Présences du littéraire dans l’espace public canadien - Linear

One potato, two potato...it's your life...

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:20:10 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Fernandes, Michael

Artwork creator(s):

Fernandes, Michael

Text author(s):

Fernandes, Michael

Text author(s):

Fernandes, Michael

Installation year:

2007

Remarks on location:

Occupied the space of Galerie du MAI, its windows and its neighbouring streets.

Artwork description

Source: MAI (2007). Michael Fernandes. One potato, two potato...it's you life.... Montréal: MAI

Description:

The artist offered an itinerary in the gallery and outside.

The MAI's eight windows were blocked up to present text fragments in fluorescent lettering.

Posters announcing lost cats were distributed on walls and lampposts throughout the surrounding streets. The poster was touched up by the artist, though he took care of preserving all the information.

On the other side of the large windows, the MAI's exhibition hall was plunged in darkness. Four stations were indicated on the ground. A soundtrack and projection were associated with each one.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Remarks on image:

Photos 1 and 2: Installation in the windows (text). Photos 3 and 4: Installation of a series of posters

Text of the artwork:

While working for different people in the past

Je ne travaillais pas pour le gouvernement

I'm working for my country

Peu importe qui vient

I have not been working for government

Peu importe qui s'en va

whoever comes

whoever goes

ce n'est pas mon problème

if the people are being busy somewhere

Ils ne vont nulle part ailleurs partciper à quelque activité guerrière

si les gens sont occupés quelque part

they are not going anywhere else to some war-like activities

Text theme:

Relationship to work and country

Artwork theme:

Interpenetration of art and life, trade, exchanges, multiple voices, fragmented message

History

History:

Galerie du MAI gave carte blanche to Michael Fernandes, a Canadian artist known for his artwork and his ecclectic body of work. During an artist residency in Montreal, he shot short video, almost too simple little stories. One potato, two potato... is a game, a random game, but it is also a change of roles, a turn of events. This artwork traces a quest for identity in tongue-in-cheek style.

One potato, two potato ... it's your life ...
February 8 to March 31

Event date(s):

2007

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Michael Fernandes

Document(s):

Michael Fernandes. One potato, two potato...it's you life...

Michael Fernandes

Lingua Aqua

Marie-Claude Langevin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:51:00 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Cassidy, Melanie; Filimowicz, Michael; Marks, Brady; Pasquier, Philippe

Artwork creator(s):

Cassidy, Melanie

Filimowicz, Michael

Marks, Brady

Pasquier, Philippe

Text author(s):

Quignard, Pascal; Hesse, Hermann; Miller, Casey; Waldo Emerson, Ralph; Sapir, Edward

Text author(s):

Quignard, Pascal

Hesse, Hermann

Miller, Casey

Waldo Emerson, Ralph

Sapir, Edward

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Surrey (2009). LinguaAqua. (http://www.surrey.ca/files/40-LinguaAqua2.pdf)

Description:

The structure is a self-enclosed fountain, with rain curtains and a reflective pool that contains a video monitor. The video shows a variety of community members speaking their native languages and employs a range of visual treatments

A mirror in the underside of the roof reflects the pool, the video images and viewers. Glass panels overhanging the roof are engraved with symbols drawn from a number of languages spoken in Surrey. Four support columns each house audio speakers that play a variety of sounds that complement or contrast with the content of the video. The audio component is transmitted through holes in the columns. These perforated designs form Braille texts related to the role of language across various cultures.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

“You live a new life for every new language
you speak. If we spoke a different language,
we would perceive a somewhat different
world. If you know only one language, you
live only once.”
-Compilation of Czech proverbs (anonymous)

2.
“Language is an anonymous, collective and
unconscious art; the result of the creativity of
thousands of generations.”
-Edward Sapir

“Language is a city to the building of which
every human being brought a stone.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

3.
“Our native language is like a second skin,
so much a part of us we resist the idea that
it is constantly changing, constantly being
renewed.”
-Casey Miller

“Everything becomes a little different as soon
as it is spoken out loud.”
-Hermann Hesse

4.
“Language is for the empty mouth what
dreams are for closed eyes.”
-Pascal Quignard (translated from French by Philippe
Pasquier)

“He who loses his language loses his world.”
-Gaelic proverb

“A country without a language is a country
without a soul.”
-Gaelic – Irish proverb

Text theme:

Diversity and similarity of language across cultures

Artwork theme:

Diversity and similarity of language across cultures

The similarities and differences that link us and distinguish us between different cultures.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Michael Filimowicz

Author's biography:

Philippe Pasquier

Document(s):

