Photo MMFA, Denis Farley
Photo MMFA, Denis Farley
Adrift
Every summer since 2013, the MMFA has been inviting local creative talent to design and execute an installation to transform the portion of Du Musée Avenue that is converted into a pedestrian walkway. This year, the group Collectif Incognito proposes a meditation on nature and the delicate balance in which it lies.
Inspired by the exhibitions Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures and Ecologies: A Song for Our Planet, this installation invites passersby to set themselves “adrift” in town and be carried off by a stream as formidable in nature as it is fragile, in an environment that reclaims its rightful place at the very heart of a city.
Glaciers, the world’s largest source of fresh water, are the lead characters in Adrift. A thaw thousands of years ago permitted the first Indigenous peoples to settle in territories they inhabit to this very day, in synergy with nature.
A poem by Joséphine Bacon
The immersive experience is accompanied by a soundtrack that can be listened to on mobile devices via a QR code posted at different spots throughout the installation. Visitors will be treated to a poem composed for the occasion by Joséphine Bacon and recited in Innu, French and English. Internationally renowned Innu poet, storyteller and director, Bacon is a great ambassador of First Nations culture in Quebec and abroad.
Joséphine Bacon. Photo Pierre Longtin
About Collectif Incognito
Composed of a group of Montreal artists and artisans teeming with ideas and motivated by a desire to take action, Collectif Incognito aims to create poetic experiences that amuse, surprise and bring people together in the heart of the city. The group integrates its installations into their surroundings in a way that highlights the site’s cultural, social and historical legacy. Collectif Incognito selects its materials and fabrication processes with a view to minimizing its environmental footprint, and works with local businesses as much as possible. The diversity of talent within the collective enables it to assemble multidisciplinary teams with the specialized expertise required for each individual project.
Credits and acknowledgements
Adrift was designed for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and executed with the invaluable support of Ville de Montréal, Ville-Marie Borough and Denalt Paints. The Museum also thanks CGI and the Max and Iris Stern Estate, partners of the Sculpture Garden. The Museum also thanks CGI and the Max and Iris Stern Estate, partners of the Sculpture Garden, which borders the installation.
An opportunity to recognize our generous donors
Over 7,000 people generously gave to the Museum’s 2020-2021 Annual Fundraising Campaign. A panel is installed on Du Musée Avenue to pay tribute to them for their invaluable support.
Joséphine Bacon. Photo Pierre Longtin
