Intersections

by Natalya Merrison

 

“Intersections” aims to bring members of Legado (a new Griffintown housing complex) and the surrounding community together through interaction with a customizable and moveable seating landscape. Users participate in the site by choosing to change or adhere to the artwork’s configuration, in what becomes a constantly shifting exhibition of communal authorship.

 

Inspired by ideas of participation, shared authorship, origins and destinations, Intersections draws from the site’s history within the larger Griffintown narrative. Transportation mechanisms, by way of the Lachine Canal and railroad, emerged as major catalysts of change, transforming the local landscape and ushering in Montreal’s industrialization and economic growth.

Inspired by its’ role as a connective link, the site’s location aims to seamlessly connect Legado with the community.

 

Despite changes to the social landscape of Griffintown over time, these pathways have endured Montreal’s history. This intersection (rue Guy, William and Ottawa) is a gathering point for dwellers of several boroughs, representing a convergence point of different communities. Intersections’ adjacent location provides a permeable and participatory access point for Legado to welcome and integrate the existing community. We seek to redefine the traditional idea of ‘the town square” as a gathering place, alternatively providing a constantly evolving space where ideas, people and experiences intersect. “Intersections” represents our belief in participatory design and communal ownership; once installed, the artwork’s second life begins at the hands of the community.