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Art

Art and Activism Collide Throughout Montréal in Playful Street Interventions by Roadsworth

Crosswalks become perches and bike lanes morph into a monkey’s ropes in Roadsworth’s lively street interventions. For decades, the Montréal-based artist (previously) has been altering sidewalks, alleyways, and other public spots with largely nature-based projects that are informed by social issues and environmental crises. Whether a trippy koi pond or a simple yellow spider, the additions transform otherwise drab streets into unexpected commentary.

In recent years, Roadsworth has created large-scale projects for a variety of organizations, including revitalizing a basketball court for a social housing complex and another for Amnesty International that comments on the horrors of the refugee crisis. Beyond commissions, he continues guerilla street art tactics, installing oversized birds, insects, and other animals that often are overlooked.

The artist tells Colossal that these works reflect his “philosophy in regards to public art/street art which implies a questioning of urban space in general and an entreaty to rethink a city that is more conducive to walking/cycling and less dominated by cars, etc. The depiction of various animals is a playful way of reinventing the notion of urban space.”

Follow Roadsworth on Instagram to keep up with his site-specific works that merge art and activism.

 

Art

FILTRATE: A Futurist Guerrilla-Style Short Film Shot on an iPhone in Montreal’s Subways

A new short film titled FILTRATE imagines a future completely saturated with technology, where post-human figures interact using rune-like symbols on immersive social media platforms. The film, directed by Mishka Kornai, was created in the public spaces of Montréal’s underground Metro transit system.

The actors in FILTRATE sport futuristic costumes made by Odette Mattha with shimmering tinsel, long strands of party beads, and textured fabrics that match the setting’s architectural details. Mattha’s designs take advantage of the unique feel of different areas of the Metro system: each station was created by a different architect. Though the filmmakers clearly used the spaces during off-peak times, we can only wonder at the surprise of an unsuspecting commuter.

In a statement on the film’s website, the creators explain their impetus for FILTRATE. “If people retreat into smaller and more idiosyncratic groups, what will the evolutionary trajectory of our society look like? As social groups diverge further and further over the course of generations, when does humanity cease to be just one species?”

The whole process took two years to complete, including 43 days of shooting, six months of costume building, and a year of post-production. Despite its high-tech feel, the creators share that FILTRATE was filmed using just an iPhone 7, a wheelchair, a monopod, and a hand stabilizer. You can take a look behind the scenes in an additional making-of video.

Art Design

Interactive Seesaws on the Streets of Montreal Emit Light and Musical Harmonies

Currently on view at the Place Des Festivals in Montreal, Impulse is a new public art installation comprised of 30 completely illuminated seesaws and a series of video-projections on nearby building facades. When the seesaws are used they “activated” and begin to emit tones resulting in various musical harmonies. The project is part of a collaboration between CS Design and Toronto-based Lateral Office.

“Once in motion, the built-in lights and speakers produce a harmonious sequence of sounds and lights, resulting in a constantly evolving ephemeral composition,” say organizers of the event. This past summer the project was selected as a winner of the 6th annual Luminothérapie event.

Impulse will be on display through January 31, 2016, and you can see a bit more over on Arch Daily. (via Dezeen)

Art

Artist ‘Roadsworth’ Continues to Transform Streets, Buildings and Sidewalks into a Visual Playground

Montreal artist Roadsworth (previously) continues to make his mark on the streets of Montreal by introducing elements of wildlife and humor onto an asphalt canvas. In his latest pieces we see flocks of geese swooping down tree-lined streets and schools of sardines move with the flow of pedestrian traffic (or end up wedged inside a tin can), unexpected symbols against an urban backdrop.

This year marks a decade since Roadsworth was charged with 53 counts of public mischief, after which he received considerable public support and was let go with a slap on the wrist. Since then the artist has created artwork for municipalities, exhibitions, and arts festivals around the world. You can see much more on his website, and he also has a book.

Art

Street Artist Roadsworth Transforms the Streets of Montreal into a Visual Playground

In 2001, artist Peter Gibson began a guerrilla street art campaign to encourage the city of Montreal to build more bike lanes. What began as a project borne of activism eventually became an art project that continues to this day. Assuming the name Roadsworth stating, “where Wordsworth is a poet of words, Roadsworth is a poet of roads,” the artist has cleverly modified roads, sidewalks, parking lots and any other publicly visible asphalt surface he can transform with paint. If you want to learn more, the artist recently took a moment to share some thoughts with My Modern Met and you can see much more of his work on his website.

Update: Colossal reader Roula adds via Facebook: The first image “is a visual translation of ‘nid de poule‘—chicken nest, which is the quebecois expression for potholes.”

Art Design

Musical Light Swings on the Streets of Montreal

21 Balançoires (21 Swings) is a recent project by Canadian design collective Daily Tous Les Jours, known for their wide variety of interactive public installations and experiences. Surrounded on both sides by a new music complex and science center, designers Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat chose to bridge the gap between the two by converting a narrow strip of land into an enormous interactive instrument. Pre-recorded sounds from a xylophone, piano, and other instruments were programmed into color-coded swings that when in use play various notes, however when swung in unison with careful cooperation, more complex melodies and harmonies arise. An additional “secret mode” was programmed to only play when all 21 swings were in use. What a fun idea.

Earlier this week a few blogs reported a photo from this series as being some type of swing set bus stop. According to Andraos, while the installation has close proximity to the street it does not actually serve the purpose of a bus stop. All photos courtesy Olivier Blouin.