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Louise Viger

Une architecture d'air

2015
Presentation of the artwork
Installed on a round concrete base, the sculpture deploys twisting graphic layers representing a monumental wedding dress. This allegorical composition, made of sheets of steel mesh, is anchored to a central axis formed of tubes and crowned with a small red geometrical form evoking a corsage.

Situated at the entrance to the Parc Hector Prud’homme esplanade, the sculpture acts as a point of reference on Saint-Hubert Street. The effects of the light passing through the majestic silhouette confer a certain theatricality upon it: the shadows stretch on the ground with natural daylight, whereas the artificial evening light, lighting the red plane of the corsage, accentuates its status as a beacon within the promenade.

The narrative aspect of Une architecture d’air is induced both by the notion of contrast and as a metaphor inviting several levels of reading. For instance, a cold, rigid material is used to portray an object characterized by fluidity and lightness. The motif of the checkered pattern of the metallic mesh may evoke the urban fabric or the perpendicular configurations of Montreal streets.

In addition, Viger creates a historical dimension by creating a bridge between the neighbourhood’s current activity and the varied history of “Plaza Saint-Hubert.” By evoking its folklore, she preserves the memory of a mixed artery that seems to resist modernity.

“The title Une architecture d’air covers a range of observations that speak at once to the physiognomy of the place, the abundance of wedding dresses in the Plaza Saint-Hubert windows, and the essential vitality of the builders, releasing a diagonal force (of the past and future combined – H. Arendt), the perfect metaphor for a community here, a plaza, a neighbourhood, a public square, a city – which is precisely the stubborn will to endure. This is apparently the infinite resource of human beings.”
– L. VIGER
Associated events
The public art competition launched in 2014, as part of the Plan de développement durable de la collectivité montréalaise 2010-2015, had the goal of personalizing and energizing a sector of the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie Borough, thus completing redevelopment of Place Hector Prud’homme, situated in the heart of Saint-Hubert Street.
Louise Viger
Louise Viger lives and works in Montreal. She holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Université Laval (1978) and an MFA from Concordia University (1986). Since 1980, Viger has produced many sculptural works of public art and numerous installations in which she links poetry, music, and dance to the visual arts. In addition, she has had work in exhibitions in Canada and the United States, including one at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in 2000. Her approach has been cited in major books on the history of Quebec art.
Awards and honours
  • Bourse Volet production, Conseil des arts du Canada, 2012
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec, 2008
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec, 2004
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec, 2002
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec, 1999
  • Bourse B, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, 1991
  • Bourse de projet, Conseil des arts du Canada, 1990
Presentation of the artwork
Installed on a round concrete base, the sculpture deploys twisting graphic layers representing a monumental wedding dress. This allegorical composition, made of sheets of steel mesh, is anchored to a central axis formed of tubes and crowned with a small red geometrical form evoking a corsage.

Situated at the entrance to the Parc Hector Prud’homme esplanade, the sculpture acts as a point of reference on Saint-Hubert Street. The effects of the light passing through the majestic silhouette confer a certain theatricality upon it: the shadows stretch on the ground with natural daylight, whereas the artificial evening light, lighting the red plane of the corsage, accentuates its status as a beacon within the promenade.

The narrative aspect of Une architecture d’air is induced both by the notion of contrast and as a metaphor inviting several levels of reading. For instance, a cold, rigid material is used to portray an object characterized by fluidity and lightness. The motif of the checkered pattern of the metallic mesh may evoke the urban fabric or the perpendicular configurations of Montreal streets.

In addition, Viger creates a historical dimension by creating a bridge between the neighbourhood’s current activity and the varied history of “Plaza Saint-Hubert.” By evoking its folklore, she preserves the memory of a mixed artery that seems to resist modernity.

“The title Une architecture d’air covers a range of observations that speak at once to the physiognomy of the place, the abundance of wedding dresses in the Plaza Saint-Hubert windows, and the essential vitality of the builders, releasing a diagonal force (of the past and future combined – H. Arendt), the perfect metaphor for a community here, a plaza, a neighbourhood, a public square, a city – which is precisely the stubborn will to endure. This is apparently the infinite resource of human beings.”
– L. VIGER
Associated events
The public art competition launched in 2014, as part of the Plan de développement durable de la collectivité montréalaise 2010-2015, had the goal of personalizing and energizing a sector of the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie Borough, thus completing redevelopment of Place Hector Prud’homme, situated in the heart of Saint-Hubert Street.
Louise Viger
Louise Viger lives and works in Montreal. She holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Université Laval (1978) and an MFA from Concordia University (1986). Since 1980, Viger has produced many sculptural works of public art and numerous installations in which she links poetry, music, and dance to the visual arts. In addition, she has had work in exhibitions in Canada and the United States, including one at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in 2000. Her approach has been cited in major books on the history of Quebec art.
Awards and honours
  • Bourse Volet production, Conseil des arts du Canada, 2012
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec, 2008
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec, 2004
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec, 2002
  • Bourse A, Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec, 1999
  • Bourse B, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, 1991
  • Bourse de projet, Conseil des arts du Canada, 1990
Details
Category
Fine Arts
Subcategory
Sculpture
Collection name
Public art
Date completed
2015
Mode of acquisition
Technique(s)
Casting; welding; electrostatic painting; assemblage
Materials
Metal, steel; concrete; paint; light
General dimensions
2,85 x 2 m
Manufacturer
  • Girard, Olivier / LGL
  • Filteau, Éric / MO architecture et Design Workshop
  • Trudel, Yvan / Technolite
Une architecture d'air
Borough
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Park
Place Hector Prud'Homme
Civic address
Place Hector-Prud'Homme (6033 rue Saint-Hubert)