MONTRÉAL, CANADA.-This fall, the Canadian Centre for Architecture invites the public to experience the city like never before. In a major exhibition entitled Sense of the City, visitors can explore sensory perception in the urban environment and discover hidden qualities of the city. Also, in the Octagonal Gallery, the exhibition Empire – John Gossage addresses architecture’s role in laying claim to power in the contemporary photographer’s images of Washington. A series of lectures on Thursday evenings offers new readings of the city. In addition, family activities, guided tours, and gallery talks with curators promise to make fall a stimulating season: prepare to have all senses fully engaged.

Sense of the City
From 26 October 2005 to 10 September 2006, the CCA presents Sense of the City, a major exhibition dedicated to the theme of urban phenomena and perceptions which have been ignored, repressed, or maligned. Challenging the dominance of the visual in the urban environment, the exhibition proposes a re-thinking of latent qualities of the city, exploring the comforts, communication systems, and sensory dimensions of urban life—thus advancing a new spectrum of experience and engagement. The most banal and ubiquitous phenomena—asphalt, the second crust of the earth, cacophonies of everyday sounds and smells, competing light effects, manipulations of temperature and climate, the junk and graffiti that disfigure buildings and streets, as well as the subtle, mostly hidden signs of regeneration in the urban environment—will be presented through artefacts and images that collectively suggest the rich array of urban experiences lying just beyond traditional interpretations of the city. Sense of the City explores overlooked modes of perception, offering a complex approach to understanding the urban landscape and proposing a new ‘sensorial’ form of urbanism. Guided tours of the exhibition begin Saturday, 29 October.

A series of six lectures entitled Sensing the City complement the exhibition, proposing new readings of the city and examining the potential for architecture and design in relation to the senses. The great Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer opens the series with The Sounding City on 20 October; cultural historian Constance Classen discusses The Sensuous City: From the Middle Ages to Modernity on 27 October; Mark Sussman, theatre artist and performance scholar, presents Lighting Urban Spectacle: Electric Interventions in Everyday Life on 3 November; Jean-Pierre Lemasson, professor of urban and tourism studies at UQAM describes Le goût de la ville on 17 November; performance art and interdisciplinary practices scholar Jim Drobnick offers Guarded Breaths: Art and Smell in the [cough] Metropolis on 24 November; and a final lecture, to be announced, takes place on 8 December. Sensing the City is presented in collaboration with Concordia University and curated by David Howes, Director, Concordia Sensoria research team.

Empire – John Gossage
Evoking the relationship between architecture and power, the photographs of Washington, D.C. by contemporary artist John Gossage are juxtaposed with nineteenth century images of Egypt. Gossage captured the official monuments and buildings of the National Mall in the United States capital in a series of photographs taken between 1987 and 1993. Hermann Vogel traveled to Egypt in 1868 on an archaeological expedition sponsored by the German government. In the resulting dialogue of images, parallel visions of empire begin to emerge. The exhibition is presented in the Octagonal Gallery from 1 December 2005 to 16 April 2006.

Other Lectures
Architecture for Good or Evil: Auschwitz and Holocaust Denial
On Thursday, 22 September at 7 pm, Dr. Robert Jan Van Pelt addresses the architecture of Auschwitz in a lecture organized by the Montréal Holocaust Memorial Centre.

Gabby Kiefer: The Language of Asphalt
Principal of BÜRO KIEFER (Berlin), landscape architect Gabby Kiefer discusses her work on Thursday, 6 October at 7 pm. Presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, Montréal.

Colloquium: Wittgenstein, Art and Architecture
On 12, 13, and 14 October 2005 an international colloquium under the auspices of the Institut de recherche en histoire de l’architecture (IRHA) presents recent research on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) in relation to art and architecture. Featuring 22 speakers from Austria, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Israel, and Canada, the colloquium examines Wittgenstein’s remarks on aesthetics and culture, his intimate link to the practice of the arts, architecture, and music, as well as his approach to the problems incurred by limits and definitions. Participation in the three-day event costs $40, or $25 for students. For information and registration: www.irhanet.org

Families at Play
Throughout the fall, the CCA invites children aged 3 to 10, accompanied by an adult, to Families at Play. This activity provides a special opportunity to explore architecture through games and selected toys from the Educational Services collection. On 24 and 25 September, 29 and 30 October, 26 and 27 November, and 17 and 18 December, play sessions are offered at 11:15 am, 1 pm, and 2:45 pm at the cost of $5 for adults and $3 for children. Advance reservations are required and may be made by calling 514 939 7026. On the occasion of the Journées de la Culture and the Montréal Architectural Heritage Operation the CCA offers Families at Play activities free of charge, 1 and 2 October from 10 am to 5 pm. No reservations required.

The 60s: Montréal Thinks Big
The last chance has arrived to observe the spectacular changes that transformed Montréal's urban landscape during the 1960s. As host of Expo 67, the metropolis confirmed its status on the international scene as a city of the future. Rediscover Montréal through original models, videos, photographs, and journalistic accounts of influential figures of the time. Until 11 September 2005.

Super City – Douglas Coupland
Until 20 November 2005, the installation in the Octagonal Gallery by Canadian writer and artist Douglas Coupland (Generation X) explores the impact of building toys––how they affect our perceptions of the world and what we do as adults. Inspired by the 1960s toy kit Super City, Coupland has devised an imaginary “future city“ densely layered with elements of his own mental universe.

The Canadian Centre for Architecture is an international research centre and museum founded on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. Based on its extensive collections, CCA is a leading voice in advancing knowledge, promoting public understanding, and widening thought and debate on the art of architecture, its history, theory, practice, and role in society today.