Les diamants irréguliers is composed of human-scale sculptures placed in the small green square situated on the southwest corner of the intersection of Sainte-Catherine and Berri streets. The pieces are three patinated-bronze prisms whose surfaces are covered with drawings and inscriptions, the result of a collaboration with the organization Cactus Montréal.

Working with participants in the organization’s programs, Pocreau and they created a collection of images, words, and quotations that compose what he calls the “skin” of the sculptures.

Pocreau wanted to perpetuate the neighbourhood residents’ voices, underlining a spirit of solidarity and hope, and to remind people of the major social struggles that have marked the Quartier latin, a vital part of downtown.

The irregularly shaped “diamonds” celebrate marginal or deliberately anti-conformist people and ideas that have characterized the area. The work evokes the effervescent, rich historical context and the communities living in the neighbourhood. Formally, Les diamants irréguliers may discreetly refer to the Rosetta Stone or the alignment of menhirs in Carnac – a way for Pocreau to address the knowledge related to the site’s association with the university.

In April 2022, the Public Art Bureau held a competition for professional visual artists for the design and production of an artwork integrated into the landscaping around the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). This initiative resulted from a partnership agreement between UQAM and the Ville de Montréal under the Accès jardins program implemented in the Ville-Marie borough. The program responds to a need for green spaces in downtown Montréal. It was conceived in the wake of the Programme particulier d’urbanisme for the Quartier des spectacles dedicated to the Quartier latin hub (2013).