This text is part of the special notebook Center of Montreal Memories
Overlooking visitors, a dazzling collection unfolds at the entrance to the Center des memories montrealaises (MEM).
This exhibition of real signs represents a colossal work of restoration, development and installation, explain in an interview the chief curator Catherine Charlebois and the curator Marie-Anne Gagnon, amazed by the aerial assortment with multiple perspectives.
“The restoration was a project within a project” as it was so complex, explains M.me Charlebois. A team of specialized craftsmen has dedicated itself to restoring the luster of the remains while preserving their authenticity. Broken neon lights were repaired, LED lighting mechanisms replaced the often very heavy original transformers, and the paint had to be redone.
The suspension of the signs itself constituted “an architectural tour de force of engineering”, underlines Mme Gagnon, the most eloquent example constituting the immense metal sign six meters long of the Saint-James church, extremely heavy.
Fragile heritage
The collection of signs, some of which were rescued from scrap, represents a very fragile urban heritage, explains the chief curator. Because on the one hand it evokes a Montreal of yesteryear where the streets were full of neon signs. On the other because businesses can go out of business at any time. “It’s an evanescent heritage that can disappear quickly,” recalls Marie-Anne Gagnon.
Brands also embody a heritage to which people can be deeply attached. “Some become symbols of the city, even brand images,” notes Catherine Charlebois – think of the perennial Farine Five Roses brand, which still lights up Montreal nights, or those of the metro.
But they also prove to be emblematic of the neighborhoods. At the MEM, the flagship brands of CBC/Radio-Canada, the 281 strip bar and Fairmount Bagel rub shoulders — “stars that we had to have,” confides M.me Charlebois — and those of small businesses, such as Dumoulin Bicyclettes or the film buffs’ den La Boîte noire.
In addition to reflecting a wide diversity of establishments and honoring plural communities, the collection had to echo the erotic heritage of the city center, formerly the Red Light. “This industry was anchored in the neighborhood, it had to be highlighted. In addition, it responds to the Cleopatra, located next to the MEM,” points out Catherine, indicating that the museum is part of both the history and the future of the city.
Rekindle memories
Beyond the architectural heritage value of the brands, the emotional charge that they convey by reviving memories contributes to their power. “I discovered brands that matter to Montrealers,” says Matt Soar, professor emeritus at Concordia University who collects Montreal brands, in an interview.
It’s often the most banal things in everyday life, like the businesses we frequent, that give meaning to life, explains the man who left Massachusetts in 2003 to settle with his family in Montreal. “These places are associated with memories, joyful for the vast majority. This is what makes certain businesses dear to us. The signs become a kind of reminder of happy memories. »
Matt Soar gave the MEM numerous signs taken from his vast personal collection, a civic donation that Catherine Charlebois would like to salute. “It’s a way of giving back to citizens part of their heritage. I told him thank you 100,000 times. He gave us unique and irreplaceable pieces. »
Although the museum brings together a myriad of artifacts linked to Montreal’s material heritage, oral histories are an integral part of its mission, says Marie-Anne Gagnon. “We are really into participation, citizen voices,” corroborates Catherine Charlebois.
This is why intertwined with the signs are photos of Montrealers of all ages and from all neighborhoods, whose testimonies have informed various museum projects. This shows that the exhibition constitutes a true ode to Montreal memories.
Memories full of ears
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.