LinguaAqua

Students’ multimedia art destined for Surrey parks

Surrey Public and Community Art diversity, language and place making

Terra Incognita

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:12:27 +0000

Artwork identification

Alternate title:

Earth In Disguise

Artwork creator(s):

Curry, Gwen

Artwork creator(s):

Curry, Gwen

Text author(s):

Butler Yeats, William

Text author(s):

Butler Yeats, William

Installation year:

2001

Artwork description

Source: City of Surrey (2010). Public Art. (http://www.surrey.ca/files/PubArtInsert-Series9.pdf)

Description:

Terra Incognita links the Ocean Park Library with its garden, bringing the garden inside and the library outside. The classical interior architecture of the building lends itself well to the large, clear panels inscribed with flora and fauna on either side of curving windows high above the patrons. The panels have an antiquated style much like old-world etchings with their black and white maps, hawk image and botanical drawings. On the exterior wall facing the garden, delicate script lettering above the windows reads, “Take down this book, and slowly read”.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Take down this book, and slowly read.

Text theme:

A time for thinking and resting.

Artwork theme:

The unknown, thought, literature

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

Quote from When You are Old by British poet William Butler Yeats:

WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Artist's biography:

Gwen Curry

Author's biography:

William Butler Yeats

Owner(s):

City of Surrey

Document(s):

Public Art : Terra Incognita

Circuit littéraire de Gabrielle Roy

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:02:03 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Gaboury, Étienne

Artwork creator(s):

Gaboury, Étienne

Text author(s):

Roy, Gabrielle

Text author(s):

Roy, Gabrielle

Installation year:

2008

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by par Marc André Brouillette

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

The installation consists of stations featuring plates engraved with quotes from Gabrielle Roy. Each monument is installed at the exact location described in the quote. Some sites also feature five chairs resembling the human body, all reminiscent of a classroom or theatrical composition, two fields that were very close to Gabrielle Roy's heart.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

The other baby class was open to all
non-French-speaking children, who were
considered English-speaking though they
weren't really any of English origin, but
rather Russian, Polish, Italian, Spanish,
Irish, Czech, Dutch...

I became very attached to it and very
close to those children, and they taught
me a great deal about the folklore, songs
and dances of their people...

So much so that when Brother Joseph
suggested I move
up to a third or
fourth-year class a few years later, I
begged him to leave me with my little
immigrants.
- Enchantment and Sorrow

At the convent, the nuns fostered feelings
of heroic defence in us. Defying the law,
spending what little free time they had to
give us additional instruction, they
continued to teach us in French...

In my last years at school, spurred on,
steered by the sisters, I snagged all of
the prizes awarded by l'Association des
Canadiens français du Manitoba to the
students who came in first in the French
exams.
- Ma petite rue qui m'a menée
autour du monde

Text theme:

Autobiographical stories, self-discovery, quest for identity

Artwork theme:

Discovery of the author's identity, of a place of significance in her life. Houses inhabited by the author, or sometimes by members of her family, and places that inspired her work.

Text reference:

Ma petite rue qui m'a menée autour du monde

La Détresse et l'enchantement

History

History:

The Gabrielle Roy Literary Circuit is a project initiated by Friends of Gabrielle Roy, produced in association with several partners. It was launched in fall 2008 to commemorate the centenary of Gabrielle Roy's birth, in March 2009.

Event date(s):

2008

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The Gabrielle Roy Literary Circuit is a multidisciplinary project that aims to spread the work of Gabrielle Roy, making it more accessible in places that have influenced her literary work.

Artist's biography:

Étienne Gaboury

Author's biography:

Gabrielle Roy

Document(s):

Le Circuit littéraire

Sur les traces de Gabrielle Roy

Homage to Parenthood

Marie-Claude Langevin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:14:09 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Latour, Toni

Artwork creator(s):

Latour, Toni

Text author(s):

Latour, Toni

Text author(s):

Latour, Toni

Collaborator(s):

Her father

Installation year:

2010

Remarks on location:

Brighouse Station

Artwork description

Source: Toni Latour (2010). Toni Latour News. (http://www.tonilatour.com/upcoming.html)

Description:

Homage to Parenthood is a six-panel public art installation on display at the Canada Line Brighouse Station. On the panels are 100 clichés, idioms and sayings written in colours that mirror those of the rainbow.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Life is a bowl of cherries.
Nobody's perfect.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Better late than never.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Don't shoot the messenger.
Always look on the bright side of life.
Patience is a virtue.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Don't cry over spilled milk.
This too shall pass.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Every dog has his day.
It's not the end of the world.
Good things come to those who wait.
Stop and smell the roses.
Do it with a smile on your face and song in your heart.
Turn over a new leaf.
Seize the day.

