Montrealers are being asked to create “Art in the Dark” and to “Think in the Dark” as part of this year’s international Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is designed to demonstrate support by people throughout the world for efforts to address climate change by switching off the lights for one hour on March 28.

The City of Montreal is going beyond that by organizing a series of artistic events in the dark during Earth Hour at the Société des arts technologiques building on St. Laurent Boulevard.

The creative strategy was developed by WWF-Canada and Bleu Blanc Rouge during a brainstorming session, said Justin Kingsley, executive vice-president of BBR.

“We actually met WWF-Canada at the Marketing Awards and began talking about Earth Hour. While we were brainstorming, it got dark and suddenly the idea hit us. Why don’t we get Montrealers to be creative in the dark?”

From 8:30 on March 28, artists, painters and graphic designers will spend an hour in the dark creating an original group work dedicated to humanity’s role on earth. A brainstorming session of architects and urban designers will also take place without light to achieve consensus on three concrete initiatives to be carried out within a year.

Music performances in the dark by local bands are also planned, and documents, photos and videos produced during this event will be posted on Facebook. It will only be readable in the dark.

Bleu Blanc Rouge also created the website IdeasInTheDark.ca which can only be read in the dark or by navigating the site with a computer’s mouse which acts as a flashlight.

“Montreal is the first city in the world to organize this kind of event (for Earth Hour) and we’re hoping other cities will pick up the concept and run with it,” said Darren Becker, a spokesperson from the Office of the Mayor of Montreal.