SAINT-LAURENT IN MOTION
The main objective of our approach is to explore and highlight the thousand faces of Saint-Laurent by addressing different themes (cultural, social, ethnic, economic, etc.) in order to create a collective portrait. The heritage of Saint-Laurent will be presented in the form of a mosaic, a set of disparate and heterogeneous elements, free of any temporality or chronology. We propose to the public a non-narrative reading of the history of the district.
We will erect a small-scale set composed of two- and three-dimensional images (cut-out images, objects and figurines) that we will put on stage and in motion like an animated film. As we walk through this master composition, the camera will show us several tableaux vivants illustrating the different aspects of Saint-Laurent's heritage. In addition, the video material provided will be integrated in post-production. The result will be a mosaic as rich as the fabric of the borough of Saint-Laurent.
In this perspective of artisanal approach, in the pre-production phase, we will invite the residents, young and old, to participate in workshops to make elements of the decor (drawings, cutting of the images provided). For example, they could be invited to draw the famous "Papineau head", which would be used to illustrate the speech that Louis-Joseph Papineau gave in front of the Saint-Laurent church in 1837.
We believe that it is important to involve the Laurentian community in the process of creating this portrait of which they are a part, in the same way that their predecessors participated in the development of this city. This initiative will strengthen the residents' sense of belonging both to their borough and to the final work in which they will have participated. This notion of citizen participation is at the heart of this project.
In terms of sound, the work will offer the public an experience that is just as playful and sensory as the proposed visual universe. Snippets of sound (laughter, conversations) will be captured during the workshops and mixed with the audio material provided and collected. The sound mosaic will also be enriched by short interviews with the participants. What are your favorite places in the neighborhood? What sport do you play? What school do you go to? These are some of the questions that could be asked.
Since the work comes to life on the façade of a church, each evening, a few bells will announce the beginning of the video projection cycle, as church bells used to do in the past as a call to gather. On the evening of the launch, 125 bells, representing the 125 years of Saint-Laurent, will ring out.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