Rise and shine.
What you see is what you get.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Only time will tell.
If you want it done right, do it yourself.
Measure twice, cut one.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
One bad apple spoils the bunch.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
That's the way the cookie crumbles.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
You're one to talk.
It's my way or the highway.
No pain, no gain.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Get your feet wet.
Break a leg.
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
Stand your ground.
Live and learn.

Think good thoughts.
Home is where the heart is.
No man is an island.
One day at a time.
Get off your high horse.
Beggars can't be choosers.
What goes around comes around.
You reap what you sow.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Ask and you shall receive.
It's a dog eat dog world.
Better safe than sorry.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Wait for the dust to settle.
No news is good news.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Put your best foot forward.
Take the bull by the horns.
Keep your head above water.
Life goes on.

You can do it.
Get with the program.
Don't be a chicken.
Nip it the bud.
Wha'ts good for the goose is good for the gander.
Laughter is the best medicine.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Roll with the punches.
Every rose has its thorn.
Don't put your foot in your mouth.
Hold out an olive branch.
Take it on the chin.
It could be worse.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Silence is golden.
Waste not, want not.
The third time's a charm.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Count your blessings.
Don't rock the boat.

Every cloud has a silver lining.
There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Tomorrow's a new day.
Many hands make light work.
Keep your chin up.
Get on the ball.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
His bark is worse than his bite.
There's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Money doesn't grow on trees.
Cross that bridge when you come to it.
Don't hold your breath.
When it rains, it pours.
Time flies when you're having fun.
All that glitters is not gold.
The best things in life are free.
You can't judge a book by its cover.
That's the bottom line.

Text theme:

Clichés, idioms

Artwork theme:

This work explores ideas of language, family upbringing, and the cultural specificity of clichés and idioms. It also exists as an homage to her recently deceased father.

History

History:

Part of the 2010 Vancouver Biennale

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

"I began the project by writing down all the sayings that my dad would use, and then did research on commonly used idioms and clichés from North America, which are incredibly culturally specific. From there, I had tons to choose from and the process really moved into the editing phase. It was a lot like writing a 100-line poem. The phonetic flow of each line was really important, along with the interconnected meaning. There are blocks of text that thematically relate to one another." Toni Latour

Matthew Hoekstra (2010). Dad may be gone, but not his words. Richmond Review
(http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/entertainment/95465209.html)

Artist's biography:

Toni Latour

Document(s):

Homage to Parenthood

Dad may be gone, but not his words

VB Learn

Toni Latour - Text Projects

There is no place like home

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:01:37 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Installation year:

2001

Artwork description

Source: Mois de la photo (2001). THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME. (http://www.moisdelaphoto.com/2001/lieux/fr_bleury.html)

Source: Craddock, Sacha (2001). Ken Lum, There is no place like home. (http://www.mip.at/en/werke/464.html)

Description:

Giant banner featuring portraits of people from various backgrounds along with their personal thoughts.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Je pourrai jamais me
sentir chez moi ici
J'me sens pas chez moi ici

Wow, j'aime vraiment ça ici
J'vais jamais retourner chez moi!

J'suis écoeuré de vos idées
sur les immigrants
C'est aussi chez nous ici

Text theme:

Country of origin, nationality, "internationality", immigration

Artwork theme:

Country of origin, emotions related to immigration and differences between nationalities. Awareness that home (the place that welcomes you) can be anywhere, regardless of nationality or religion.

History

History:

This project was originally produced by the Museum in Progress for the facade of the Kunsthalle in Vienna, in association with the Canadian Embassy and the League for Human Rights. The text was in English.

Event date(s):

2001

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

This Canadian artist presents There is no place like home, designed for the facade of the Kunsthalle in Vienna. This work involves various protagonists, colours and opinions. The aim of the project is to give the public the means to consider the image differently depending on whether it is displayed in a public or private space. More specifically, he is interested in examining the way immigrants reconstruct their identity in their host country.

Artist's biography:

Ken Lum

Document(s):

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Ken Lum, There is no place like home

Monument for East Vancouver

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Vancouver (2009). Monument for East Vancouver. (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/publicart/)

Description:

Neon cross. It contains the words "East" and "Van" intersecting at the letter "A", in the manner of a crossword puzzle.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

East Van

Text theme:

The words serve both as territorial markers and as a revival of an underground symbol of pride and rebellion in East Vancouver.

