Quartier des spectacles international

What Quartier des spectacles international does

Quartier des spectacles international (QDSi) is a Montreal-based non-profit organization founded in 2017 as an affiliate of the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles, the steward of North America's largest cultural district. The organization designs, produces, and distributes interactive artistic installations that combine light, sound, and participatory technologies (mechanical, electronic, and digital sensors responsive to movement, sound, and light) for outdoor public spaces. Its catalog spans roughly 19 works — including flagship participatory pieces such as Impulse (illuminated acoustic seesaws), Prismatica (25 rotating dichroic prisms), Celestia (seven interactive modules co-produced with four Canadian UNESCO Creative Cities), Musical Bikes, Splinter monoliths, Loop zoetropes, and the newer sculptural Bonjour Chien — collectively presented in 92 cities across 12 countries and experienced by an estimated 25 million visitors.

QDSi monetizes primarily through fixed weekly rental fees plus variable production costs (transport, assembly/disassembly, materials, and crew), with optional turnkey managed services that add 24/7 support, and a separate QDS Lab consulting arm that delivers urban design and cultural-district strategy to municipalities such as Trois-Rivières and Brossard. Distribution is anchored by a 10+ year partnership with Jack World, which handles international logistics and on-site execution, while domestic and promotional demand is generated through the LUMINO PRO forum, the Cyberimpact newsletter, the Airtable-based booking flow, and Quebec government trade delegations. Customers are predominantly municipalities and cultural organizations, with repeat usage by rotating cities (Impulse has been presented 67 times across 55 cities) rather than anchor enterprise contracts. The organization is governed by a board chaired by Monique Simard and operates with a small, multi-disciplinary staff under CEO Guillaume Aniorté.

Name

Quartier des spectacles international

Legal name

Quartier des spectacles international

Website

https://qdsinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quartier des spectacles international is a Montreal-based non-profit that designs, produces, and rents interactive participatory art installations to municipalities and cultural organizations worldwide, leveraging expertise from North America's largest cultural district.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Installation Rental: Fixed rental fee determined by installation type and duration, adjusted according to exact rental dates. Rental minimum is one week. Includes technical quote, promotional toolkit, and optional turnkey services.
2. Variable Production Costs: Additional costs including production team fees, transportation (artwork and team), assembly/disassembly fees, and necessary production/logistics materials (rental or purchase). These are variable costs passed through to clients.
3. Turnkey Services: Comprehensive service including delivery, assembly, maintenance, disassembly, and 24/7 availability. This premium service option provides end-to-end project management for clients.
4. Consulting and Advisory Services: QDS Lab provides urban design consulting, cultural district planning, and public space animation strategy services to municipalities and cultural organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quartier des spectacles international (QDSi) is a non-profit organization that produces and distributes a catalog of interactive, participatory art installations for public spaces worldwide. The core offering includes rental of 17+ light, sound, and movement-responsive installations (such as Celestia, Impulse, and Prismatica) to cities and municipalities, complemented by turnkey delivery, assembly, maintenance, and disassembly services. It also operates the QDS Lab consulting arm for cultural district planning and a Mediation Program with educational resources for visitors.

Product overview

Quartier des spectacles international (QDSi) is a non-profit organization that produces and distributes participatory installations for public spaces. The core offering is a portfolio of 19+ interactive art installations (including CELESTIA, IMPULSE, PRISMATICA, LOOP, THE DIAMONDS, VÉLOS MUSICAUX, ÉLOGE DE L'AIR, BIOLUMEN, SPLINTER, and others) that transform public spaces through light, sound, and interactive technologies. The installations are available for rental with turnkey services including delivery, assembly, maintenance, and disassembly. QDSi also offers a Consulting arm (QDS Lab) for cultural district planning and urban design strategy, and a Mediation Program with QR-code microsites and educational guides for enhanced visitor engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QDS Lab: The consulting arm of Quartier des spectacles international that provides expertise in urban design, public space animation, and cultural infrastructure strategies.

