Mathieu Lévesque
Dédale et Icare
2021
Presentation of the artwork
Seen as a whole, Dédale et Icare features gold-coloured geometric forms sketching out a circular movement and seeming to pass through the floor of the glass-railed balcony situated on the top deck of the Espace Paddock. The sculpture is composed of two groupings of intertwined segments made of painted aluminum. One is attached to the underside of the third-floor balcony, and the other rises from the balcony’s floor.
The concept is inspired by the myth of the father and son Daedalus and Icarus, and also evokes a chromatic conversation between the artwork and the architecture of the Espace Paddock. Here, the white colour of the building refers to Daedalus’s reasonable and ingenious personality, whereas the more natural aspect of the wood and the rich golden forms of the sculpture evoke not only the excellence of the winner but also Icarus’s driving ambition.
The artwork alludes to a three-dimensional race track and to a wheel speeding away, leaving an aerodynamic trail behind it. The sculpture’s curves evoke the cyclical aspect of a track, a wheel, and a running engine, whereas its broken diagonal lines reflect the spirit of competition that impels the championship race.
It is also possible to appreciate each of the artwork’s ensembles separately from the two balconies. This offers the public a human-scale experience, as the sculpture can be seen from other points of view in relation to architecture and the landscape.
Associated events
The work Dédale et Icare was produced in the context of the refurbishing of infrastructure for the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at Parc Jean-Drapeau, on île Notre-Dame. In compliance with the Politique d’intégration des arts à l’architecture et à l’environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics du gouvernement du Québec, the Espace Paddock – a multifunctional space in Parc Jean-Drapeau, created as part of this redevelopment – was required to include an artwork designed specifically for the site. 
©Mathieu Lévesque
Crédit photo : Marc-Olivier Bécotte, 2022
Mathieu Lévesque
Mathieu Lévesque holds a BA and an MA in visual and media arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal; he has also studied art history. In his work, Lévesque explores the elementary components of painting and sculpture and their proximity with their immediate environment. He strives to broaden the limits of the disciplines of painting, sculpture, and architecture, while highlighting their respective aesthetic, material, and spatial uniqueness. His works have been shown in Québec, Canada, the United States, Germany, and Belgium.
Presentation of the artwork
Seen as a whole, Dédale et Icare features gold-coloured geometric forms sketching out a circular movement and seeming to pass through the floor of the glass-railed balcony situated on the top deck of the Espace Paddock. The sculpture is composed of two groupings of intertwined segments made of painted aluminum. One is attached to the underside of the third-floor balcony, and the other rises from the balcony’s floor.
The concept is inspired by the myth of the father and son Daedalus and Icarus, and also evokes a chromatic conversation between the artwork and the architecture of the Espace Paddock. Here, the white colour of the building refers to Daedalus’s reasonable and ingenious personality, whereas the more natural aspect of the wood and the rich golden forms of the sculpture evoke not only the excellence of the winner but also Icarus’s driving ambition.
The artwork alludes to a three-dimensional race track and to a wheel speeding away, leaving an aerodynamic trail behind it. The sculpture’s curves evoke the cyclical aspect of a track, a wheel, and a running engine, whereas its broken diagonal lines reflect the spirit of competition that impels the championship race.
It is also possible to appreciate each of the artwork’s ensembles separately from the two balconies. This offers the public a human-scale experience, as the sculpture can be seen from other points of view in relation to architecture and the landscape.
Associated events
The work Dédale et Icare was produced in the context of the refurbishing of infrastructure for the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at Parc Jean-Drapeau, on île Notre-Dame. In compliance with the Politique d’intégration des arts à l’architecture et à l’environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics du gouvernement du Québec, the Espace Paddock – a multifunctional space in Parc Jean-Drapeau, created as part of this redevelopment – was required to include an artwork designed specifically for the site.
Mathieu Lévesque
Mathieu Lévesque holds a BA and an MA in visual and media arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal; he has also studied art history. In his work, Lévesque explores the elementary components of painting and sculpture and their proximity with their immediate environment. He strives to broaden the limits of the disciplines of painting, sculpture, and architecture, while highlighting their respective aesthetic, material, and spatial uniqueness. His works have been shown in Québec, Canada, the United States, Germany, and Belgium.