Artwork theme:

Creates multiple references and associations, including ones with religious and irreverent undertones, which can be interpreted as an affirmation of the identity of the East neighborhoods of Vancouver.

Dimensions

Height:

18.2m

Other information

Note(s):

“[The crossword] signifies the identity of those living in the Eastern part of the city and is often accompanied with the word “rules”. [This] is ironic, as traditionally those in the West of the city have held the economic and political power, though the real estate boom more recently has rendered the boundary between East and West more fluid. The piece monumentalizes a rearguard gesture of defiance, protest, and assertion of identity.”
- Ken Lum

City of Vancouver (2009). Monument for East Vancouver.
(http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/publicart/2010/mm_vaneastmonument.htm)

Artist's biography:

Ken Lum

Owner(s):

City of Vancouver

Document(s):

Ken Lum constructs icon to rule over East Vancouver

Monument to 'East Van' rises near VCC terminal

Monument for East Vancouver

"Mapping and Marking" public art program

La forêt

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:29:01 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Atelier Pierre Thibault

Artwork creator(s):

Atelier Pierre Thibault

Text author(s):

Dorion, Hélène

Text author(s):

Dorion, Hélène

Collaborator(s):

Pelletier, Guillaume; Février, Virginie

Installation year:

2010

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marie-Claude Langevin

Description:

Group of five wooden beams with glass panels. Inside the toppled beams, text is written on the glass panels.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

L’arbre, à l’insu de mon
corps, qui respire.
J’écris à travers ses
feintes, au milieu d’un
vent qui protège de
soi-même. De l’arbre,
je te dirai la vie qui s’y
abrite, ce point fragile
entre la force et
l’abandon.

Il n’y a pas de commencement.
L’amour, le silence, la lumière
sont là depuis toujours.
Le commencement est en nous
depuis toujours.

Text theme:

The environment

Artwork theme:

Working in association with the Teknograv glass workshop, Atelier Pierre Thibault presents La forêt, an installation that takes a sensitive and poetic approach to the environment and its exploitation. Here, wood is presented as an element for architectural construction, while glass is used as a medium to capture light and reconstruct words.

Text reference:

D’argile et de souffle

History

History:

From May 18 to October 31, 2010, in the entrance hall of the Grande Bibliothèque, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) will be hosting the exhibition Architectures en vers, which consists in five architectural installations inspired by poetry. These installations were created by collectives of well-known and up-and-coming architects working with glass artists. The exhibition is presented as part of the “Montréal, 2010 City of Glass” program, under the direction of the Board of Montreal Museum Directors.

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The chosen verses are from author Hélène Dorion, from the collection D’argile et de souffle, published by Éditions Typo (2002).

Artist's biography:

Atelier Pierre Thibault

Author's biography:

Hélène Dorion

Document(s):

Architecture en vers exhibition at Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque

Architectures en vers, présentée dans le cadre de Montréal, ville de verre 2010

Table-ronde - Exposition “Architectures en vers” à la Grande Bibliothèque

A Thousand Kisses Deep

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:23:35 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Pelletier, Éric

Artwork creator(s):

Pelletier, Éric

Text author(s):

Cohen, Leonard

Text author(s):

Cohen, Leonard

Collaborator(s):

Bourgeois, Olivier; Martineau, Annie; Turgeon, Amélie

Installation year:

2010

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marie-Claude Langevin

Description:

The installation consists of a gigantic glass prism with a rectangular base, which is split in the middle to disclose a silky texture that longs to be touched. The rectangle is covered with letters through which we distinguish the excerpt of a text.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

You the live I’m
Turning you tricks
Odds your ditch are
I’m getting it fixed
Lefethereas toifallit’s
To real stay beat alive

Text theme:

Poetry, Sensual

Artwork theme:

The team from Éric Pelletier, architectes has designed a work of art that is masculine, strong, dark and subtly sensual, a reflection of the poet who inspired it. Leonard Cohen's A Thousand Kisses Deep / Dans les profondeurs de mille baisers evokes thoughts about the man and his poetry, but especially on the depth and mystery of rich artistic production.

History

History:

From May 18 to October 31, 2010, in the entrance hall of the Grande Bibliothèque, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) will be hosting the exhibition Architectures en vers, which consists of five architectural installations inspired by poetry. These installations were created by collectives of well-known and up-and-coming architects working with glass artists. The exhibition is presented as part of the “Montréal, 2010 City of Glass” program, under the direction of the Board of Montreal Museum Directors.

