Monday, April 15, 2013

Ottawa's University proud of one of its former student, Victor Pilon.


Victor Pilon: A multi-gifted artist


Victor Pilon is among the first wave of multidisciplinary artists. 
This uOttawa alumnus was recently named an Officer of the Order of Canada.
by CHARLES ROUSSEAU


Victor Pilon
Credit: From Victor Pilon's personal archives.

“I graduated from one of Canada’s best photography programs, and it draws its strength from the passion and talent of its academic staff.”
—Victor Pilon

As an avant-garde creator whose works help shape Canada and Quebec’s international creative reputations, Victor Pilon expresses his artistic talents both on stage and in the visual arts.
In 1982, he graduated from the University of Ottawa with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, and then in 1983, with a BA in photography. He is among the first wave of multidisciplinary artists: as a director, scenic artist, pictorial designer and photographer, he works on both theatrical productions and large-scale public events.

He says that for him, it all started at uOttawa. “I have very fond memories of my time at the University of Ottawa. For me, a university’s reputation is based on the professors who teach there. I graduated from one of Canada’s best photography programs, and it draws its strength from the passion and talent of its academic staff. I really appreciate the progress I made in this bilingual program, not to mention the fact that once I graduated, the strong influence that the Francophone professors had on the Montreal arts scene really helped prepare me to take on the artistic community. I was privileged to have such great professors and mentors as Charles Gagnon, Peter Gnass, Evergon, Pénélope Cousineau, Edmund Allen, Michel Goulet, Louise Poissant, and many others. Their dedication and enlightened advice helped me become the artist I am today.”

For nearly 20 years, Victor Pilon was the official photographer for royal visits to Canada and in 1994, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the Royal Victoria Medal (R.V.M.) for his services to the Royal Family. In 1990, he joined Michel Lemieux to form Lemieux Pilon 4D Art as designer and co-artistic director. Since then, he has created over thirty avant-garde theatre productions, including La Belle et la Bête andThe Tempest for Montreal’s Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Luc Plamondon’s Starmania Opéra for the Montreal and Quebec opera companies, and Delirium and Soleil de minuit for Cirque du Soleil. He has also designed major public performances for the Montreal International Jazz Festival and for Montréal en Lumiére. Both the quality and professionalism of these performances and their universal appeal allow Pilon to translate emotions into pictures and movement that reach out and captivate his audiences.
On December 30, 2012, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, named Victor Pilon, O.C., R.V.M., of Montreal as an Officer of the Order of Canada “for his contributions to the performing arts in Canada and abroad, as a director, designer, photographer and pioneering multidisciplinary artist.”