If other pedestrian streets in Montreal are distinguished by their playful installations, Place De Castelnau shines with its works of art.
Rue De Castelnau East
Rue De Castelnau Est is pedestrianized between Avenue De Gaspé and Rue Saint-Denis, in the Villeray district. You can chat there while discovering the works of three local artists until October 10th.
The “Galerie des placottoirs” lives up to its name. Between rue Saint-Denis and avenue De Gaspé, it is possible to contemplate works by three artists from the Villeray district: Élisabeth Dupond, Shahrzad Mirza-Hessabi and Roby Provost Blanchard. The exhibition is an initiative of the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée, in collaboration with the borough. Placottoirs (comfortable and friendly furniture) and works of art rub shoulders, with the aim of encouraging exchanges.
“Our goal is to bring art to people,” underlines Martin Hurtubise, cultural agent at the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée. The common thread of the exhibition is the community, the neighborhood. »
The Press had the chance to take a guided tour of this open-air gallery, accompanied by Roby Provost Blanchard, who has lived in the neighborhood for about five years, and Martin Hurtubise.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“The works of Shahrzad Mirza-Hessabi are dreamlike, fantastical,” emphasizes Roby Provost Blanchard. In several of them, you can see spaces that look like cities, an architectural side, a bit like in mine. »
In small jars the best ointments
“The pedestrianization of rue De Castelnau is very much appreciated,” underlines the mayor of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, whom she met in front of the Larue café.
In previous years, residents of the neighborhood often asked me if it was possible to extend the period of activity.
Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, mayoress of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
And it’s mission accomplished for this third edition of pedestrianization, which started earlier than usual.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“Élisabeth Dupond walked down rue De Castelnau to create her works,” explains Martin Hurtubise. What is represented here are cans that she found on the ground. »
“This project is being carried out in concert with street merchants,” said the mayor, who organizes meetings with merchants each year before and after the closure. The main downside that was highlighted last year, namely the delay in setting up the facilities, has been rectified this year.
“This year, we were among the first pedestrian streets to open, if not the first! proudly launches Laurence Lavigne Lalonde.
The proximity of Jarry Park, the Jean-Talon market and the Réseau express vélo (REV) also encourages the influx of visitors. “The inhabitants of the neighborhood benefit a lot from the project, but we also try to capture people from elsewhere,” explains the mayor.
In addition to the Galerie des placottoirs and the maintenance of the cycle path allowing harmonious cohabitation between pedestrians and cyclists, the commercial development company (SDC) Quartier Villeray was approached by Silk. In collaboration with the plant-based beverage company, the SDC has set up an “urban bee trail”, made up of planters containing flowers essential to pollinators.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“I am very happy to exhibit my works for the first time in the public space,” says Roby Provost Blanchard, who created them expressly for the Maison de la culture project.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“What we find in almost all of my works is a hybrid between realistic things and fanciful things,” explains Roby Provost Blanchard. These are images that could look like photos when viewed from afar, but they are in fact computer-generated images, digital images made from dozens or hundreds of photos. »
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“Generally, I tried to work with the notion of a portal, an entrance that guides our point of view and pushes us to wonder what’s inside, explains Roby Provost Blanchard. This cabin is a house that I built with my father and my grandfather on the family farm. I manipulated 80 photos to create a 3D object. »
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“Here, the only element that is anchored in reality is the rowboat,” Roby Provost Blanchard tells us. I wanted to express the idea that even in a fantasy world, there can be a trace of reality. »
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“There is never a human represented in my works, specifies Roby Provost Blanchard, who was inspired for this creation by a small vegetable garden found on the edge of the pedestrian street. I liked this notion of nature put in a box. »
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Enjoy it, while there’s still time
Extensive work planned for next year will lead to a break in pedestrianization activities on rue De Castelnau, at least for the time being.
Residents expressed a need for traffic calming. We are therefore going to redo the street to make it calmer, greener, safer and friendlier.
Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, mayoress of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
The idea is to build permanent furniture that can be used all year round, in addition to promoting cohabitation between all modes of transport.
“There are obviously some frustrations related to the construction site that will result, but merchants and residents are enthusiastic about the project,” notes the mayor.
To compensate, the borough is considering the pedestrianization of streets located in other sectors.