This creation by artist Mathieu Valade was created as part of the Policy for the Integration of the Arts in the Architecture and Environment of Public Buildings and Government Sites, better known as the 1% Policy, and was first scheduled to be installed in May 2012. The contract was signed in 2011 for nearly 125,000 US dollars -Dollars completed.
However, unlike the construction of the Allée des Commissaires, which saw the light of day in 2014, the construction of Rue Hart was delayed before it could be put back into operation in 2020. A new contract had to be concluded with the artist, who then wanted to update his work over the years. The total cost is now $251,000, including purchase and installation.
“There was an adjustment given the number of years between the initial proposal and finality. It is certain that the artist wanted to link it to his recent works for the consistency of his artistic approach. But the topic is the same as at the beginning. It is the same desire to combine elements of nature with industrial history,” explains Marie-Andrée Levasseur, director of visual arts at Culture Trois-Rivières.
Originally the work was called “Jardin Planetarium”, today it is called “Entretiens Sylvestres”. It consists of two parts and therefore refers to the elements of nature and the industrial history of Trois-Rivières. “It is a play with shapes and materials that allows a leap into the imagination. “The meaning of the work comes from the experience people can have with it,” explains the artist in a press release.
Aluminum poles suggest “trees that multiply in space, like a small forest,” we read in this press release. In the evening they will glow. Hundreds of small lights will sparkle “as if they were stars,” emphasizes Ms. Levasseur. The other part consists of three polished aluminum columns and provides a link to the industrial history of the city and even to the former vocation of Trois-Rivières sur Saint-Laurent. “The artist’s desire is also to convey an illusion and different perspectives by playing with mirrors,” explains the director of visual arts.
Mathieu Valade is originally from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and lives in Chicoutimi. He is a professor at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi, where he teaches sculpture and drawing. He has created public artworks in several Quebec cities. His work has also been presented in museums, galleries, centers and events in Canada, Brazil, the United States, France, Spain, Greece and Sweden.
Hard Alley
Almost ten years after the Allée des Commissaires (now called Allée des Trifluviennes), Allée Hart has become a reality. The project was actually an extension of Hart Street. From the railway to Avenue des Draveurs the road is paved and from there paved to the cycle path. It is this part that is pedestrian. As with Commissioners’ Lane, benches and vegetation were added.
However, this new section of Rue Hart does not connect Trois-Rivières sur Saint-Laurent with the first neighborhoods, as is the case with Rue des Commissaires. The railway and a fence separate them. To get to Rue Hertel a level crossing would need to be added. According to the city, this development is currently being investigated, but a timeline has not yet been determined.
Originally estimated at just under $2 million, the project cost, including the artwork, ultimately came to $2.75 million.
The work took place from May to mid-September. They also included the installation of a new fire hydrant, catch basin connections and road work including paving, the city said.