Against the Current

This spring, AWE launched Against the Current, a collaboration with Moment Factory, a Montreal-based studio specializing in multimedia experiences.

Against the Current is an outdoor web-based experience accessible through participants’ portable devices. The interactive activities are free to enjoy. To ensure the experience is widely available, Downtown Windsor offers free Wi-Fi. Through the experience, participants are encouraged to use an interactive online map to move across Downtown Windsor to discover eight locations that feature artwork reproductions from the art gallery’s collection. The artists who are featured altered the course of art history by pushing against the expectations of their time. Mini-games at each stop reveal the stories of these artists – their passion, imagination, and acts of rebellion. Participants will collect unique milestones tied to each artist’s legacy and be invited to visit AWE for one last surprise. Against the Current will be accessible through the end of 2023.

Have you gone Against the Current? Visit the web app here or scan the QR code in the slide show.

What are the locations?
Start at any point on the map to explore!  QR code to the map in slideshow.

1. Capitol Theatre (Lawson)
2. Windsor Riverfront Trail (Whipple)
3. Invest Windsor Essex (Reid)
4. Windsor Armouries (Harris)
5. Duff-Baby House (Carr)
6. Windsor Public Library Central Branch (Heward)
7. Maiden Lane (Morrisseau)
8. Windsor International Transit Terminal (Penny)

AWE and Moment Factory’s collaboration will continue over the coming years, evolving to include digital, immersive experiences incorporating augmented reality. Together, AWE and Moment Factory will create playful and interactive experiences that encourage engaging conversations about Canadian art, and introduce new ways of thinking about, making, and experiencing art.

Against the Current is supported by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; the Canada Council for the Arts, Digital Strategy Fund; Ontario Tourism Innovation Lab; WEtech Alliance; Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island; The City of Windsor; and the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association. This project has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation. The Art Gallery of Windsor is grateful for support from The Stephanie and Barry Zekelman Foundation for AWE’s Art Offsite projects.

About Moment Factory

Moment Factory is a multimedia studio based in Montreal that creatively uses technology to create collective experiences that generate moments of wonder and connection. Their unique organization has a full range of production expertise under one roof that combines specializations in video, lighting, architecture, sound, and special effects. Headquartered in Montreal, Moment Factory has addresses in Tokyo, Paris, New York City and Singapore, and has created more than 500 unique projects worldwide since its inception in 2001.