Creos represents and tours interactive installations such as LAPS, the giant hourglasses that are coming to Illuminate Adelaide next month. presented Impulse Seesaws at Illuminate Adelaide in 2022, followed by Roseaux in 2024. Alexandre Lemieux is one of the founders of Creos. We chat to him about LAPS, interactive public art and much more.
ABOUT LAPS
The installation LAPS is coming to Illuminate Adelaide this July. These are giant hourglasses that the public can control by turning the steering wheel at their own pace, in either direction. Why did Creos decide to work with the idea of time?
We are constantly seeking to work with universal and timeless concepts. The hourglass has always been a tool that is as useful as it is fascinating. The idea of being able to play with time is just as captivating and seems to us to be both universal and necessary. When can we truly say that we are in control of time? LAPS is, in a way, a metaphor for the idea that, for a moment, we may be in control of time.
What attracted you to Olivier Landreville’s work and prompted you to ask him to come up with an idea for an interactive work on the theme of time?
At Init and Creos, there was a real desire to collaborate with creators capable of designing works that were powerful, poetic and accessible. And for us, it was obvious: Olivier Landreville was the perfect person for the job. Olivier Landreville’s career, his professionalism, his unique perspective on space and his sensitivity to staging immediately resonated with this vision.
An experienced set designer, Olivier is accustomed to constructing worlds that engage the viewer. The idea of entrusting him with a reflection on time arose from his ability to handle both the concrete and the symbolic. He was able to imagine a work that plays with the everyday — an hourglass — while reinventing it on a public scale, in an interactive and monumental form.
Do you consider LAPS to be a sculpture, a piece of scenography, or an installation—or a combination of all three?
Definitely a mix of all three! LAPS is primarily a travelling interactive installation, given its temporary nature and interactive aspect. But it also draws on the codes of set design and monumental sculpture. Its creator, Olivier Landreville, is a set designer, and this artistic background colours the entire design approach.
Thanks to Init’s vision and Serge Maheu’s collaboration, LAPS becomes a work that is visual, auditory and participatory. Its sculptural aspect is evident in the imposing and aesthetic form of the giant hourglasses. Its scenographic roots are revealed in the way the public is invited to interact and literally take control of time, as in a living stage production.
It is this unique combination—sculpture, scenography, and interactivity—that makes LAPS an unforgettable immersive experience in public space.
What does ‘controlling time’ mean to you in the context of this installation?
LAPS is a poetic representation of time slipping through our fingers. By taking action, we can see time passing, count the rotations, measure the time it takes. We can also decide to keep the installation horizontal and try, for a moment, to ‘stop’ time. Everyone chooses how much time they want to allow themselves — to breathe, marvel, play or simply be there. It is a simple gesture, but one that is deeply meaningful: taking back possession of one’s time in a shared space.
How do visitors’ interactions with LAPS differ between children and adults? And also between countries and cultures where the installation is presented?
One of the fundamental objectives of our installations is discoverability and universality. We want adults to be able to have fun, explore the design, and find a contemplative or even nostalgic dimension in it. For children, the challenge is different: we want them to be amazed, to feel that they have a place in the experience, to be able to touch, understand, participate, and perhaps even discover a new interest.
From the point of view of cultural and social accessibility, our ambition is clear: to offer an experience that transcends origins, languages or conditions. We do not seek to adapt a work to each context, but to create something sufficiently powerful and open for everyone to identify with. Ideally, when experiencing LAPS, differences fade away, if only for a moment, to make way for what is essential: the present moment, connection, and wonder.
What is the most surprising reaction you have witnessed from a visitor to LAPS?
It was seeing a visitor attempt to place all six hourglasses horizontally at the same time, as if to suspend time. Others wanted to turn them all at once. This shows that the public perceives LAPS not as six modules, but as a single collective and symbolic experience.
What message or feeling do you want visitors to take away from their experience with LAPS?
We want every visitor to leave with a sense of wonder and joy!… and a little more awareness of the present moment.
LAPS invites you to slow down, play, and reflect, alone or with others. The principle of turning a wheel and having an oversized object that reacts brings an almost instant smile to every user’s face. If people leave with a smile, a photo, or a little reflection on their relationship with time, then the work has fulfilled its mission.
