Intervention

Place D’Youville 

Montréal, Quebec

1999

Organized at the invitation of the Centre d’histoire de Montréal, the intervention Mémoire X99-Y04.25 reactivated via a series of ground markings the little-known history of the United Province of Canada’s first parliament: place d’Youville, now converted to a parking lot (1999). In 1849, when Montreal was still the capital, the Parliament—then housed in the same building as the St. Ann’s Market—was burned down by disgruntled Tory protesters, in retaliation for a bill that would have provided compensation to the victims of the patriot uprising (1837–1838). For a long time this event was concealed from the public. Nowhere on the site could people learn about the historical context and political motivation behind the arson. Reminiscent of coordinates on a Cartesian plane (X; Y), the title of the intervention was meant to commemorate the event’s 150th anniversary (25/04/1999).

I was interested in this site as a sort of physical memory lapse, looking to reconstruct with scraps of texts and fragments the multiple states and events that had influenced its identity prior to the burning down of the Parliament. With the help of an archaeologist, I was able to identify the clues and vestiges that lay dormant under the asphalt of the parking lot (the William collector sewer, the foundations of the St. Ann’s market, etc.). I then outlined the locations of these structures using blue and orange paint, and transcribed in white various excerpts from historical documents I had consulted throughout my research. For the duration of the intervention, access to the parking lot was closed-off to cars. Afterwards, the ground markings slowly disappeared, worn off by the weather and traffic.