Trudeau Airport unveils arts exhibit on Montreal’s local culture and history

Passengers flying through Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Canada, will now be able to catch a glimpse of the city’s local culture, history and customs, thanks to a high-tech digital photograph and video exhibit unveiled at the city’s airport, entitled “Montreal in Motion.” Passengers arriving to Trudeau from international and trans-border points of origin all pass through the international arrivals hall, where the exhibit is currently being shown. Rather than having actual physical panels, the photos and portraits are projected onto a screen, using a digital projector. In total, 20 different images and video material form the core of the exhibit.

The video presentation takes a peak at Montreal, North America’s only officially French-speaking city, by presenting images of its cultural, sports, business, social and political life. Some of the images explore the workings of City Hall, located in Montreal’s Old Port. Each video “portrait” is approximately one minute in length. The exhibit is ultimately part of the airport authority’s effort to use Trudeau in an effort to showcase Montreal’s urban environment and ensure that this gateway to Eastern Canada reflects the local culture in which it is located. The project is entitled the “Montreal Identity Program, and Aeroports de Montreal, the organization that operated Trudeau, believes that this will not only promote the city and familiarize visitors with all that Montreal has to offer, but local artists will also benefit from this display, as it will provide many of them with much needed exposure.

Established in 1941, Trudeau Airport (formerly known as Dorval Airport, until it was re-named after the late Liberal Prime Minister in 2003) is situated 20km west of downtown Montreal, in the suburb of Dorval. More than 11 million passengers passed through Trudeau in 2006, making this Canada’s third most frequented airport, after Toronto-Pearson and Vancouver International. Trudeau is federally owned, by Transport Canada.