Imagined by the artist Joëlle Morosoli and created together with Rolf Morosoli, this impressive sculpture named Jardin géographique stands proudly in the middle of the roundabout at the intersection of Simard Boulevard and Riverside Street, where it fits in perfectly with the bustling energy of its environment.
The imposing installation consists of 19 axes anchored vertically to the centre of the roundabout, to create a “woodland” with a canopy of ten intersecting wirework cut-outs representing geographic maps. It is a symbolic metaphor for the integration of different cultural communities in Saint-Lambert and their invaluable contribution to the city’s history. Apart from this sociological aspect, the work suggests a geographic garden, like so many traffic signs, guiding drivers to their destinations. On a humorous note, as drivers circle the roundabout, it is as if they are taking roads to far-off countries.
Laser-cut, the fine lines of the ribbon-like maps are rendered with precision through the delicacy of the cuts, giving a certain lightness to the installation as a whole. The sculpture is both figurative, with its geographic maps, and organic, with its abstract forms and the dynamic arrangement of its beautiful silver ribbons. Just as the roundabout leads drivers in several different directions, so this artwork – both abstract and timeless – offers a carousel of escapes for the traveller seeking the imaginary.
Acknowledgements
This work was gifted by the Corporation of the 150th Anniversary of Saint-Lambert to forever mark this historic anniversary in our municipality’s history.
The Ville de Saint-Lambert offers its sincerest thanks to the Corporation of the 150th Anniversary of Saint-Lambert for this generous gift, which now majestically graces this key entranceway to our city. It also wishes to underscore the exemplary and noteworthy involvement of all the citizens who helped organize and hold the anniversary activities.
Last but not least, the Ville de Saint-Lambert thanks the many private and public donors who enabled the Corporation to complete its mandate successfully.
