Robert Roussil
Migration
1967
Presentation of the artwork
Migration is an abstract sculpture 4.65 metres high and 4.06 metres wide. With its curves, this sculptural composition of six pieces of bolted cast iron evokes forms that are either organic or animal, or mechanical.The sculpture’s 11 points, anchored in the ground or pointing at the sky, form an axis between sky and earth, a transit between two forces, two worlds. From this oscillation emanates a double effect of stability and lightness that radically transforms the site.
In 2004, the artwork was restored and moved to enhance its visibility. It is now near Chemin du Tour-de-l’Isle in Parc Jean-Drapeau on St. Helen’s Island. This new site refers to its context for creation and its original vocation, both linked to Expo 67.
Associated events
In 1965, the corporation responsible for organizing Expo 67 mandated well-known artist Robert Roussil to create a sculpture to stand in Place du Jardin des étoiles for the duration of the event. A first artwork was produced, but it was damaged during transportation, and so a second artwork was commissioned in early 1967 to replace it. The second artwork, Migration, was made in France and sent in time for the opening of the event on April 27. 
Crédit photo: Dolléans Art Conservation, 2004
Robert Roussil
A former member of the military, Robert Roussil (Montréal 1925–Tourettes-sur-Loup 2013) received his artistic education at the school of decorative arts and design at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (1945–46). His wood sculptures – habitable spheres and monumental modular structures – challenged, sometimes controversially, the function of public and private spaces.
Roussil participated in symposiums in Yugoslavia, Montréal, and Grenoble and produced numerous large-scale public art projects in Québec and abroad, including a sculpture park on the roof of a wastewater treatment plant in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France.
Roussil participated in symposiums in Yugoslavia, Montréal, and Grenoble and produced numerous large-scale public art projects in Québec and abroad, including a sculpture park on the roof of a wastewater treatment plant in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France.
Presentation of the artwork
Migration is an abstract sculpture 4.65 metres high and 4.06 metres wide. With its curves, this sculptural composition of six pieces of bolted cast iron evokes forms that are either organic or animal, or mechanical.The sculpture’s 11 points, anchored in the ground or pointing at the sky, form an axis between sky and earth, a transit between two forces, two worlds. From this oscillation emanates a double effect of stability and lightness that radically transforms the site.
In 2004, the artwork was restored and moved to enhance its visibility. It is now near Chemin du Tour-de-l’Isle in Parc Jean-Drapeau on St. Helen’s Island. This new site refers to its context for creation and its original vocation, both linked to Expo 67.
Associated events
In 1965, the corporation responsible for organizing Expo 67 mandated well-known artist Robert Roussil to create a sculpture to stand in Place du Jardin des étoiles for the duration of the event. A first artwork was produced, but it was damaged during transportation, and so a second artwork was commissioned in early 1967 to replace it. The second artwork, Migration, was made in France and sent in time for the opening of the event on April 27.
Robert Roussil
A former member of the military, Robert Roussil (Montréal 1925–Tourettes-sur-Loup 2013) received his artistic education at the school of decorative arts and design at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (1945–46). His wood sculptures – habitable spheres and monumental modular structures – challenged, sometimes controversially, the function of public and private spaces.
Roussil participated in symposiums in Yugoslavia, Montréal, and Grenoble and produced numerous large-scale public art projects in Québec and abroad, including a sculpture park on the roof of a wastewater treatment plant in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France.
Roussil participated in symposiums in Yugoslavia, Montréal, and Grenoble and produced numerous large-scale public art projects in Québec and abroad, including a sculpture park on the roof of a wastewater treatment plant in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France.
