Myriam Achard: We fell into VR when Phoebe [Greenberg] met Félix [Lajeunesse] and Paul [Raphaël] about 7 years ago, in 2014. Félix and Paul approached Phoebe and offered her a virtual reality experience. They met and showed her Strangers. This was the first VR project they made, and it led them to South by Southwest. After trying it, Phoebe told me, “I want us to be a part of this adventure, I want to show virtual reality in the PHI Centre.” This is how we came into contact with virtual reality.
As I was already travelling a lot as part of my duties and as Phoebe saw that I loved VR, she offered me to tour the major festivals, make discoveries, meet the artists and, in doing so, open doors for us to present these projects.
Julie Tremblay: For my part, I have always been passionate about user experience. As soon as there is a new project—something that has never been done or that is innovative—my curiosity is piqued. What drives me, essentially, is finding ways to make people live these experiences in the best possible context. At the same time, I see myself as a pioneer, always trying to find the right business model so that these projects can be seen and be profitable, both for producers and artists.
MA: To reiterate on what Julie has said, I would also define myself as a pioneer, but for very different reasons. Where Julie is concerned about the financial and logistical issues of a project or exhibition, I focus on the content. That’s why we work so well together.