Page 48 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Winter/Spring 2025

TA L K
Sakchin
Bessette
MOMENT FACTORY'S MAGIC
MAKER OF IMMERSIVE ART
BY BILL KING
48
DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2025
MONTRÉAL-BASED MOMENT FACTORY BLENDS TECHNOLOGY,
art and storytelling to create immersive experiences that transform
ordinary spaces into extraordinary spectacles. From lighting up
forests with breathtaking night walks to projecting stunning
visuals onto historical landmarks, the multimedia entertainment
studio’s innovative work has captured global audiences.
Concert-going fans of Madonna, Bon Jovi and Arcade Fire would
know. Moment Factory masterminded some of their biggest world
tours. Madonna’s 2012 MDNA tour and the 3D effects of “Vogue”
and “Express Yourself,” and Bon Jovi’s “Because We Can” tour in
2013, saw mind-bending projections. In 2018, Moment Factory
delivered a complete 360-degree creative approach splashing the
stage in other-worldly vibes for Arcade Fire’s “Infinite Content”
tour. Fans are still talking.
Sakchin Bessette, co-founder and Executive Creative Director,
who is one of the magic makers behind these cutting-edge instal-
lations, has spearheaded over 400 multimedia projects worldwide
since the company’s inception in 2001. “It’s all about creating the
immersive experience the public craves,” Bessette explains from
his Montréal studio.
DS: What’s in your toolkit now?
SB: We combine theatrical tech in new ways. Lights and pixels are
key. Our illuminated night walks—like Astra Lumina, which
launched in Whistler, or projects in Japan, Los Angeles and Quebec—
merge tech with nature. We also use projection mapping to
reimagine landmarks like Notre-Dame Basilica in Montréal, notably
through our Aura project and Paris’s Les Invalides. Magic is the goal—
connecting people through scale, illusion and orchestration.
DS: What were some of your major highlights last year?
SB: Collaborating with Billie Eilish and Phish at the Vegas Sphere
stands out. Every Phish show was mixed live—true to our VJ (video
jockey) roots. Another highlight? There’s Singapore’s Changi Airport,
with its indoor waterfall, and an animated ceiling with LED visuals
synchronized to the environment, reacting to weather.
DS: What’s currently going on in Canada?
SB: Village Québécois d’Antan was a big project. It’s a historical vil-
lage we brought to life with video projections, soundscapes, and
lighting effects to evoke time travel.
DS: Share some leisure travel plans.
SB: I’m heading to London with my kids for some theatre. I also
love Mexico and frequent Asia—Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali and
Japan are favourites.
DS: What first sparked your interest?
SB: Photography. My dad’s passion for 35 mm film drew me in.
Later, the VJ scene taught me how to craft immersive atmospheres,
something we’re just beginning to explore. The future holds even
more—new tech for connection and even healing.
DS: How is it managing 450 employees?
SB: We started as friends working for no pay. Now, with a team
across Montréal, Tokyo, Singapore, Paris, New York and Australia,
it’s more organized. The challenges are complex, but we grow with
every project.
DS: What’s your mission statement?
SB: Bringing people together—storytelling around a modern camp-
fire. That’s the essence of what we do.
DS
PHOTO: MOMENT FACTORY