The World Within is a monumental mural covering four storeys of a blank wall. It is presented as a formal composition of superimposed coloured planes. Its simplicity, however, is deceptive: these brightly coloured elementary shapes are in fact visual transpositions of printing techniques through which glazes and transparencies are formed. The colours have been reproduced extremely accurately, creating the effect of a serigraphy print created on the wall. False collages are added to the work, and the effect of tearing completes the trompe-l’oeil that takes place before our eyes.

Produced on an exterior wall of the Strathearn Intercultural Centre, this work resonates with the idea of a building that is no longer there. Evoking the different rooms of an interior seen in cross-section, the volumes divide the space like an architectural plan. This plan does not, however, precisely define the spaces. On the contrary, pathways become blurred, tricking our perceptions. Such a visual extension of what may have stood in the spot and the colours that emanate from it are belated evidence of a cartography of the past.

The World Within falls within the third component of the Ville de Montréal’s Mural Arts Program, the objective of which is to promote the quality of urban interventions, facilitate access to art, and encourage greater citizen mobilization through cultural mediation activities. This mural, inspired by the history of the site and the architecture of the building and the neighbourhood, has been added to the municipal collection of public art.