Quebec's Enchanted and Amazing Foresta Lumina by Moment Factory

On a great TEA trip to Montreal in July, we visited the amazing Moment Factory. I’ve been a fan of Moment Factory’s work since I first became aware of them on the NIN tour in 2008 (writeup here) and have been following them since (other writeups here)..

During the tour, they mentioned a son et lumière (sound and light) show they had created in a forest two hours east of Montreal. I was intrigued because I have long loved this kind of show (and probably the first show I ever worked on was one in my home town) and so I extended my trip for a day and checked out this show; I’m very glad I did.

Foresta Lumina takes place in Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook, in Coaticook Quebec. It was created in 2014 when the local tourism agency wanted to promote the region, and contracted with Moment Factory. The result was this amazing night time experience, where the audience walks through this dark forest park, and throughout are greeted with lighting, video and truly immersive sound experiences telling the story of “the mythology of the Quebec forest”. The story that is told is not particularly scary, it’s more moody and mysterious. And there are some really well done video and lighting effects and one of the best truly immersive soundscapes I’ve heard.

There are things here that are part of the experience that are somewhat shocking to an American who lives here in the land of litigation and non-universal health care; often you are walking in near-complete darkness, and there are inclines along the path (well lit) that would never meet ADA requirements. But all that—with a really great design—works to create a really great and beautiful experience. I highly recommend seeing it!

Here’s a few photos taken hand held (a tripod is really needed to get really good pics) that can’t really capture the experience but can give you a sense of the place.