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

A Thousand Kisses Deep
The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the Masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
Confined to sex, we pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
I made it to the forward deck.
I blessed our remnant fleet –
And then consented to be wrecked,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
I guess they won’t exchange the gifts
That you were meant to keep.
And quiet is the thought of you,
The file on you complete,
Except what we forgot to do,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat…

Artist's biography:

Éric Pelletier

Author's biography:

Leonard Cohen

Document(s):

Architecture en vers exhibition at Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque

Architectures en vers, présentée dans le cadre de Montréal, ville de verre 2010

Table-ronde - Exposition “Architectures en vers” à la Grande Bibliothèque

Rencontre au confluent

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:06:30 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Bergeron, Suzanne

Artwork creator(s):

Bergeron, Suzanne

Text author(s):

Laferrière, Dany

Text author(s):

Laferrière, Dany

Installation year:

2010

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marie-Claude Langevin

Description:

Group of glass panels with a concrete block. On the vertical panel, we can see the text and a path created with 1 ¢ coins. On the horizontal panel, the artist has inlaid wooden wafers and a recycled cardboard lattice.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

J’ai toujours pensé que c’était le livre qui franchissait les siècles pour parvenir jusqu’à nous.
Jusqu’à ce que je comprenne en voyant cet homme que c’est le lecteur qui fait le déplacement.

Text theme:

Litérature

Artwork theme:

Rencontre au confluent is a glass book that opens onto the world and artistic creation – both architectural and literary. Here, the designer is not inspired by the poet, but rather pays tribute to him. The viewer is invited to make a connection with Dany Laferrière’s novel L’énigme du retour (2009 Médicis prize), published by Éditions du Boréal.

Text reference:

L'énigme du retour

History

History:

From May 18 to October 31, 2010, in the entrance hall of the Grande Bibliothèque, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) will be hosting the exhibition Architectures en vers, which consists of five architectural installations inspired by poetry. These installations were created by collectives of well-known and up-and-coming architects working with glass artists. The exhibition is presented as part of the “Montréal, 2010 City of Glass” program, under the direction of the Board of Montreal Museum Directors.

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

Suzanne Bergeron of Amiot Bergeron architectes reveals her deepest thoughts in a work of shadow and glass that is highly moving in its simplicity.

Author's biography:

Dany Laferrière

Document(s):

Architecture en vers exhibition at Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque

Architectures en vers, présentée dans le cadre de Montréal, ville de verre 2010

Table-ronde - Exposition “Architectures en vers” à la Grande Bibliothèque

Murmures dans la main du temps

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:50:04 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Collectif C-M-R

Artwork creator(s):

Collectif C-M-R

Text author(s):

Vigneault, Gilles

Text author(s):

Vigneault, Gilles

Collaborator(s):

Cousineau, Florent; Montero, Alejandro; Rheault, Cindy Diane

Installation year:

2010

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marie-Claude Langevin

Description:

Murmures dans la main du temps is a spiral sculpture. Its labyrinthine structure of woven raw material evokes movement, inviting the viewer to stroll along, carried by the words of the poet from Natashquan. All words are stained yellow, except for the word "rouge" (red), which is red.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Un jour je ferai mon grand cerf-volant
Un côté rouge, un côté blanc
Un jour je ferai mon grand cerf-volant
Un côté rouge, un côté blanc
Un côté tendre
Un jour je ferai mon grand cerf-volant
J’y ferai monter vos cent mille enfants
Ils vont m’entendre
Je les vois venir du soleil levant

Puis j’attellerai les chevaux du vent
Un cheval rouge, un cheval blanc
Puis j’attellerai les chevaux du vent
Un cheval rouge, un cheval blanc
Un cheval pie
Puis j’attellerai les chevaux du vent
Puis nous irons voir tous les océans
S’ils sont en vie
Si les océans sont toujours vivants

Par-dessus les bois, par-dessus les champs
Un oiseau rouge, un oiseau blanc
Par-dessus les bois, par-dessus les champs
Un oiseau rouge, un oiseau blanc
Un oiseau-lyre
Par-dessus les bois, par-dessus les champs
Qui nous mènera chez le Mal méchant
Pour le détruire
Bombe de silence et couteau d’argent

Nous mettrons le mal à feu et à sang
Un soleil rouge, un soleil blanc
Nous mettrons le mal à feu et à sang
Un soleil rouge, un soleil blanc
Un soleil sombre
Nous mettrons le mal à feu et à sang
Un nuage monte, un autre descend
Un jour sans ombre
Puis nous raserons la ville en passant

Quand nous reviendrons, le coeur triomphant
Un côté rouge, un côté blanc
Quand nous reviendrons, le coeur triomphant
Un côté rouge, un côté blanc
Un côté homme
Quand nous reviendrons, le coeur triomphant
Alors vous direz ; ce sont nos enfants
Quel est cet homme
Qui les a menés loin de leurs parents ?

