In her role as Principal at Thinkwell Group (A TAIT Company), Émilie Grenier conceives and sustains the strategic creative visions of substantial cultural and experiential projects, directing teams in crafting immersive, multi-sensory experiences tailored for an international clientele.
She has worked in a variety of disciplines over the past 20 years, such as film, performance, interactive storytelling, and extended reality environments. She approaches creation and her process in a way that is independent of platforms. Her work with cultural institutions has expanded her practice to create large-scale immersive experiences in both architectural and natural environments, unlike her earlier intimate works that featured wearable technologies and performance.
Two of her award-winning projects are Currents: Niagara Power Transformed and Wildwoods: AGLOW at the Fernbank Museum. Grenier is intrigued by technology’s potential to help visitors suspend disbelief. Whether her art is preserved in a glass case at a museum or exists only in our memory, she aspires to produce meaningful work that will endure generations.
Currents: Niagara’s Power Transformed is a new guest experience at Niagara Parks Power Station. An immersive night-time show located in the century-old hydroelectric plant, it tells the story of how water is transformed into electricity. Currents is a unique multisensory experience that takes place amid the power plant’s huge decommissioned generators. The show, which spans a space of 61,000 square feet, was created by Thinkwell Studio Montréal in close collaboration with the Niagara Parks Commission.
Before joining Thinkwell, Grenier amassed over 15 years of independent work as an immersive experience director and artist working with emerging technologies to develop new cultural opportunities and storytelling practices in Europe and North America. She also held the position of creative director of the National Film Board of Canada’s Interactive Studio from 2017-2020.
She is a Phyllis Lambert – UNESCO Creative Cities fellow and holds a master’s degree in design Innovation for Material Futures from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design.