L’étreinte des temps – Inauguration
Public art project
For the Tiohtià:ke Otsirà’kehne Park, Montreal
Realised by La Société des archives affectives
(Fiona Annis, Véronique La Perrière M. and Nadia Myre)
Saturday October 19, 2019, 13h30 (map of the site)
Situated in the heart of Tio’tia:ke island (also known as Montreal, Canada) the Mont-Royal park has been known since time immemorial as a site of meetings, exchanges and contemplation. Very ancient graves, as well as a contemporary cemetery, testify to the sacred nature of this territory. In the spring of 2018, the Mont-Royal park welcomed for the first time in half a century a new permanent public artwork on the landscape. Realized by three artists of different cultural backgrounds, the sculpture L’Étreinte des temps gives voice to the heritage of the mountain by evoking the history of the site and drawing inspiration from ancestral knowledge. Inspired by the form and medicinal properties of the willow, an ancient remedy against pain, L’Étreinte des temps is an invitation for the present moment to join with and protect all the yesterdays and tomorrows.
The sculpture is located in Park Tiohtià:ke Otsira’kéhne on the northern slope of the Mount Royal. It can be reached by car via the Chemin de Polytechnique. There is paid parking in the main pavilion of the École Polytechnique. It is a small walk of about 5-10 minutes between the parking lot and the park.