Je remonterai sur mon cerf-volant
Un matin rouge, un matin blanc
Je remonterai sur mon cerf-volant
Un matin rouge, un matin blanc
Un matin blême
Je remonterai sur mon cerf-volant
Et vous laisserez vos cent mille enfants
Chargés d’eux-mêmes
Pour jeter les dés dans la main du temps

Pour jeter les dés dans la main du temps

Text theme:

Evokes childhood, idealism, the willingness to go higher

Artwork theme:

Evokes childhood, Earth and hopes for a better world.

Text reference:

Le grand cerf-volant

History

History:

From May 18 to October 31, 2010, in the entrance hall of the Grande Bibliothèque, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) will be hosting the exhibition Architectures en vers, which consists of five architectural installations inspired by poetry. These installations were created by collectives of well-known and up-and-coming architects working with glass artists. The exhibition is presented as part of the “Montréal, 2010 City of Glass” program, under the direction of the Board of Montreal Museum Directors.

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The C-M-R collective, which brings together a multidisciplinary artist (Florent Cousineau), a graduate architect (Alejandro Montero, Tergos ecological architecture and building) and a photographer (Cindy Diane Rheault, images ECOterre), was inspired by Le Grand cerf-volant (Éditions le vent qui vire, 1982) by Gilles Vigneault, to design a sculpture that evokes childhood, Earth, and hopes for a better world.

Author's biography:

Gilles Vigneault

Document(s):

Architecture en vers exhibition at Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque

Architectures en vers, présentée dans le cadre de Montréal, ville de verre 2010

Table-ronde - Exposition “Architectures en vers” à la Grande Bibliothèque

Aids Memorial

Marie-Claude Langevin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:23:43 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Wilson, Bruce

Artwork creator(s):

Wilson, Bruce

Text author(s):

Santayana, George

Text author(s):

Santayana, George

Installation year:

2004

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

Curved wall, like a ribbon. On it, the names of thousands of BC AIDS victims have been cut out in the steel. A poem is written above.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

With you a part of me hath passed away

For in the peopled forest of my mind

A tree made leafless by this wintry wind

Shall never don again its green array.

Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,

Have something of their friendliness resigned;

Another, if I would, I could not find,

And I am grown much older in a day.

But yet I treasure in my memory

Your gift of charity, your mellow ease,

And the dear honour of your amity;

For these once mine, my life is rich with these.

And I scarce know which part may greater be,--

What I keep of you, or you rob of me.

“But the energy that is me will not be lost” Dr Peter

Name of AIDS victim

Text theme:

Presence or absence, as felt by those who have lost loved ones

Artwork theme:

Aids

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The names have been placed randomly on the Memorial, representing the random nature of the impact of HIV/AIDS.

The poem's title, W.P., refers to Warwick Potter, a friend who died in an 1893 boating accident.

Artist's biography:

Bruce Wilson

Author's biography:

George Santayana

Document(s):

Vancouver Aids Memorial

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

Untitled (It)

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:01:54 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Kruger, Barbara

Artwork creator(s):

Kruger, Barbara

Text author(s):

Kruger, Barbara

Text author(s):

Kruger, Barbara

Installation year:

2010

Remarks on location:

On the facade of the Art Gallery of Ontario

Artwork description

Source: Photo provided by Marie-Claude Langevin

Description:

The artwork consists of a series of found images and statements.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

LOVE IT

SHOVE IT

PRAISE IT

PLEASE IT

DOUBT IT

SHAME IT

BLAME IT

KISS IT

BUY IT

BELIEVE IT

Text theme:

Imperatives imposed on the public by advertisers

Artwork theme:

Explores how photography informs and transforms human behaviour, especially via the medium's connections to mass media, advertising, consumerism and propaganda.

How we are to one another

History

History:

The installation responds to CONTACT’s theme for 2010, “Pervasive Influence,” which considers how photography informs and transforms human behaviour, especially via the medium’s connections to mass media, advertising, consumerism and propaganda.

May 1 - August 30, 2010

Event date(s):

2010

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

“I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren’t.”

Barbara Kruger

Artist's biography:

Barbara Kruger

Document(s):

American Artist Barbara Kruger to Appropriate AGO Façade

Barbara Kruger - Scotiabank CONTACT

Making a statement

AGO paid to be wrapped in advertising

Questions & Artists: American artist Barbara Kruger shakes things up on the AGO's façade

A Tale of Two Children: A Work for Strathcona

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:20:01 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Artwork creator(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Text author(s):

Lum, Ken

Installation year:

2005

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

Two large aluminum panels. On one side, an image; on the other, text. One shows an unhappy Caucasian boy. The other, a smiling young Asian girl and an adult woman.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

What an idiot!
What an idiot
you are!
What an utterly
useless idiot
you are!