Products and services

• CELESTIA An interactive artistic installation composed of 7 colorful modules inspired by the Seven Sisters of the Greek Pleiades myth. Each module responds to visitors with adaptive light and sound environments. Designed for cities, municipalities, and cultural institutions seeking signature public attractions.
• IMPULSE A series of 15 illuminated and acoustic seesaws (6 at 16.1 ft and 9 at 23.7 ft) that respond to riders' movements with fluctuating light and sound. Inspired by serialism in music. Designed for cities, festivals, and public spaces seeking interactive participatory attractions.
• PRISMATICA A contemporary palace of mirrors consisting of 25 rotating prisms with dichroic filter panels that play with ambient light to reveal rainbow colors during day and integrate projectors for nighttime illumination. Designed for cities and cultural organizations seeking large-scale public visual attractions.
• LOOP 12 giant zoetropes featuring illustrations from Quebec authors, combining 19th-century mechanical toy aesthetics with projection mapping and music boxes. Designed for cities and cultural venues seeking immersive, family-friendly attractions.
• THE DIAMONDS (Les Diamants)

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 million visitors have experienced QDSi installations worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• Partenariat du Quartier des spectaclescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003QDSi is affiliated with the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles, a non-profit organization created in 2003 with more than 85 active members. The Partnership oversees animating the Quartier des spectacles through cultural programming, managing public spaces, urban lighting, and promotion. QDSi benefits from expertise developed in North America's largest cultural district.
• Jack WorldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJack World has specialized in production and high-end services for public spaces for more than 10 years. With an excellent multidisciplinary team and recognized expertise, Jack World stands out for customized client services and unique skills in executing major international projects. As the partner responsible for exporting installations, Jack World applies its expertise to the field of participatory art installations, promoting creators' work around the world.
• Kleis StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKleis is a Quebec-based creative studio that designed Celestia. Specializes in interactive experiences and immersive installations for public spaces, developing sensitive and participatory works that foster connections between audiences, technology, and urban environments.
• UNESCO Creative Cities Network (Canadian cities: Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCelestia was co-produced by Montreal (Design), Quebec City (Literature), Toronto (Digital Arts), and London Ontario (Music) - four Canadian UNESCO Creative Cities. This collaboration integrates each city's specific creative discipline into the installation.
• ExpoCité (Québec)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Celestia. Hosted the world premiere of Celestia from October 1 to December 15, 2024.
• Sankofa Square (Toronto)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Celestia. Hosted the Toronto presentation from February 14 to March 16, 2025.
• Québec Délégations (Boston, Chicago, Toronto, London, New York) and Investissement QuébecsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational delegations that helped promote LUMINO PRO and brought international delegates to Montreal, strengthening exchanges between territories.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia studio producing immersive installations and public-space experiences for cities and brands worldwide. Closest direct competitor: similar technology base (light, sound, projection), shared Montreal creative ecosystem, and a comparable B2G/B2B go-to-market model.
• Artechouse: US-based operator of digital art exhibition spaces featuring technology-driven, interactive installations. Comparable in its use of light, sound, and responsive technology, and in its cultural-institution partnerships, though Artechouse focuses on permanent ticketed venues.
• teamLab: Japan-founded interdisciplinary art collective producing large-scale immersive, interactive digital installations for museums, festivals, and public spaces globally. Comparable in offering participatory, technology-driven installations to institutional and municipal buyers, though with a for-profit permanent-venue model.
• Meow Wolf: US-based immersive art company creating permanent and traveling interactive installations. Comparable as a creator/distributor of participatory art experiences, but with a heavier permanent-venue focus and consumer-ticket revenue model rather than municipal rental.

Regional players

• Luma Foundation: Arles, France-based cultural producer commissioning large-scale art installations and cultural programming. Comparable in curating immersive cultural experiences for public audiences, but Europe-focused and centered on a single site rather than a global touring catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Culturespaces: French cultural operator running Atelier des Lumières and other immersive art centers across Europe. Overlaps in producing immersive, light-based cultural experiences for public audiences, but operates permanent ticketed venues rather than touring installations.
• Cité de l'Architecture / Atelier des Lumières: Established European immersive art venue operating large-format projection and light installations. Comparable in thematic and technical overlap (immersive cultural experiences for the public), but is a single-venue operator rather than a touring catalog distributor.

Others

• Lichtfestival Gent (Ghent Light Festival): Major European light festival and platform that commissions and hosts interactive light installations in public space. Comparable as a buyer/programmer of the type of installations QDSi distributes, and as a peer in the cultural-placemaking ecosystem.
• Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles: Parent non-profit and ecosystem partner of QDSi, animating Montreal's Quartier des spectacles cultural district. Comparable as a cultural-district manager and program producer, and directly relevant as QDSi's institutional backbone and source of catalog expertise.

Emerging players

• Atelier Lumi: Emerging experiential studio producing interactive light-based installations for events and public spaces. Comparable in offering custom participatory installations to event and municipal buyers, though at a smaller scale than QDSi's catalog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qds-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quartier des spectacles international