Source : J.P. Lacroix
A Theme : the Desert|A Place : des Carrières Incinerator
 
SITE OF THE EVENT :
THE DES CARRIÈRES INCINERATOR - MONTREAL



South-West View of the des Carrières Incinerator
Source : J. Berthier

 
THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF THE DES CARRIÈRES INCINERATOR

Yesterday

The des Carrières incinerator, situated near the Rosemont metro station and at the limits of the adjacent Plateau Mont-Royal, in itself constitutes an undeniable trace of Montreal's industrial past.
Inaugurated on September 15, 1970, this industrial complex was innovative for its time and was hailed to become North America's most modern incineration plant. Its primary function was to burn hundreds of tons of Montreal domestic garbage at a time. This futuristic technological engine burned garbage at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and was equipped with a sophisticated heat recuperation system which made it possible to sell off the steam or to use it to heat the building itself.

The architectural components of the building are impressive: besides its two gigantic smokestacks, measuring over 75 meters, the building has 7000 meters of available space and an exterior access ramp through which trucks can reach a garbage pit that can hold up to 2400 tons of garbage before reaching full capacity. The total surface of the building is 22 000 meters at a height of almost 30 meters.

Today

Today the des Carrières incinerator is undergoing a process of transformation. The building stopped its industrial activities in 1993 and is now the center of a visionary project which will transform the building into a youth oriented multidisciplinary and community center which will bring together sports, the performing arts and multimedia. In fact, the Montreal community organization, the TAZ, will host the 6th MIVAEM in September 2004, and inaugurate the brand new multidisciplinary youth activity center in the transformed des Carrières incinerator in December 2004 (www.taz.ca).


Nord-East View of the des Carrières Incinerator, from rue des Carrières
Source : J. Berthier

CARTOGRAPHY AND SITE OF THE MANIFESTATION

In the process of putting together the 6th MIVAEM our in situ approach to the Rosemont-Petite Patrie borough led us to an urbanistic reflection on the current division of this territorial zone as well as its history and socio-economic realities. The topology of these sites will serve as trigger for discussions on contemporary architecture and will guide the artistic and descriptive interventions that will make up the project.
An Urban Landmark
It would not be exaggerated to call the des Carrières incinerator an urban landmark both because of its situation in the middle of the island of Montreal, and of the far-reaching visibility of its smokestacks. Furthermore, the cohabitation of the building with the residential fabric of Rosemont makes it a signpost and beacon of the neighborhood. The des Carrières incinerator's exceptional status in its relationship to its surrounding neighborhood is something that Champ Libre seeks to foreground.

SCENOGRAPHY AND DIFFUSION

During the DESERT biennial Champ Libre will propose an in situ scenographic intervention which will highlight the different architectural spaces of the des Carrières incinerator.
The scenography will be conceived in collaboration with a Montreal architect so as to maximize the functionality of the various places to be set up in the incinerator, all the while promoting an aesthetic approach that corresponds to the scale of the building.
The presentation of the works themselves and the design of novel presentation structures will focus on the increasingly narrowly defined relation between the work, the concrete context of its diffusion and the audience's perception within the interior spaces of the incinerator.
The biennial will also present the opportunity to set up a modular and evolutive diffusion structure to explore different diffusion possibilities for the 6th MIVAEM artistic program
.


 


SLIDE-SHOW
Click on the image to launch the slide-show
The des Carrières Incinerator in the Island of Montréal

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The des Carrières Incinerator in the Rosemont-Petite-Patrie district

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Aerial View showing the des Carrières Incinerator
     

DESERT : 6th MANIFESTATION INTERNATIONALE VIDÉO ET ART ÉLECTRONIQUE
MONTREAL - SEPTEMBER 20 TO 27, 2004 - PRESENTED BY CHAMP LIBRE