You so smart.
You make me proud
you so smart.
I so proud
you so smart.

Text theme:

Conjunctions and disjunctions between visual and verbal imagery

Artwork theme:

Parenting
The anecdotal is pitted against stereotypes
Social criticism
The neighborhood

Dimensions

Other information

Note(s):

The artist grew up two blocks away from the works yard.

Artist's biography:

Ken Lum

Owner(s):

Vancouver

Document(s):

Ken Lum: A Tale of Two Children

Public Art in Vancouver. Angels Among Lions

Naissance, envol et vie... un cycle

Marie-Claude Langevin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:17:13 +0000

Artwork identification

Alternate title:

Pour la suite du monde

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Text author(s):

Einstein, Albert

Text author(s):

Einstein, Albert

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Page Facebook of Pierre Leblanc

Description:

The artwork is divided into two locations. The outdoor site consists of rectangular shapes displaying various signs (tree, samara, quote). The indoor site consists of representations of trees and roots on the walls. The phrase Pour la suite du monde appears on these representations.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

La connaissance est limitée, tandis que l'imagination englobe le monde entier, stimule le progrès, suscite l'évolution.

Pour la suite du monde

Text theme:

Imagination is more important than knowledge

Artwork theme:

Life, Birth

The outdoor site is based on the Carnac stone alignments (Brittany) and on megaliths.

Dimensions

Height:

5.6m

Width:

15.2m

Depth:

12.1 m

Other information

Note(s):

"Comment parler de médecine et de santé, sans aborder au préalable la notion de naissance, car cet état premier est ici intimement lié au lieu. C'est donc en abordant cette facette propre à la vie que mon projet prend place." – Pierre Leblanc

Artist's biography:

Pierre Leblanc

Author's biography:

Albert Einstein

Owner(s):

Université Laval

Rosace, feuille d’acanthe, colonnes, tête d’enfant, une histoire, un lieu

Marie-Claude Langevin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:24:10 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Text author(s):

Lelièvre, Sylvain

Text author(s):

Lelièvre, Sylvain

Installation year:

2009

Artwork description

Source: Page Facebook of Pierre Leblanc

Description:

Sculptural grouping of columns and benches. An acanthus leaf, a church façade and a child's head appear on the columns. The text is written on the benches.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

J'habite au cœur des cordes à linge où les oiseaux viennent quand même chanter.

Artwork theme:

Light, architectural elements: the façade of the Limoilou church and the child's head echo the Art Deco architecture of the Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus located just across the street.

Dimensions

Height:

4.35m

Width:

8.55m

Depth:

6.4 m

Other information

Artist's biography:

Pierre Leblanc

Author's biography:

Sylvain Lelièvre

Owner(s):

CHSLD / CLSC de Saint-Charles de Limoilou

Lieu de force

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:12:39 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Text author(s):

Miron, Gaston

Text author(s):

Miron, Gaston

Installation year:

2002

Remarks on location:

Between the CHSLD's parking lot and main entrance

Artwork description

Source: MCCCQ (2010). Fiches d'inventaire. Québec: MCCCQ

Description:

Sculptural grouping consisting in four small components on which architectural motifs appear - volutes, banister, railing. Two larger components are also installed. A leafy tree and a samara are embedded, respectively, in the first one, shaped like a rectangular prism, and in the other, shaped like a column.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Cette terre dans mes épaules, cette branche qui dans ma voix bruit, c'est déjà et encore l'hiver.

Le gris, l'agacé, le brun, le farouche, tu craques dans la beauté fantôme du froid dans les marées de bouleaux, les confréries d'épinettes, de sapins et autres compères.

Text theme:

The place: Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts

Artwork theme:

Pays tribute to the larger than life men and women who imagined and built the Northern country.

Pays tribute to Gaston Miron.

