The forgotten path
"The city imprints the rhythms and modalities of our encounters and our movements. There are pauses, waits, strolls, gatherings and dispersals. There are also glances. Thus, seeking to offer new points of view on the city means reinventing our urban landscape and 'thinking the happy city'. "
Penser la ville heureuse, Renzo Piano, under the direction of Arielle Masboungi, "Projet Urbain" collection, Paris, éditions de la Villette, 2005
The project submitted to you is a reflection on this human presence in our cities. On the Dufferin highway, a privileged access to downtown Quebec City, we propose the appearance of a crowd, the presence of passers-by, the image, surprising and poetic, of a taking possession of this space forbidden to pedestrians. Larger than life beings, silhouetted in steel, and of contemporary workmanship, come to inhabit this suspended landscape. They seem to come from all sides, wander freely and throw other points of view on this long forgotten portion of the city. The silhouetted profiles will be taken from photos of citizens, walkers, strollers or loiterers, taken especially for the project.
The Forgotten Pathway will become a new visual landmark, whether for motorists driving at higher speeds on the highway or for walkers in the upper or lower town. To this end, fixed approach glasses, which frame certain selected points, or mobile ones, will be placed at strategic points to allow a privileged view of the project. The silhouettes will be cut out of weathered steel called "Cortene steel". The ochre color of the weathered steel plays like a skin depending on the season or the time of day and gives a range of exceptionally rich hues. In the evening and at night, LED lighting is planned. It will be located at the level of the leg of the characters. The lighting will give a theatrical effect where the silhouettes will be highlighted.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
The idea of evoking human occupation in an urban space inaccessible to pedestrians, which was addressed by more than one proposal, caught the attention of the jury in the first session of evaluation of the applications. Among others, this proposal was selected for its completed design, for its close fit with the commission's data, particularly in terms of technical and budgetary aspects, and for its acceptability to the public. The jury particularly appreciated the well-mastered graphic rendering and the sensitive and articulate explanation of the ideas behind the concept. The audition also highlighted the diversity of interpretations that could be generated by the perception of the silhouettes (taken from photographs of Quebec City citizens), at different times and from different viewpoints in the city. However, the jury considered that, in general, the rather conventional treatment of the work, particularly at the formal and material levels, significantly attenuates its possible impact on the environment. The jury would have liked to see a bolder treatment, a more assertive dynamism and a more monumental scale, in order to better adjust the work to the characteristics of the site and to the ambitions of the project owner. Also, the way of translating the irony of a stroll of citizens in a forbidden place provoked differences of opinion within the jury, some considering the result rather sympathetic, others dull and frustrating.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
20 scanned / 9 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
- Perspective
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- Axonometric Drawing
- Plan
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