"LAPS" Comes to Sparks

An interactive art exhibit playing with the concept of time!

The hourglass from another time

LAPS: a journey through time - here and now

LAPS is a modern take on the traditional hourglass that gives us the opportunity to

literally take control of time. From the top of their 7.8 feet (2.33 meters), the 6 giant

modules invite the public to change time by turning the steering wheel at their

desired pace, in one direction or the other, and to take another look at their

perception of time. Time catchers are rewarded with a sound and light experience

that inspires immediate wonder.

Take control for a full lap of LAPS; hold your breath, sing a song, clap your hands,

propose marriage, do whatever inspires you. Everyone gets to choose the time they

want to spend here; this passage of time is truly yours!

A little history

Commonly hourglasses measure the time it takes to boil eggs or to take turns

during board games. In the Middle Ages, the hourglass was used to limit the time

for sermons and university lectures. Did you know that in the navy, it was used on

board ships to measure their speed, time the length of watches, and even

sometimes to measure the full duration of a voyage?

The hourglass has traveled through time and over the centuries reinvented itself. LAPS

was born out of a reflection on the uncontrollable nature of the passing of time. In a

world where everything is going faster and faster, where people run desperately after

time, LAPS offers a different take on the individual and collective perception of time.

Here everyone gets to tame time to the same end: to be fully in the moment.

Credits

Creation and artistic direction: Olivier Landreville

Sound and light design: Serge Maheu

Design of interactive control systems: Serge Maheu

Structure and engineering: Maintenance Industries Meca-Fab inc.

Owner: Init

Tour production: Creos

Previously presented at: MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE 2022 (Montréal, Canada) Downtown Des Moines 2022 (Des Moines, USA)

LAPS on Sparks Street between O'Connor and Bank runs June 22 - July 10, 2022 FREE to Experience!