This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
There are those illustrious personages whose memory spans the ages so well. And there are those people whose passion has no age. Jacquelin Bouchard is of this caliber. He who, very young, already frequented all of Jules Verne’s work has transformed his private collection into a new mini-museum in the heart of La Malbaie, in Charlevoix. Baptized The Mysterious Island, the place is also home to an equally new bistro, designed by Truchon.
Not only did Mr. Bouchard read Verne to the letter and pursue many of the multidisciplinary artist’s creations, but the septuagenarian believes that the author of World Tour in eighty days had an influence on the course of his life: “He made me realize that with a part of dream, will and resourcefulness, one can go to the conquest of the impossible… even on a desert island . The man who founded the Montreal audiovisual production house Pixcom is inexhaustible about the immutable French author of adventure novels who underlines in passing the scientific progress of the 19e century.
He unearthed some 300 artefacts on display at L’île mystique in Parisian auctions, during estate sales or from collectors: books, engravings, posters of artistic representations, models of Verne’s boats and other by-products. Reproductions of three maps of Lincoln Island, the “mysterious”, bearing the stamp of Jules Verne, are also part of it. The originals are the property of Mr. Bouchard: “It’s unique in the world, and it’s in Quebec,” he says proudly.
The project, which took concrete form last June 22, required seven years of gestation and the renovation of an ancestral house in Malbéenne. If Jacquelin Bouchard is still working on the cataloging of the elements, the visit – free – will captivate fans of Verne’s work as much as neophytes, if only for the pleasure of the eyes and the quality of the installations. Screens will broadcast passages from certain books displayed on the cover and protected by glass displays.
“If we manage to capture the interest, even of people who don’t know Jules Verne, or very little, it will be successful,” he said humbly.
Three times Canada
Among the artist’s novels, there are three whose story takes place in Canada: The Golden Volcano, The land of furs And family-without-name, the latter dealing with the 1837 Patriot Rebellion in Quebec. Fascinated by the vicissitudes of the country, Jules Verne? In any case, he only spent two hours there, at Niagara Falls, according to Mr. Bouchard. “He certainly had excellent researchers since everything is accurate in these books. »
And why did you baptize the mini-museum The Mysterious Island, rather than simply Jules, with its original name? ” I had a flash on this last title of the trilogy which includes Twenty thousand leagues under sea And Captain Grant’s Children. Moreover, at nightfall, you can see a huge backlit mural in the museum describing the finale of this “trilogy of Nautilus “.
Jacquelin Bouchard, who lived his fascination with Verne alone for years, will have decided to share it with as many people as possible, in the pleasant setting of a bistro-terrace which also houses a shop selling local products. All on the theme of Verne, and even in… the toilets.
After stuffing yourself with the adventures of the famous author, you can feast on good food according to a menu concocted by Dominique Truchon, from the neighboring restaurant Chez Truchon, the chef who had welcomed at his table, “under close surveillance”, the spouses and spouses of the leaders present at the G7 summit in La Malbaie, in 2018.
As for Jacquelin Bouchard, he only lacks six of the many books by Jules Verne to track down in the world, and probably, one can imagine, a few other works by the prolific creator.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.