to the creators, as well as the members of the Ottawa Community who had the vision to approve the project.

Kontinuum runs until the 14th of September. As I said before, it's free, so get your ticket and go see it!