Hh7 — "As Fake as Canadian Diamond"

QUÉBEC CITY | How Le Diamant revived a cultural beacon from the past, repurposed it for the present, and designed it for the future

WORDS BY ISABELLA ELIAS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHANE GROLEAU - COURTESY OF EX MACHINA

Nested in the crux of the Upper and Lower Towns of Old Québec, Québec City, echoes of the past and visions of the future gleam along the faceted glass atrium of Le Diamant performing arts centre. Standing at the cultural intersection of the city, the architecture of the performance centre is a medley of historical and modern aesthetics. For Robert Lepage — actor, writer, designer, stage director, and Artistic Director of the multimedia company Ex Machina — the concept of Le Diamant is a tool that allows for the revitalization and maximal dissemination of Ex Machina’s creative output on the world stage. Originally operating out of La Caserne, an old fire hall, the 25-year-old company began conceiving of Le Diamant (“The Diamond”) as the technical and spatial demands of their productions began pushing the limits of their relatively sizable outpost. The result of this conceptual exploration is an audacious multifunctional powerhouse of the arts, dazzlingly engraved on the epicentre of Canada’s Francophone history.

Robert LePage - by Ella Mazur