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Hoarding, 2006
Hoarding : According to the Oxford dictionary, “a large wooden structure erected around a building site.” Hoarding is an architectural site-specific work in front of a construction lot in Vieux-Longueuil, Québec. The exterior wall viewed by the public has been carved with routers, sanders, grinders and chisel knives to create an artificial erosion suggestive of topographical forms. This wall is pierced with large portholes enabling bystanders to glimpse inside and witness the grandeur of an architectural erection. The public are not only voyeurs of the interior space, but will engage in a tactile experience touching carved surfaces, feeling rough crevices, knots and grains of the wood. Situating Hoarding at the street level enables the viewer to question both the plywood’s aesthetic potential and the functional use of the structure as a protective wall. Consequently, my use of plywood in the construction of a cityscape will heighten the dialogue between the primary function of the material and its aesthetic possibilities. The significance of this installation is therefore enhanced by its distinctive location since its utilitarian aspect derives directly from it. The hoardings are ‘gallery-like’ walls found in the city core working as essential protective devices. Situating this work in the urban context is significant since so many of our homes and buildings are constructed from plywood, North America’s quintessential building material. Similarly to a building, my piece will grow homogeneously within the city’s topography; the wood will become weathered, vandalism will affect the structure, graffiti will be added to the already present gouged marks, and media posters will be glued to the carved surface, adding yet more layers of complexity in the plywood. It is these specific factors which will make Hoarding become one within the urban core. The artist gratefully acknowledges assistance from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
Yechel Gagnon 2006
©2001 Yechel Gagnon |