Phi Centre
Phi Centre
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
Dedicated to art in all its forms, PHI is a multidisciplinary arts and culture organization that cultivates all aspects of creation, development, production and dissemination. PHI is at the intersection of art, film, music, design and technology. Through eclectic programming and a strong emphasis on content creation, Phi fosters unexpected encounters between artists and audiences. Headquartered at the PHI Centre in Montreal Canada, PHI was created by Director and Founder Phoebe Greenberg.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Ville-Marie
How to get there
- Place-d'Armes • 6 min walk
- Square-Victoria-OACI • 8 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
49 reviews
Excellent
29
Very good
14
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
2
UloHerc
Montreal, Canada9 contributions
Sept 2017
On balmy summer days, Montreal’s Old Port offers much to stimulate the senses. Along the length of St. Paul street, excellent cozy restaurants alternate with boutiques offering paintings, sculptures and high end handicrafts in centuries-old stone houses, initially built to cater to commerce typical of a sea port. Sightseers and tourists, cameras in hand, stroll everywhere, in an orderly, leisurely fashion. A multitude of languages can be heard but “Franglais” stands out, Montreal-style, two sentences in French followed by one in English, with “Joual" reserved for drivers of horse-drawn caleches and cobblestone street repair crews. Tabarnac!
In the midst of all this, disguised by a non-descript entrance, is a small exposition hall referred to as Phi Centre. Phi, the “multidisciplinary arts and culture organization” operating this hall, is currently hosting an exposition by Lucid Realities, unfortunately due to end on December 16, 2017. The exposition, which is well worth attending, showcases various technologies involving “virtual reality” (VR).
The expo consists of a dozen installations. Most of them require the visitor to wear a pair of VR goggles and headsets which block out surrounding distractions. Each installation lasts around 10 minutes. Most are solitary experiences, but a couple of them let you interact with other players.
Your brain enters a computer-generated universe, which can range from violent to delightfully whimsical. There is a relatively modest amount of interaction within many programs, such as by the movement of your hands and fingers (gripping handles and pressing swithes). With a few exceptions (e.g. “Tree”), the technologies showcased are not fully mature, with occasional computer glitches and steep learning curves for controls, but I found it to be a fascinating glimpse into what is in store for us in the near future. And entertaining as well, for adults.
If this interests you, plan to spend three hours here. As soon as you enter the sparsely furnished premises, put yourself down on the waiting list for “Tree”, “Spacewalk”, “Life of Us” and “Flock”, the last one preferably in the company of one or two friends. The first two, especially, are popular, the award-winning “Tree” being quite exceptional, not to be missed. “Flock” could form a delightful ending to your visit. The wait between installations can be filled in with other installations which are free at the moment. Sofas are available, and VR-goggled visitors waving their arms in the air provide intermission entertainment. The $25 ticket for it all is valid for the whole day, so you can duck out for refreshments and return when suitably fortified.
In the midst of all this, disguised by a non-descript entrance, is a small exposition hall referred to as Phi Centre. Phi, the “multidisciplinary arts and culture organization” operating this hall, is currently hosting an exposition by Lucid Realities, unfortunately due to end on December 16, 2017. The exposition, which is well worth attending, showcases various technologies involving “virtual reality” (VR).
The expo consists of a dozen installations. Most of them require the visitor to wear a pair of VR goggles and headsets which block out surrounding distractions. Each installation lasts around 10 minutes. Most are solitary experiences, but a couple of them let you interact with other players.
Your brain enters a computer-generated universe, which can range from violent to delightfully whimsical. There is a relatively modest amount of interaction within many programs, such as by the movement of your hands and fingers (gripping handles and pressing swithes). With a few exceptions (e.g. “Tree”), the technologies showcased are not fully mature, with occasional computer glitches and steep learning curves for controls, but I found it to be a fascinating glimpse into what is in store for us in the near future. And entertaining as well, for adults.
If this interests you, plan to spend three hours here. As soon as you enter the sparsely furnished premises, put yourself down on the waiting list for “Tree”, “Spacewalk”, “Life of Us” and “Flock”, the last one preferably in the company of one or two friends. The first two, especially, are popular, the award-winning “Tree” being quite exceptional, not to be missed. “Flock” could form a delightful ending to your visit. The wait between installations can be filled in with other installations which are free at the moment. Sofas are available, and VR-goggled visitors waving their arms in the air provide intermission entertainment. The $25 ticket for it all is valid for the whole day, so you can duck out for refreshments and return when suitably fortified.
Written September 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cyndi C
Toronto, Canada125 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
Drove to Montreal from Toronto for the Crate Diggers get together. Found a bunch of new used vinyl albums. Was a smaller show than we expected but still had a good time.
Written June 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Russ1470
Nottingham, UK806 contributions
Apr 2017 • Friends
We spent about an hour here experiencing several different virtual reality films. The staff were really helpful and attentive. A great rainy day activity.
Written April 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lori J
8 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Get there early as it gets quite crowded in the afternoon. We went with our two teenagers and had an excellent experience!!
Written August 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
janetmarieo
Chicago, IL73 contributions
Aug 2016
We visited the Sensory Stories exhibit. Very cool experience. Does get quite crowded. We didn't get to do it all because we had time constraints but would have liked to.
Written August 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vidar L
Tromso, Norway85 contributions
Jul 2016
Visiting in July 2016, I saw a great exhibition. It was showing new ways of storytelling using digital tools. I cannot describe it with words. It has to be seen.
The centre has a part that is free and a part where you have to pay. The staff is very friendly and bilingual. This is one of the most exciting art centres in Montreal right now. Even if you are not an art buff it is well worth the visit.
The centre has a part that is free and a part where you have to pay. The staff is very friendly and bilingual. This is one of the most exciting art centres in Montreal right now. Even if you are not an art buff it is well worth the visit.
Written July 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BlueBsAs
Miami, FL6,746 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
The Center is located in Old Montreal, the fee entrance is $15 p/adult . Tuesday & Wed they offer a reduce ticket. We spent almost 3 hours. There are 13 sensorial stories to experience, most of them required English knowledge or French of course. As many said before, Oculus, is the one that demands more time (12 minute) so you need to sign in on a waiting list, once it's your turn , the staff will look after you. Each experience is individual, except for the theater movie. The most shocking for me , was the Death Experience, I chose JFK, and was locked into a morgue box for 4minutes, they give you a panic bottom, just in case!
We really enjoyed the Centre and experiencing how virtual reality is moving forward.
We really enjoyed the Centre and experiencing how virtual reality is moving forward.
Written July 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
judi w
Boca Raton, FL230 contributions
Jun 2016
Fabulous VR (virtual reality) exhibit. Make sure you see this. Lobby has free VR with I believe four different narratives from NYT. Upstairs is paid exhibit and totally worth it to try all the different VR narratives. Make sure you sign up right away to try the Oculus, there was a long line and wait. After you sign up then you can walk around at leisure and try everything else. Had a Tribeca film festival winner narrative by John Hull, to experience and hear about going blind, truly moving experience. This is a must see.
Written July 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vantheman1999
Montreal, Canada70 contributions
Sept 2015
Saw a couple of shows at this venue. The sound was really good. The place is at the top of technology in Montreal for audio and video.
Written September 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
denmarlef
Toronto, Canada78 contributions
Sept 2015 • Family
The PHI Centre located in Old Montreal is a great attraction for media arts lovers. When I visited there was a great flight simulator that you hopped on to and experienced what it is like to be a bird. I crashed into tall buildings 3 times LOL
Written September 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there lockers to store personal belongings before going inside lashing skies?
Written April 11, 2022
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