Passersby bid on MASKARADE masks with digital screen

MONTREAL — The Farha Foundation, Quebec's leading AIDS fundraising organization, is displaying an interactive digital display screen that allows passersby to place bids on a collection of designer masks.

According to a news release, the silent-auction screen is displayed in the front window of Montreal fashion retailer Ogilvy. The collection is in honor of the 10th anniversary of MASKARADE, a black-and-white-attire ball in which everyone wears a mask.

Appearing in the de la Montagne Street window of Ogilvy from Jan. 27 to Feb. 28, the iGotcha Media interactive window display consists of a high-powered projector, a 60-inch optical foil, a touch foil (applied to the inside of the window) and a server running iGotcha Media's proprietary software. The interactive display responds to the user's touch, enabling people on the sidewalk to interact with the application directly through the glass. The display showcases photos of the masks being auctioned, promotes the MASKARADE Ball and provides information on the Farha Foundation.

Over 75 world renowned designers, artists, interior designers and celebrities submitted masks commissioned exclusively for MASKARADE, including Michael Kors, Philippe Dubuc, Kenneth Cole, Joe Fresh, Corno, Perez Hilton, Jully Black, Anouk Meunier, Pink Tartan, Andy The-Anh, Elisabetta Fantone, Glen Baxter and Lutz-Patmos. All proceeds of the online auction will benefit the Farha Foundation.

"We really pushed the envelope with this mask auction and tried to do something innovative to mark MASKARADE's 10th year," said Simon Tooley, MASKARADE Chairman. "Because this is our first auction of this type we sent out mask requests not really knowing what to expect. The support we've received from designers has been truly overwhelming, and the masks are beautiful."

This year's edition of MASKARADE will recreate a night of glamour and mystery with black-and-white attire and everyone in masks, based on Truman Capote's famous 1966 masked ball at the Plaza in New York.