unesco

Quebec City’s history projected on the silos at Espace 400e

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

At the magical moment of dusk when the sky darkens, the silos in the Old Port are illuminated with images of Quebec City over the past 150 years.

Until Nov. 2, passersby will be able to watch the rich history flash before their eyes. The City of Quebec sponsored this event to commemorate the 40th an- niversary of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Sept. 4, two silent slide shows were premièred, preceded by a private cocktail reception at Espace 400, complete with cinema treats like popcorn and candy. “This 40th anniversary reminds us of the importance of preserving and showcasing this historic jewel that is Old Québec, a vibrant neighbourhood that is our pride, here and around the world,” said Mayor Bruno Marchand. “Admiring these projections is a wonderful way to celebrate our history together, while offering residents and visitors a unique artistic experience.”

As interested and proud as Marchand may be of Quebec City’s rich history and heritage, he delegated the task of creating these slideshows to the specialists: Guillaume Cyr of the Maison de la Photo and artists Jimmy Pettigrew and Yannick Nolin. Through their collaboration, they created two short slideshows. Cyr selected iconic and historical photos from the Quebec City archives, the Musée national des Beaux-Arts du Québec, the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, and the Patrick Altman collection to create a short video titled, Où voyage la lumière – Hommage photographique par la Maison de la photo.

The second video brings out the child in all viewers and may even recall a lost memory. Terrain de jeu – KINOMADA feels inspired by one of the National Film Board’s most often-requested films, Log Driver’s Waltz, where history is recounted in cartoon form. Artists Pettigrew and Nolin take their viewers on a colourful, silent visual voyage through the streets and history of Quebec City.

“The rich heritage of Old Québec is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for our local artists. I am confident that the proposed projections will inspire the public to take a fresh look at this unique setting, a testament to our history. Congratulations to the artists who created these unique and unifying works,” said Mathieu Lacombe, minister of culture and communications.

As visually amazing as these two videos are, they are missing certain elements, such as an audio track (music and dialogue) to fully captivate the audience and stop passersby in their tracks. At the launch, Cyr mentioned that an accompanying melody had been composed for this project, but the group behind this event ultimately decided to project silent videos. The images could have stretched beyond the main rectangular block with the two-dimensional photos moving along the silos, similar to past projections on various buildings.

These projections are in honour of Quebec City’s 40th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On Dec. 3, 1985, Quebec City made history by becoming the first North American site inscribed on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List. This international recognition crowned more than a century of efforts to preserve and enhance the historic district, which began in the 19th century. Even a decade before this initiative, as Quebec City was undergoing a concrete phase, then-deputy mayor Jules Blanchet and his colleagues led a project to pre- serve the Old City, limit vehicle traffic with one-way streets, and make it the jewel of a neighbour- hood it is today.

“This anniversary is an opportunity to highlight the central role that Old Québec continues to play in shaping our city’s identity and influence,” said Coun. Mélissa Coulombe-Leduc, member of the city executive committee responsible for heri- tage. “With these larger-than-life works of art, we want to pay tribute to the major milestones of our past while looking to the future.”