ABOUT CREOS
Alexandre, you are a founding member of Creos. How long has Creos existed? What did you do before Creos?
Creos is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The founders all have different but complementary backgrounds. For my part, I was studying industrial relations at McGill University when the Creos project took shape.
Creos’ slogan is ‘The art of bringing art to the world’. What exactly does Creos do?
We represent and tour interactive installations designed to transform public spaces into places of wonder, encounter and discovery. Our goal is to make interactive art accessible to as many communities and audiences around the world as possible, and to do so well: with the highest standards of quality and rigorous processes that facilitate access to these impressive installations.
You have participated in numerous conferences on interactive art. In your opinion, what is LAPS’s greatest contribution to public spaces?
LAPS makes an essential contribution to public spaces: it restores power to visitors. In an environment often dominated by speed and routine, LAPS, with its light-hearted, unifying nature, invites everyone to have fun and share a common experience with other visitors.
Creos operates on a global scale. How do you adapt interactive works such as LAPS to different cultures and urban contexts?
Interactive works such as LAPS are designed to be universal. Their language is that of play, light, movement and wonder — forms of expression that transcend age, language and culture.
We don’t adapt the works themselves. Instead, we work closely with each distribution partner to adapt their integration into the local context: choice of site, installation, public circulation, communication… Everything is designed to ensure that the experience is fluid, safe and fully enjoyed by visitors.
INTERACTIVE PUBLIC ART
In your opinion, why is interactive public art particularly important today, socially or emotionally, for cities?
Interactive public art meets essential needs in today’s cities. It transforms places into destinations, revealing their potential and possibilities. It creates connections. By bringing communities together around accessible, fun and meaningful experiences, it breathes new life into collective spaces.
Socially, it promotes encounters, inclusion and a sense of belonging. Emotionally, it generates joy, wonder and shared memories. Economically, it attracts visitors, supports businesses, revitalises city centres and helps to reinforce the public’s positive perception of places.
These moments of discovery and sharing create lasting value for urban spaces, increasing both their attractiveness and their symbolic significance.
CREOS & LAPS
How does Creos measure the success of a work like LAPS? Artistically, socially or commercially?
The real indicator is what happens around the work: smiles, exchanges, shared memories.
What excites you most about LAPS coming to Adelaide? Is there a particular aspect of the city or the festival that appeals to you?
What excites us most is that LAPS will be setting up its giant hourglasses on a third continent, after North America and Europe. It’s a milestone in the life of the work.
It is also the third installation propelled by Creos to be presented as part of Illuminate Adelaide, a festival we admire for its bold vision and commitment to immersive and public art. It is a real honour for us to be part of this great celebration of light, sound and creativity in the heart of the city.
Can you tell us about Creos’ role in presenting LAPS at festivals around the world?
Creos acts as promoter and tour producer for LAPS. Concretely, this means that we coordinate all aspects of its international distribution: logistics, transport, installation, technical support and promotion.
We work closely with festivals and cities to tailor each presentation to their venue, audience and objectives. Our mission is to ensure that every project is a success — for the creators, the partners and, above all, the audience.
With LAPS, as with all the works we represent, we enable art to travel and create unforgettable moments in public spaces.
What makes LAPS a perfect fit for Illuminate Adelaide and other light festivals?
LAPS is an interactive, luminous and deeply symbolic work, making it an ideal choice for festivals such as Illuminate Adelaide. Its light reacts to the actions of the audience, creating an immersive and participatory experience that captures attention as much as it invites contemplation.
Above all, LAPS offers a moment of respite from the hustle and bustle, an opportunity to play with time — a universal theme that fits perfectly at the heart of a festival focused on light, innovation and sensory experience.
Why should people come and experience LAPS?
Take a break, turn the wheel — and let yourself be surprised by the power of the present moment!
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We thank Alexandre Lemieux from Creos for this interview and can’t wait to play with LAPS’ giant hourglasses next month.
KEY INFO FOR LAPS
WHAT: LAPS, a work created by Olivier Landreville, produced by Init, and tour produced by Creos, part of the Rundle Illuminations in the free City Lights program at Illuminate Adelaide
WHEN: Nightly from 4-20 July
WHERE: Rundle Street ADElAIDE
HOW: Just go
HOW MUCH: Free
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