Powered by creativity, innovation and sustainability, the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone creates an immersive oasis for MURAL festivalgoers

From zen gardens to ambisonic rainforest experiences, the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone will be a rejuvenating oasis amid the high-energy MURAL Festival, which takes over 4200 Boulevard Saint-Laurent June 9-19. (Mercedes-Benz Photo)

From zen gardens to ambisonic rainforest experiences, the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone will be a rejuvenating oasis amid the high-energy MURAL Festival, which takes over 4200 Boulevard Saint-Laurent June 9-19. Located at 3527 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone takes its cues from the Mercedes EQS 580 4MATIC Sedan, harnessing innovative technologies to create a calming retreat.

The all-electric luxury sedan from Mercedes-Benz also inspired the artistic direction for the open-air art space, which features sculptures created by Olivier Bonnard and Alexis Vaillancourt from all recycled materials. The EQS uses carpets made from recycled yarn and recycled plastics for components such as the wheel arch and underbody panels, as well as many small parts such as pushbuttons, plastic nuts and cable fasteners.

“At Mercedes-Benz, we know the only desirable luxury is sustainable luxury,” says Nathalie Gravel, national manager, Marketing & Communications, at Mercedes-Benz Canada. “We’re proud to work with MURAL to offer a space that is a physical representation of the creativity, innovation and ingenuity it takes to bring the future of luxury mobility to life in a responsible, sustainable way.”

To reinforce its commitment to sustainability, Mercedes-Benz collaborated with like-minded local artists on elements of the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone. Brand ambassadors on-site will wear T-shirt uniforms designed by Eric Eugène and Billy Eugène of Laval-based elevated streetwear brand Unlike General Norms (UGN) and manufactured in a fair-trade factory using textiles made from recycled water bottles. Additionally, a limited number of guests to the space will leave with an exclusive tote bag designed by local artist and philanthropist Amelia Hadouchi.

“We want to contribute responsibly to the social and cultural life of the city,” says Gravel. “From the sculptures on display to our brand ambassador uniforms, it was a priority for sustainability to be a guiding principle in our space because it’s a guiding principle for Mercedes-Benz.”

Visitors to the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone can experience:

• Immersive Ecological Ambisonic Recordings: An immersive sound experience created by James Benjamin and Danica Olders. This experience mimics the sounds of the Costa Rican rainforest and uses light effects to match the sunlight in the forest during the time of day of the recording. This experience mirrors the ENERGIZING NATURE program in the EQS, which offers three sound experiences (Forest Glade, Sounds of the Sea and Summer Rain). These calming sounds were created for Mercedes-Benz in consultation with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. They work with different lighting moods in the vehicle to create an immersive experience.

• Virtual Reality Multisensory Experience: This is a mesmerizing, never-before-seen virtual reality journey into space. Produced by Felix & Paul Studios and the Phi Centre, this was created as an extension of the largest production ever filmed entirely in space, Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. This virtual reality experience mirrors the advanced technology in the EQS including AUGMENTED REALITY NAVIGATION, a feature that takes footage from the vehicle’s front-facing camera and uses augmented reality to overlay useful navigational information.

• NFT Zone: An NFT Zone will display art from the NF-G Challenge, in which artists from the young artist collective ART2PEOPLE reinterpreted the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV as an NFT. As an example of its commitment to electrifying its portfolio, Mercedes-Benz recently announced The Concept EQG, a vision for how the legendary SUV might look in an era of all-electric mobility.

A Mercedes EQS 580 4MATIC Sedan will be on display at the centre of the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone. The EQS is the world’s most aerodynamic production car and festivalgoers will get to see and appreciate the unique shape that allows the vehicle to hold this distinction.

The EQS boasts a 547-kilometre range of zero-emissions mobility, intelligent resource-conserving features and is developed and manufactured following a responsible circular economy concept. It is assembled in Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany. The “car factory of the future,” Factory 56 was designed from the start to be carbon-neutral and thus is a zero-carbon manufacturing plant. It draws energy for its power supply entirely from renewable resources. The photovoltaic system installed on the factory roof alone supplies up to 30 per cent of the production hall’s total annual consumption.

The EQS is now available in Canada. Additional vehicles from Mercedes-EQ, the Mercedes-Benz sub-brand for electric mobility, will arrive to Canada later this year.

About MURAL
MURAL Festival is an 11-day event that celebrates culture, innovation and live art, bringing together world-class musicians and visual artists from around the world to celebrate art and technology. Inspired by this theme, the Mercedes-EQ Innovation Zone will showcase a unique NFT exhibit, curated by Mercedes-Benz and MURAL. Each zone in this immersive event was inspired by the design and experience of the Mercedes EQS.