Montreal artists create interactive tribute to LaSalle Rapids
A new public art installation unveiled in LaSalle on Sunday is meant to be both interactive and serve as a homage to the borough's waterfront.
Au grand dam sits in LaSalle des Rapides Park and is 47 metres long, made from a mix of white and grey concrete and marble.
The two Montreal artists who created the installation said it represents the borough's connection with the water. The colours were designed to illustrate breaking ice and the colour of the waves, according to Claude Cormier.
"The concept actually reflects the rapids on the river," Cormier said.
The concept was borne out of the 100th anniversary celebrations for the borough in 2012 and the project cost a total of $680,000, which exceeded the original budget of $665,000.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre defended the costs, saying that art is a celebration and "good for the signature of Montreal."
For Cormier, he hopes that the project is as interactive as they designed it to be and bring more people to the park. He says that it's a precious work of art, but that he hopes passersby engage with it in the way they see fit.
"We also wanted the people to run on it, lay on it and just to touch it and be part of it as actors playing and living on it," Cormier said.
