L'exposition abandonnée

This photography project, L’exposition abandonnée, aims to explore and raise questions about Montreal’s abandoned places, nature, and the relationship between them. The series of 16 photographs present scenes where nature is seen reclaiming places we’ve abandoned, highlighting its prevalence and the temporality of human constructions. The project was exhibited in an abandoned structure, vestige of its surrounding obsolete train tracks, a place notably defended of threats of urbanization by the neighborhood of Hochelaga for its greenery & nature. The installation aims to further immerse the viewers into the exhibition’s theme, creating dialogue between the artworks and their surroundings.

The sights presented in the photographs are a reminder of our continuously shifting environment, cycles of beginning and end, the resilience of nature but also the need of animals and greenery for free spaces. At a time where the value of land has never been higher, and amidst an ecological crisis from industrialization, urbanization and pollution, the project aims to provoke reflection about what to do with these spots. As most abandoned places finish by being demolished or repurposed, the exhibition and its location invite discussion about how to continue working towards a better balance between our needs for urban development and nature.

I wanted to leave/abandon the photographs at the location to further my concept, making it a free/open exhibition, presenting alternative uses to these kinds of abandoned structures, while also leaving the frames to the mercy of time and nature, allowing to see their eventual degradation. However, due to budget constraints, and the costs/difficulty of replacing any potentially stolen or destroyed photographs from the installation, the frames were removed from the location. For this reason, the video produced, where the 16 frames are seen installed at the abandoned location, interacting with nature and their environment, serves as a more complete visualisation of my envisioned concept.