A new public art installation is gracing the streets of Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. “Dramaturgie d’une intersection,” which loosely translates to “The Drama of an Intersection,” was recently unveiled by the City of Montreal as part of the redevelopment of Laurentian Boulevard and Lachapelle Street. The piece, created by artist Louis Bouvier, “enriches” the urban experience by creating a dialogue between the history, identity and future of the neighbourhood, according to the city. The city said the installation was inspired by what the neighbourhood looked like in the 1950s and pays tribute to key landmarks in local history, notably Belmont Park and the No. 17 streetcar line that once connected downtown Montreal to Cartierville. “I firmly believe that art should be part of citizens’ daily lives and that it should be accessible in our neighbourhoods, right where we live. Today, thanks to Louis Bouvier’s brilliant work and all the poetry it brings, an intersection becomes a place of discovery, memory and belonging,” said Ahuntsic-Cartierville Mayor Maude Théroux-Séguin. The installation, which includes Art Deco references and elements emblematic of the area, also reflects the recent arrival of the Bois-Franc REM station and the transformations currently shaping the neighbourhood. “Dramaturgie d’une intersection” is composed of aluminum and light elements and, according to the city, will help strengthen residents’ sense of belonging. “The monkey, the child, the streetcar and the house become the characters in an open-ended narrative, where references to the past, notably Belmont Park and the former Line 17, engage in a dialogue with the arrival of the REM and the neighbourhood’s transformation. As night falls, the light elements lend the work a dreamlike quality, inviting every passerby to imagine their own story,” Bouvier said.
