The Sanctuary of Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur, a historic gem in Old Quebec, Canada, featuring a neo-Gothic chapel, presbytery, and expansive grounds bordered by fortifications, was closed and sold in 2016. The new owner began transforming it into a luxurious single-family residence, meticulously preserving the chapel. By summer 2022, with the renovation complete, the owner reached out to designer and his studio with a unique request. He sought to create an unforgettable private event for around thirty friends, all well-traveled and accustomed to refined experiences. The directive was ambitious: guests must be astonished, disoriented, and immersed in a multisensory adventure where the Sanctuary itself would play a central role. The surprise had to be complete, even for the owner.
The concept for the event, dubbed “Midnight,” revolved around a single, captivating idea: this exclusive gathering would not simply occur within the newly renovated property but in a parallel world, a hidden realm within the depths of Old Quebec, accessible only for one night.
Our studio assembled a team of over 90 artists, craftsmen, and professionals to create a wholly original, immersive experience. The project involved seven months of creation and one month of on-site installation. The Sanctuary and its surrounding streets were transformed into a series of artistic performances, multimedia environments, culinary experiences, and scenographic worlds.
The complex’s 260-square-meter underground parking lot was reimagined as a surreal forest with 250 live trees, tons of earth, a floating 300-kg rock, antique furniture, a sophisticated multimedia setup, and live animals. Inside the chapel, now an immersive cabaret, a giant ogive-shaped aluminum frame and semi-transparent projection screen embraced the building’s architecture, serving as a boundary between reality and virtuality. Despite the challenges posed by the delicate historical site, the team went so far as to modify the chapel’s vault to support the acrobatic and scenographic elements, and they erected lighting towers around the building to create the illusion of a midnight sunrise through the stained glass windows.
In “Midnight, The Empire of the Senses”, design and experience converged to tell a story that transcended time and space, creating a night that would linger in the memories of its guests long after it ended.