You may have walked the red carpets of the National Arts Centre for a play, sat in their dining hall for a wedding, listened to a performance from the acclaimed orchestra on the balcony, or watched classics like A Christmas Carol on stage. But outside the entertainment, all those spaces are hiding so much more.

In preparation for Canada’s sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) celebrations in 2017, the NAC is partnering with Instagram on a project that will feature photos of empty spaces: its halls, corridors, theatre spaces and studios, mostly devoid of guests.

One of the aims of the project is to connect people to the beauty of national spaces. In this case, it will highlight the architectural details of Fred Lebensold’s 1969 design, which is especially timely given that major renovations will soon begin on the building, to be completed by 2017.

This morning, more than 30 Ottawa-based Instagrammers, along with Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the NAC, and members of the Instagram Team visited the NAC to explore the hidden spaces of the building, tagging photos with #EmptyNAC.

Today’s event marks the first in Instagram’s Canadian series, which will showcase other art institutions across Canada. These will be added to a list of such well known, international spaces already photographed as the #EmptyLouvre in Paris, #EmptyGuggenheim in New York, and #EmptyArtsandPortraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Head to Instagram to check them out.