Dimensions

Height:

5.5m

Width:

4.25m

Depth:

8.53 m

Other information

Artist's biography:

Pierre Leblanc

Owner(s):

Hôpital Laurentien

Time Cones

Marie-Claude Langevin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:40:25 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Golden, Brad; Eichenberg, Lynne

Artwork creator(s):

Golden, Brad

Eichenberg, Lynne

Text author(s):

Dewdney, Christopher

Text author(s):

Dewdney, Christopher

Installation year:

1996

Artwork description

Source : Photo transmited by Marc André Brouillette

Description:

Time Cones mark the entrance plaza of this office tower. Incised into the spiral ribbon of the large cone and the top ring of the planter cones, a text by poet Christopher Dewdney describes the geological strata of the site.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

PRECAMBRIAN ERA

PHANEROZOIC ERA

PALAEOZOIC ERA

CENOZOIC ERA

QUATERNARY EPOCH

HOLOCENE AGE

SCARBOROUGH TILL
POTTERY ROAD TILL
SUNNYBROOK TILL
THORNCLIFFE TILL
SEMINARY TILL
MEADOWCLIFFE TILL
HALTON TILL
LAKE IROQUOIS SAND

PLEISTOCENE AGE
STRATIGRAPHY OF THE ILLINOIAN GLACIATION

YORK TILL
DON

1.8 BILLION YEARS BC HELIKIAN SEA

440 MILLION YEARS BC IAPETUS OCEAN (Ordovician Period)

100 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE COLEMAN

70 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE SCARBOROUGH

30 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE THORNCLIFFE

11 THOUSAND YEARS BC LAKE PEEL

Text theme:

Describes the geological strata of the site and lists the glacial lakes which once covered the local landscape.

Artwork theme:

Suggesting the upward movement of time.

Time Cones act as both urban landmark and garden element, participating in the relationship between landscape, art, and architecture.

Dimensions

Other information

Artist's biography:

Brad Golden; Lynne Eichenberg

Author's biography:

Christopher Dewdney

Owner(s):

Direct Energy

Sous l'aile, le vent...

Marie-Claude Langevin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:00:27 +0000

Artwork identification

Alternate title:

Doux (12) essai sur le vent

Artwork creator(s):

Forget, Normand

Artwork creator(s):

Forget, Normand

Text author(s):

Forget, Normand

Text author(s):

Forget, Normand

Installation year:

1997

Remarks on location:

The installation is located on the second floor of the establishment, in the corridors of the administrative section.

Artwork description

Source: Centre d'Exposition Lanaudière (1998). L’autobus du 1%. Charlemagne: Centre d'Exposition Lanaudière

Description:

Pictorial and sculptural installation consisting in three elements: a sculpture in the form of a stylized angel wing, a "wing" made up of ten panels of painted aluminium and a painting on a sheet of aluminium.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Chinook, mistral, sirocco, alizé, simoun, bourrasque, cyclone
Miroir
N E
Souffle
Liberté

Text theme:

The wind, an imaginary world

Artwork theme:

A journey; offers a cognitive space

Dimensions

Other information

Owner(s):

Elementary school aux Quatre-Vents

Document(s):

Les œuvres du 1%. Les écoles (2e partie)

L’autobus du 1%

Poème illustré en boîte

Marie-Claude Langevin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:05:18 +0000

Artwork identification

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Artwork creator(s):

Leblanc, Pierre

Text author(s):

Carême, Maurice

Text author(s):

Carême, Maurice

Installation year:

1986

Artwork description

Source: Centre d'Exposition Lanaudière (1998). L’autobus du 1%. Charlemagne: Centre d'Exposition Lanaudière

Description:

The installation consists of two gates that separate the main corridor from the one leading to the school yard. The gates are mounted on casters to allow them to close.

Mention(s) légale(s) des illustrations:

Photo credits:

Text of the artwork:

Si j'avais un [symbole d'avion] / Je n'aurais plus besoin [symbole d'ailes] / Je jouerais à saut' [symbole de mouton] / Au milieu des [photographie d'oiseaux]

Si j'avais un [symbole d'avion] / Je m'en irais jusqu'en [symbole de la calligraphie chinoise] / Et les [photographie du mot "les"] filles du Japon / Seraient alors mes voisines [photographie du mot "voisines"]

Si j'avais un [symbole d'avion] / Je partirais voir de [photographie du mot "de"] près / Les hauts volcans, les [symbole de lions] / Les [symbole d'une pagode] du Tibet

Si j'avais un [symbole d'avion] / Je ferai le tour du [symbole d'un globe terrestre] / En tirant les [photographie d'une chevelure] blonds / Des [image d'un astre] vagabondes

Text theme:

Nursery rhyme

Artwork theme:

Elements that populate the everyday life of children

Dimensions

Height:

2.68m

Width:

4.95m

Depth:

0.16 m

Other information

Note(s):

Poem by Maurice Carême, a French teacher in Grade 4, L'Avion.

Artist's biography:

Pierre Leblanc

Owner(s):

École primaire des Hautbois