2018 Espace pour la vie Summer Program

Whether We're in Active or Contemplative Mode, Nature Dwells Within Us at Espace pour la vie

MONTRÉAL, June 5, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - All summer long, Espace pour la vie will be looking at the many ways fauna, flora and other forms of life inhabit the Earth, from tiny ants to us humans. This grand exploration will start on June 15, with a fun immersive trail allowing young visitors to run, crawl and climb, while the whole family will be dazzled by the ingenuity of insects and other animals in Nature Is Your Shelter. Meanwhile, some huge drawings nearby are sure to attract attention: works by renowned botanist Francis Hallé leading visitors along another pathway, this one more contemplative, like an art show outdoors and in the greenhouses. Francis Hallé: A Botanist's Journal combines art and science to impress and delight visitors. At the end of their stroll, they'll reach a "research station" where A Treetop Trip will introduce them to Francis Hallé's marvellous adventures and, above all, the little-known, rich and priceless habitat in the forest canopy. In short, whether they're looking for an active or contemplative experience, the Espace pour la vie summer program is sure to reconnect visitors with the nature we all need so much.

Nature Is Your Shelter 
June 15 to September 3, 2018
Arboretum in the Jardin botanique

Imagine being able to literally step into the kind of shelters built by mammals, birds and insects. That's what the experts from the Biodôme and Insectarium have created for visitors right here in the Jardin botanique. This fascinating immersive experience features seven original structures built to human scale, inspired by Quebec wildlife. You can squeeze into a Cardinal's nest, visit a woodpecker's home or take a seat in an insect cocoon. Every day, our educators will be on hand to explain the fascinating strategies used by animals and insects in designing their shelters. Come for a life-size adventure!

Francis Hallé: A Botanist's Journal 
June 15 to October 31, 2018
Exhibition at the Jardin botanique

Francis Hallé is a world-renowned botanist specializing in the tropical rainforest. For over 50 years, he has travelled through hundreds of kilometres of forests, observing the plant life. During his career, he has filled countless journals with his sketches and reflections. As you explore the garden's greenhouses and collections, you can admire giant versions of some fifty of his finest sketches.  These works will appeal to all your senses in a delightful blend of science, art and emotion. A special room has been set up next to the greenhouses where visitors of all ages can create their own nature-inspired sketches!

Activity: A Treetop Trip
June 23 to September 3, 2018, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Flowery Brook, near the large pond
Step inside an explorer's tent and meet our educators, who will take you on a journey to the treetops. Francis Hallé has made numerous research expeditions into the heart of this amazing ecosystem. But what's so special about life in the tropical rainforest canopy? How do scientists reach it? How do plants grow there? What do the scientists bring back with them? Join our discovery activities and get all the answers to these questions and more!

"The history of our biological evolution is contained in the life of a single tree."
Francis Hallé 

EXCLUSIVE LECTURE

Can we speak of plant "intelligence"? (in French)

June 20, 2018, 7 p.m. (preceded by a book-signing session from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.)

Henry Teuscher Auditorium at the Jardin botanique

In the past decade, scientists studying plants' lives have discovered some unexpected and interesting behaviour, including sensitivity, memory, communications and rudimentary dialogues, choices, anticipation, mutual assistance and family solidarity, resilience, decentralized structures and more. So it appears that it may be reasonable to use the word "intelligence," and many authors are already doing so. Yet the term is so closely associated with humans that it deserves to be discussed and perhaps even redefined.

Space is limited. Tickets online only ($12), available on montrealspaceforlife.ca

Note that books by Francis Hallé are available in the Jardin botanique gift shop and in bookstores (distributed by les éditions du passage, partner of MUSEO Éditions).

Nature dwells within us
In 2018, Espace pour la vie is looking at the many ways of dwelling on our planet. It's a source of inspiration for some, and a call to reflection and dialogue for others, leading to citizen-based initiatives. This year at Espace pour la vie, nature dwells within us more than ever!

Espace pour la vie is made up of four attractions on the same site: the Biodôme, Insectarium, Jardin botanique and Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan. These four prestigious municipal institutions form Canada's largest natural science museum complex. Together, they are launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the connection between humankind and nature and cultivate a new way of living.

#NatureShelter / #FrancisHallé

Visual: bit.ly/Espacepourlavie_Été_Summer_2018

SOURCE Espace pour la vie

For further information: Summer program, Marie-Hélène Blouin, Communications Infrarouge, 514 849-4554 / 514 515-0508, [email protected]; Other media request, Marie-Joëlle Filion, Espace pour la vie, 514 868-4840 / 514 443-6801, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.espacepourlavie.ca/