The Delights
2024 | Canada | Produced and directed by Catherine Bélanger
10 min
Licensing
A virtual reality soup kitchen
The Delights is an interactive virtual reality work created from 360-degree videos filmed in a soup kitchen in Québec. As participants, we are invited to engage with the community through an immersive experience within two interconnected spaces: the projection area and the headset, where different levels of reality intertwine.
Through fleeting yet captivating encounters, a poetic map of lived experiences gradually takes shape. Like a decal transferred from one space to another, interactions are recorded and simultaneously translated into luminous, colorful imprints, emerging from the intersections between individuals. The accumulated data from all visitors over time illuminates moments that are both shared, essential, and extraordinary—reminding us of the connections that unite us all.
AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
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- WINNER | Digital Art | Prix Numix Montréal 2025
- FINALIST Special Mention Social Impact | Prix Numix Montréal 2025
- FINALIST International Digital Art | Prix Numix Montréal 2025
- OFFICIAL SELECTION | Social World Festival 2025
- OFFICIAL SELECTION | Shorts Int. Festival 2025
- OFFICIAL SELECTION | FIVARS 2025
CREDITS
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Produced in collaboration with La Bande Vidéo Avatar With the participation of Interferences The cultural development agreement between the government of Quebec and the City of Quebec, and Cegep Limoilou Unity Programming David Martin and Émeric Morin (Studio Barnaque) Technical Support for Production, Interactivity, and Distribution Johann Baron-Lanteigne Louis-Robert Bouchard (Interférences arts et technologies) Ulrick-Lucas Dubé-Cantin Support for Video Capture and Documentation Ricardo Savard (La Bande Vidéo) Sound Production Support Guillaume Côté (Avatar) Visual Effects Ulrick-Lucas Dubé-Cantin Rotoscoping Audréanne Boisvert Andrew Cyr-Marcoux Audrey-Ann Dubuc Emmy Galarneau Victor Rouillard Special thanks to Nathalie Bédard Brigitte Lemelin Sister Julie Bouffard (Fondation famille Jules-Dallaire and Maison Mère-Mallet) Myriam Lambert (Avatar) Richard Dubuc Marilyn Laflamme (Electrical Engineering Department of Cégep Limoilou).
This project benefits from financial support from
Distributor
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
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3 VERSIONS ARE OFFERED TO EXPERIENCE IT
VERSION 1: Interactive virtual reality installation with immersive projections (3 or 4 walls)
VERSION 2: Interactive virtual reality installation with flat projections (image unfolded onto a large wall)
Required Equipment (Versions 1 and 2)
- 2 computers (one for the VR headset, one for audio) :
– Graphics card (6 outputs for Version 1 / 5 outputs for Version 2): for VR headset, each projector (depending on model), and one monitor
– High-performance processor
– 64 GB RAM
– 1 monitor
– 1 keyboard
– Resolume software, VR headset peripherals - 1 Ethernet cable to connect the two computers
- 1 Oculus Rift S VR headset with integrated headphones
- 1 ceiling-mounted suspension system for the VR headset, with adjustable height
- Projectors (3 or 4 for Version 1 / 2 or 3 for Version 2)
- HDMI cables for projectors (3 or 4 for Version 1 / 2 or 3 for Version 2)
- 1 sound card with at least 5 outputs
- 4 speakers for surround sound system
- 1 speaker dedicated to the central fluorescent sound
- 5 XLR cables
- 1 anti-theft system
- 2 power strips
- 1 base for the platform
- 1 platform
- 1 fluorescent light fixture to be suspended
Technical Support (Versions 1 and 2)
- Installation of components in the space
- Projection mapping
- Sound system setup
- One person must be on-site at all times during the exhibition to assist visitors
VERSION 3: 360° animated video in virtual reality
Required Equipment (Version 3)
- 1 computer
- 1 monitor
- 1 keyboard
- VR headset peripherals
- 1 Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset with integrated headphones
OR, if available:
- 1 standalone virtual reality headset capable of hosting the video and operating without a computer
- 1 extension cord
- 1 power strip
- 1 anti-theft system
Technical Support (Version 3)
- Installation and setup of the VR headset
- One person must be available on-site during the screening to assist visitors
OPTIONAL ADD-ON FOR ALL VERSIONS:
An animated loop can be added on a television to accompany the artwork. Although optional, it can serve as an introduction and complements the piece Les Délices.
Required Equipment :
- 80 cm television
- MP4 player
- Anti-theft system
- 1 extension cord with power strips
ON/OFF INSTRUCTIONS: 3 VERSIONS OFFERED
VERSIONS 1 and 2: (The project runs in a loop)
• Turn on the projectors
• Turn on the computer
• Turn on the speakers
• Turn on the fluorescent light
• On the screen:
• Open the folder: Les Délices installation
• Open 01 - Resolume Arena (Wait until it’s fully loaded)
• Open Max 02 - DelicesToResolume_0.3 (Wait until it’s fully loaded)
• Keep the Oculus controllers nearby and put on the headset to launch Meta
• Open the project Les Délices 03 - Les Délices
• Turn on the fluorescent sound (if using a fake fluorescent light)
VERSION 3:
• Turn on the computer
• Start the VR headset
• Using the controllers inside the headset:
• Open the file: Version_alternative_video_animation
• Restart the file for each user
Catherine Bélanger
Creator
Catherine Bélanger lives and works in Quebec City. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts, a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Art, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage at Université Laval. Her practice-based research focuses on themes of encounter and gift, and deepens reflection on everyday rituals and the desire to preserve them.
Her work primarily takes the form of animation, video, and digital, sound, and interactive installations. It has recently been showcased at various festivals, including the Social World Film Festival in Naples and the ShorTS International Film Festival in Trieste, Italy, the FIVARS in Toronto in 2025, and Quebec City’s Mois Multi festival in 2024 and 2017. Her works have also been presented both individually and collectively at venues across Quebec, such as the Rouyn-Noranda Art Museum in 2025, Oboro and TOPO in Montreal in 2024, Cinéma Beaumont in Quebec City in 2023, as well as various artist-run centers, galleries, and museums in Quebec, France, and Thailand since 2000.
She is currently involved in transdisciplinary research on culinary gestures and movement in collaboration with the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard and École Centrale de Lyon in France, as well as the Centre for Digital Intelligence Research in Matane and various technical partners and artist-run centers in Quebec. She recently won a NUMIX award in the Digital Art category and is represented by the distribution company Hubblo Immersion. Her research has been supported by several organizations, including Quebec's Ministry of Higher Education and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her works are also part of various collections. Since 2004, she has also been teaching visual arts at Cégep Limoilou.