This winter, with the collaboration of the maisons de la culture Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, I have the chance to do an art residency in my neighborhood. The project MHM Pictorial repertory invites the population to look at their environment through the lens of decorative patterns and is deployed in two steps:
1. A walking tour of 25 stops in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
First, I invite people to rediscover the neighborhoods of Mercier-Hochelaga Maisonneuve through an unusual angle: the decorative patterns that adorn our daily lives. I propose an outdoor observation trail of 25 stops (Covid-safe) unveiled from December 1 to 25 HERE. Cornice, iron fence, tag, church rose window, commercial sign, will be watched like birds by birdwatchers.
2. A repertory of 100 patterns transformed into a mosaic
At the same time, I am asking the population of MHM to help me collect other patterns in order to create a pictorial repertory of 100 patterns that will represent Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. The repertory will take the form of a ceramic mosaic composed of 100 tiles and will be presented in 2021. Ceramic will freeze forever the modern hieroglyphics while they will also be archived digitally via the instagram account @repertoire.pictural.mhm
In MHM Pictorial repertory, patterns are witnesses of time, pretexts for telling a story. They are also a way to take ownership of a territory, militate, speaking out etc. By focusing on the patterns found in the public space, I begin a dialogue on the role -often wrongly perceived as passive- that ornamentation plays in our daily life. As an artist and professional ceramist based in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, I have always been interested in ornamentation as a form of visual communication as well as a means of transmitting and transforming our heritage.
How to submit a pattern?
Send these 3 informations to RepertoireMHM@gmail.com before December 31-2020 : Locate the pattern geographically, give a brief description of it and attach a sketch or a photo of the pattern to the submission.
