Public Artwork
Repères
Locations:
Near the church, Canada
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Municipal wharf, Canada
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Poste d’accueil, Corp. de Gestion des Rivières des Bois-Francs, Canada
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Maison Rodolphe-Duguay, 195 rang Saint-Alexis, Nicolet, QC, Canada
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Artwork creator(s):
Laquerre, Dominique
Text author(s):
Varied
Collaborator(s):
Raymond Champagne (mason); John LaHaye (geologist); Virginia Madena (intern); all those who have provided documents, photos, stories, memories or other information on the Nicolet River: Rosario Bégin, Isabelle Massey , Jean Chatillon, Marthe Dubé, Guy Hudon, Jeanne Allie, George Laquerre, Martine Desloges, Colombe Sweeney, Pierre Lacerte, Paul-Émile Pellerin, Monique Duguay, David Aucoin, Marie-Aimée Côté, Pierre Morin, Rita Dolan-Caron, Réjean Houle, Marie-France Beaudoin, Jean-Luc Lavigne (participants)
Installation year:
2002 Description:
Four sculptures, designated as "repères" ("markers"), were permanently inserted along the Nicolet River. Each "marker" is made of granite and features engraved text.
The Nicolet "marker" consists of half a pebble featuring a short engraved text. This "marker" is installed on a metal pedestal, on the site of the old center of Nicolet, which was destroyed by a mud slide in 1955. The artwork also includes a CD with works by Rodolphe Duguay and Jeanne L’Archevêque, as well as a testimony by their daughter Monique. It also contains poems and music by Jean Chatillon, Marthe Dubé, Jean-Luc Lavigne, Rosario Bégin and Ambroise Houle, as well as appearances by Jeanne Allie, Georges Laquerre and Rota Dolan-Caron.
The Notre-Dame-de-Ham "marker" includes a CD inserted into a waterproof granite box, which was put in a cylindrical nest dug into the rock at the bottom of the river, into the shale layer. This CD features testimonies by Isabelle Massey, Jean-Luc Lavigne, Rosario Bégin and Guy Hudon. This "marker" also includes stones from the river's potholes. Two words based on the theme of "internal work" are engraved on these stones. The four stones were then put back into natural potholes.
The Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens "marker" is based on the theme of "purity and origins". It consists of half a pebble with an engraved poem and a CD insert. The CD contains testimonies by Martine Desloges, Réjean Houle and Marie-France Beaudoin, as well as an analysis of the lake water, conducted in summer 2002.
The Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton "marker" consists of two parts: a steel wheel and an engraved block of granite with a CD insert. The theme of this "marker" is "the many uses of water, at the heart of the development of the region's villages." The CD features testimonies by Colombe Sweeney and Pierre Lacerte, David Aucoin, Paul-Émile Pellerin, Marie-Aimée Côté and Guy Hudon.
Text of the artwork:
Nicolet "marker":
LA RUMEUR PERSISTE DES POÈTES ET DES ARTISTES PASSÉS TELS DES CITÉS ENGLOUTIES
Notre-Dame-de-Ham "marker":
SURFACE PROFONDEUR TROUBLE CLAIR RÉFLÉCHIR ABSORBER ÉMERGER PLONGER
Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens "marker":
SAIT-ON OÙ NAÎT LA RIVIÈRE QUI COULE PRÈS DE CHEZ SOI ?
COMMENT EST-ELLE À SA SOURCE À TRAVERS QUOI PASSE-T-ELLE POUR ÊTRE AINSI TRANSFORMÉE ?
Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton "marker":
L'EAU GARDE MÉMOIRE D'AVOIR ABREUVÉ, LAVÉ D'AVOIR PORTÉ LA BARQUE ET FAIT TOURNER LA ROUE
Text theme:
Water, poetic visions, environmental concerns, happy memories, tragedies, legends, music, photographs, artifacts
Artwork theme:
Time capsule containing testimonies of what we are and our concerns.
History:
The launch of the Nicolet "marker" took place as part of the Journées québécoises de la culture, on September 28, 2002. The launch of the Notre-Dame-de-Ham "marker" took place on October 6, 2002. The launch of the Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens "marker" took place on October 13, 2002. The launch of the Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton "marker" took place on October 20, 2002.
Note(s):
At the request of the artist, people living near Nicolet River were asked to provide various information (experience, ecological concerns, memories, designs associated with the river). Two meetings were held on the banks of Nicolet River to inform the public about the project and collect testimonies. During these meetings, 20 texts on the theme of water had been plastified and scattered to float in the water of the blue basins along the path. Other texts were hung to dry on a clothesline stretched between trees. The "Repères" project was made possible by the support of the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and the société Saint-Jean-Baptiste du Centre-du-Québec. Each "marker" was the subject of a written contractual agreement between the artist (who donated the work) and the owner of the site (who agreed not to destroy or move the work and to provide access to visitors). Three markers are located on private land.
Artist's biography:
Dominique Laquerre- biography Document(s):
Syndicate
