First edition: Concordia
Griffintown, Place des Aiguilleurs, summer 2023
Concordia University headed the first edition of the temporary art program, in conjunction with artists and professors Kelly Jazvac, Juan Ortiz Apuy and Yann Pocreau.
All four temporary works were produced as part of the “Public Art and Sustainability” course, focusing on sustainable practices in public art. Each work was created in close connection with the chosen location and offers a reflection on our urban life. Sustainability practices in public art guided the choice of concepts. Respect for the site, at the heart of Griffintown’s history, and for communities and the environment is also the basis for the approach.
The artworks
Sonic Dés.orientations (site if you'd like) Stand:by ANTICLOCK
Sonic, August 2023
apparition ondulante
comme une pulsation dictée par le temps
tel un mouvement nourri par l’espace
entre vibration et territoire
The temporary installation is made up of 28 slender red pine and copper structures arranged in a wave-like pattern on the slope adjacent to the Tour d’aiguillage. Capping each structure is a copper pipe that—activated by the vibrations of the ground, the wind and the various movements in the neighbourhood—causes the structure to sway gracefully. Copper is a nod to our connection through matter, both within our buildings, which connect us, and with the territory from which they originate.
This installation reflects on the vibratory and vibrant history of the neighbourhood. What is the vibrational mapping of a space? Here, we’re talking about sound vibrations—at once physical, poetic and dynamic. A vibration of the world and the earth, a beating of the heart and urban life.
Dés.orientations (sit if you’d like), August 2023
This labyrinth is a simple path designed for the curious. Going through it offers respite, especially when you reach its centre. Around it, the city, like a snake, grows and changes. Just as in the city, each person has their own destination.
This labyrinth is a symbolic journey. It reminds us that some forms of life can be highly resilient. It contains seeds, which we hope will grow, as a reminder of the weeds that criss-cross the concrete pavement everywhere. These plants evoke what was there before us, and represent what will remain afterwards.
This labyrinth is a place to stop, rest, re.orientate, and to connect with nature, where we can put our respective itineraries into perspective.
The Tour d’aiguillage Wellington is recognized as a historical and symbolic landmark of the Lachine Canal. Originally intended as a cultural incubator for the arts community, this plan has since been postponed indefinitely. The failure to revive this space and its continued abandonment inspired us.
The aim of the work is to make the roof of the tower accessible to the public by means of a 1:4 scale reproduction installed at ground level. The roof serves as a bench for passers-by. A space has been created where a medicinal plant garden is shared with the community. A brightly coloured metal sculpture spelling “stand:by” serves as a commentary on the cultural incubator project that has remained inactive for several years.
The artwork is made from end-of-life and reclaimed materials.
ANTICLOCK, August 2023
ANTICLOCK, located at the crossroads of pedestrian, bicycle, and maritime paths, is a compass for both intersection and direction. Fashioned from reclaimed metal, its minimalist form creates a particularly strong resonance with Griffintown’s history.
This project is a sundial that is not intended to tell the time, but to point in new directions. Its base is covered with lines that indicate the position of significant events, phenomenons and elements. Visitors eager to learn more can visit a website (anticlock.ca) that details each of the elements to be discovered. A veritable tool for stepping back in time, its aim is to reveal past, present, and future events that greatly contributed and will contribute to shaping the face of Griffintown, by making the invisible visible.