September 29, 2023
The Soulanges Canal Park and its partners inaugurate a brand-new placottoir-style public space
The Soulanges Canal Park and its many partners gathered last night to celebrate the inauguration of a brand-new public space in the Soulanges Canal Park, at the entrance to the Village des Écluses.
Following a call for applications, Valérie Langlais and Adèle Reeves were selected to work with artist Sonia Haberstich, who assumed artistic direction of the project. The artists were selected on the basis of their complementarity and their sensitivity to the themes of community, heritage and the environment. During the summer of 2023, the space was created “outside the walls”, before the eyes of the public, who were invited to talk with the artists and take part in creative workshops on Saturdays. The project was funded as part of the 2021-2023 ’Entente en développement culturel 2021-2023 between the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the gouvernement du Québec whose objective is to support the development and cultural vitality of territories. The Soulanges Canal Park also thanks the Conseil des arts et de la culture de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CACVS) for its support and expertise in implementing this project.
The space thus created is composed of two tables made from industrial coils produced by the CSUR Cooperative in collaboration with wood worker Hugo Sabourin, a tiered space designed by Construction Hutchinson, and a series of unique sculptures created by the artists using a variety of techniques and arranged in the space to make it more welcoming and to allow each artist to tell his or her own story. This brand-new gathering place will evolve over the coming years, and will be complemented by new, evolving facilities.
The chosen location is no coincidence: the meeting space is right in front of the new Soulanges Canal Park offices, to be built in 2023 thanks to a contribution from the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CCIVS) via the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec’s assistance program for small tourism enterprises (PAPETU). The inauguration of the Placottoir was also an opportunity to highlight this contribution.
The inauguration also included an art workshop offered by the artists who contributed to the project. It also marks the kick-off to a program of artistic workshops, which will take place at the placottoir in autumn 2023 and spring 2024. Here is the program that was announced, again thanks to the contribution of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications:
Autumn 2023
- September 30, 2023: Glass painting workshop with Jade Cousineau
- October 8, 2023: Pencil drawing workshop with Sonia Isabelle
- October 14 or 15, 2023 (to be confirmed) : Percussion workshop with Cheikh Anta Faye
- October 28, 2023: Watercolor workshop with Deidre Potash
Spring 2024:
- May 11, 2024: Textile art workshop with Tina Marais Struthers
- May 18, 2024: Mosaic workshop with Monica Brinkman
- May 25, 2024: Poetry workshop with Marie-Belle Ouellet
- May 23, 2024 : * Heritage talk * Histoires d’eaux – the Soulanges Canal with the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges
- May 30, 2024 : * Heritage talk * The canal and the history of the Village of Pointe-des-Cascades with the Société de recherches historiques de Pointe-des-Cascades
- Spring 2024 (date to be announced): Wheelless pottery workshop with André Leroux
About the placottoir artists
Sonia Haberstich
Sonia Haberstich lives and maintains her practice in Hudson, Quebec. She obtained a Master’s degree in painting from Concordia University in 2008. She has participated in numerous major exhibitions in Canada and abroad. She has also been the recipient of several grants, notably from SODEC and CALQ, and has created several public works, some of which were selected as part of the 1% architectural integration program. Sonia Haberstich contributes to her community by being very active in teaching and cultural mediation in the Montérégie region.
Valérie Langlais
Valérie Langlais lives in Les Cèdres and teaches art at the secondary level. As an artist, her multidisciplinary work bears witness to her versatility and mastery of plastic language and different creative materials. All his work is inspired by nature, and his use of textures and organic elements reflects his concern for the environment.
Adèle Reeves
Adele Reeves is an artist who works with the mediums of image, movement and place. She’s also a nature lover, educator, activist and eternal student. In recent years, his work has focused on questions of the connection between nature and community, and on climate mourning. It reminds people of the active role they play in nature, not just that of living close to it. Her work is cross-disciplinary, combining painting, sculpture, animation, site intervention, dance, activism and teaching.
