About
Inspired by the transformation of the Bonaventure Expressway at the Downtown Gateway, Énergir urban heating and cooling called upon MU to produce an artistic project showcasing its building and revealing its history, its nature and its function as a legacy to Montrealers.
Entitled Strates, the mural created by artist Ilana Pichon complements the Bonaventure Park public art corridor and enhances the new face of the neighborhood. The work evokes the three underground networks of the plant, namely the steam, hot water and cold water networks, and also reflects the evolution of this metamorphosed district over time, where Énergir CCU has been implemented since 1947. The three graphic forms that wrap and unify the facades of the building contain representations of underground strata and patterns illustrating the intricacies of colorful pipes and machinery found inside the building.
Ilana Pichon, the artist chosen for this mural, has a degree in architecture and visual arts. Her practice includes silk screen, mural, installation and artist’s book. Her work questions the way we look at space and the markers that structure it through an architectural and territorial sensibility. Intimately linked to location and its components her approach ties in with the various territorial levels to produce an in situ network of reference points.
