Free Time

A Surprising Look at Leisure
From March 6, 2008, to September 7, 2009, at Musée de la civilisation, Québec City

—“I dabble in miniature decors,/YOU indulge in genealogy,/HE enjoys electric trains,/SHE’s crazy about cross-stitching,/WE sing in a gospel choir,/YOU revel in ballroom dancing,/THEY play hockey...” (Claire Dé, from the exhibition). How do we spend our free time? Do we always find time for leisure? Québec City’s Musée de la civilisation invites you to a fascinating look at leisure with Free Time, an exhibition running from March 6, 2008 to September 7, 2009. A Musée de la civilisation production, in partnership with Ministère de l Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport, in conjunction with the 2008 World Leisure Congress, and a part of Québec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations. With the collaboration of daily newspaper Le Soleil. Musée de la civilisation’s programming is sponsored by Alcoa.

Leisure is a universal phenomenon shared by all nationalities, a cultural experience linked to identity and our search for mental and physical equilibrium, and an “essential element of human accomplishment” (Thoughts. Plato, 427-348 B.C.). No wonder Musée de la civilisation has chosen it as a subject for a new exhibition!

Society, identity, leisure, and the future
“Time goes by too fast. My life is a perpetual race against the clock. I don’t have time for hobbies—is there anyone who hasn’t found themselves uttering these words? And yet people have been talking about a ‘world of leisure’ for decades. Have we made any progress at all?” asks Musée de la civilisation’s CEO Claire Simard. “Leisure is the reflection of an entire people’s social identity. At this start to the 21st century, it behooves us to reflect on the importance of leisure in our daily lives, both now and in the future. And who better to do so than Musée de la civilisation, which for 20 years has been exploring every aspect of our great human adventure.”

Symbols, projections, and an original set design
In order to cast a critical and reflective light on the way we spend our free time and on what recharges us outside the constraints of work and family, this exhibition features objects chosen for their symbolic value or evocative power together with video projections, an interactive game, and more. The humorous, probing, and thoughtful texts of Claire Dé—some of which include historical facts and statistics—complete the picture. Free Time is complemented by an extremely up-to-date, surprising, even disconcerting set design that puts the emphasis on what makes leisure important, from experimentation and discovery to play, enjoyment, and relaxation. This exhibition was designed to mirror the spirit of its subject—by being fun. Free Time explores this theme in five phases.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may!
The first phase of the exhibition deals with the way we perceive time and how it organizes our lives. Hourglasses, clocks, and watches of all kinds, metronomes, alarm clocks, sundials, punch clocks, and other objects representing time in various periods and walks of life invite visitors to think about the notion of free time. An interactive computer questionnaire helps visitors establish their own leisure profiles (signup required upon hall entry). The computer prompts not only get visitors involved as they progress through the exhibition, they also provide insights into the various meanings of leisure.

Leisure in our own image
In the second phase, Free Time looks at how important leisure is in our daily lives, how necessary it is to make time for one’s self, and how to identify leisure activities that meet our specific needs. Here a large space has been turned into a viewing area in which visitors are invited to lie back, relax, and watch a few videos—projected on the ceiling. We’ll find out about the motivations and values people pursue through particular leisure activities. An installation made up of footwear will reveal the most popular pastimes among Quebecers together with some that are more infrequently enjoyed. You’ll see footwear belonging to prominent Québec personalities—Gaston Lepage’s fishing boots, Clémence Desrochers’s garden clogs, Deny Arcand’s tennis shoes, Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge’s skydiving shoes, and more.

Mirrors of ourselves
Here visitors are invited to take a trip and find out how the rest of the world spends its leisure time. Through video montages, we see that the benefits and reasons for choosing particular activities are often the same from one country to the next. Balls for throwing, balls for kicking, and marbles of every size and origin illustrate the universality of leisure as well as the diversity and uniformity of leisure activities the world over.

Mom, Dad, I just want to play!
In this part of the exhibition, we are drawn into the world of children’s leisure, a world of fun, happiness, and simplicity. It will bring out the kid in all of us! A great big game on the floor and games and toys from the forties to today will get parents and kids talking and trading ideas about what leisure activities they find enjoyable and interesting.

Free time fast forward?
This final space offers visitors a last look at the role pastimes play or ought to play in their daily lives. Cozy nooks where visitors can consult—surprise!—the great Candélia. The crystal ball supplants the soccer ball. This super-powered electronic psychic speaks to each visitor directly, using the profiles created by answers provided throughout each visit. Light-hearted predictions and comments on your future. Also available by email, if you prefer.

Free Time, a fascinating exploration of the world of leisure, March 6, 2008 to September 7, 2009, at Québec City’s Musée de la civilisation. A Musée de la civilisation production, in partnership with Ministère de l Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport in conjunction with the 2008 World Leisure Congress, and a part of Québec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations. With the collaboration of daily newspaper Le Soleil. Musée de la civilisation’s programming is sponsored by Alcoa.

Information and Reservations
Press relations : Serge Poulin, 418 528-2072 / Email