Situated in Parc Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Le Village imaginé – Ayarak Le Renard l’emporte, le suit à la trace is composed of five elements set in various parts of the park. The string knot, whose overlapping fluid curves are reminiscent of drawing, is made of aluminum. Its form evokes an Ayarak, an Inuit string game. This piece is the central element of the artwork; around it are placed four houses made of weathering (Corten) steel, the surface of which oxidizes and turns orange. The houses, each unique in shape, are set at regular intervals in the park. Their polygonal or irregular shapes, massive and heavy, present a strong contrast with the light, airy string sculpture. A dialogue is established between the materials and between the shapes. Installed in the centre of the park, the knot is a metaphor for the village, whereas the houses reflect the cultural diversity of the neighbourhood. Through the theme of habitat, which recurs in Bourgault’s work, the artwork evokes the colony’s difficult early days.

Rooted in the history and spirit of the site, the artwork celebrates the 350th anniversary of Marguerite Bourgeoys’s arrival in Montréal and La Grande Recrue, a vast campaign to recruit settlers organized in 1653.