Montreal In Pictures

June 19 2012

I decided today to revisit the chair sculptures by Québec artist Michel Goulet at the Belvédère Léo-Ayotte (next to parc Lafontaine). As on Sunday when I passed by, there were a lot of cigarette butts and garbage lying around the art installation but I decided to go ahead and shoot them anyway. I tried to remove as much litter as I could, but without a brush, there was still a few distracting objects…Maybe I should consider adding a broom to my photo kit 😉

Chair sculptures by Michel Goulet

Beneath each of the 6 metal chairs is an object (football, pair of shoes, binoculars, books…).

Shoes beneath a Michel Goulet chair

Football beneath a Michel Goulet chair

Relief map of Parc Lafontaine by Michel Goulet

The art installation at Belvédère Léo-Ayotte is actually a second component of the work by Goulet that was commissioned by the city when they redesigned Place Roy (a few blocks west) in 1990. Goulet won the competition held by the city that had the theme “water, essential element” – the first public art commission in Montreal since Expo 67. The work is titled Les leçons singulières. The Place Roy installation’s main focal point is a world map that has water flowing over it.

Les Leçons Singulières by Michel Goulet

The artist’s installation also includes nine chairs placed around the square. Although some of the chairs are functional, most have objects below, on or beside them, including a model house, a spiral, wheels, a labyrinth, a funnel and a puzzle.

Les Leçons Singulières by Michel Goulet

While I’m on a chair theme, another set of sculptured chairs by Goulet can be found on rue Saint Denis next to Theatre d’Aujourdhui (just North of rue Roy).