Public Artwork
Nous
Location:
Dawson College, 4001 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montréal, QC, H3Z 3G4, Canada
See map: Google Maps
Artwork creator(s):
Mathieu, Marie-Christiane
Text author(s):
Tremblay, Michel; Greenblath, Natasha
Installation year:
2007
Remarks on location:
In the cafeteria
Description:
Nous links the Dawson College cafeteria, where the tragic event of September 13, 2006 took place, and the new auditorium of the College. The project transcends the human tragedy by using the works of Michel Tremblay and Natasha Greenblath, two Montreal playwrights. The background of the photograph features the names of students and employees who were affected by the tragedy. On the Southern wall of the cafeteria, an excerpt from the play We lived in a Palace by young Montreal playwright Natasha Greenblath is printed in a half-circle. Made to look like a scar on the wall, the white embossed text on white background forms a bond with the experience of the event.
Text of the artwork:
she's one of you. Elle est née à une époque précise de notre pays, elle évolue dans une ville qui nous ressemble, c'est vrai, mais, j'en suis convaincu, elle est multiple. Et universelle.
She has existed throughout the ages and in every culture. She has alway been present and always will be. J'avais envie de la revoir, de l'entendre à nouveau. Pour le plaisir. Pour rire et pleurer.
Encore une fois, si vous permettez, Michel Tremblay
I'm not a child anymore. I want to know all there is to know about life. I want to taste it. He told me where it was and what it tasted like. Sweet like mango, but bitter like a pomegranate seed.
Je ne suis plus un enfant. Je veux tout connaître de la vie. Y goûter. Il m'a dit où la trouver et comment reconnaître sa saveur. Doux comme la mangue, mais amer comme les grains d'une grenade.
We lived in a Palace, Natasha Greenblath
Text theme:
Human drama
Artwork theme:
The project is a symbol: the pink circle represents the trace left behind by the event and the text inscribed inside it makes the tragedy a universal event. The character who holds his hand out at the center of the circle represents the Other, the silent witness, but also a male character standing in for the father, the brother, the friend.
Artist's biography:
Marie-Christiane Mathieu Document(s):
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