Architectural direction of the project
The Montréal métro is known around the world for the diversity of its stations. Each station is the outcome of a unique architectural design. This was how the original network was designed, and the Blue line project will be no exception.
A thorough selection process was carried out to mandate specialized and recognized architecture firms to design the buildings. Beyond meeting the functional and safety requirements of a métro station, the architectural design plays a role in creating harmonious, attractive and sustainable environments.
In addition to the five new stations, seven auxiliary structures must be built to support network operations. Architecturally, the structures will be developed with as much care as the stations themselves. An integrated strategic thinking process, a heritage analysis, and study of the urban fabric will ensure optimal integration of these structures into their surroundings.
The architectural directions for all buildings will be announced to the public in 2025.
The value of art
A process was carried out with the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications to identify five artists whose work would enrich the environment and customer experience of each of the new stations. The selected artists will work in collaboration with the architects to ensure that their work fits harmoniously into the new stations.
Here are the artists who will create unique artworks for each of the five stations of the extension.
Born in 1981 in the Huron-Wendat community of Wendake, near Quebec City, Ludovic Boney was raised and went to school in the province’s capital. The artist has long been drawn to public art, namely “art that is accessible to the users of our parks, streets and cities.” Since 2015, he has been based in Lévis, where he works on large-scale public art projects and regularly exhibits his work in galleries and artist-run centres.
His artistic approach is often inspired by places and their prevailing atmosphere. For the future Vertières station (Pie-IX), he will create a colourful piece that will be embedded into the structure of the walls. This is an uncommon practice in the public art world, and it will have its fair share of challenges. But for Boney, obstacles of this kind fuel his work. The Vertières station project is a dream come true for him: “This is a unique opportunity, since artists don’t usually have any say on the space intended for the work. In some cases, the building has already been completed and delivered. With this piece, I’ll be working with architects to create an artwork that will be integrated fully into the station.”
The artwork will reveal itself differently to passersby, depending on the lighting and their movements, allowing them to discover the work’s many subtleties.
Recent works of the artist
Sous l'oeil des spectateurs, Parc de la Rivière-Etchemin / Ville de Lévis
Réaction en chaîne, École de technologie supérieure
Une Cosmologie sans genèse, Musée national des beaux-arts
Jocelyne Alloucherie lives and works in Montréal. Through complex configurations, her work explores conceptual and poetic notions of images, objects and places. Her work can be found in many art centres and galleries in New York and Montréal, but also across Canada, France, Italy and Spain, to name a few. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2008.
For the future Mary-Two-Axe-Earley station (Viau), she aims to create a clear, open piece, that lets everyone feel engaged in their own way. It will be integrated harmoniously with the unique architecture of the station.
Alloucherie’s artistic approach also draws on the concept of a journey. Conscious that métro customers are always walking and on the go, she wants the artwork to provide them with special moments as they pass through the station.
The artist will use photography as a starting point for her work, but the images will be reworked to evoke landscapes that do not belong to any specific place and that are open to interpretation.
Recent works of the artist
Terre de sable
Regarder les pommetiers
To learn more about the artist, visit jocelynealloucherie.com
Alain Paiement was born in Montréal in 1960, where he currently lives and works, having spent over a decade in Europe. He is an adjunct professor at the École des arts visuels et médiatiques of the Université du Québec à Montréal. His practice has spanned painting, installation, photography and video, with an ongoing interest in geography and mapping processes.
The artist is delighted to create a project for the métro: “As a child, when taking the métro, I saw the artworks in each station, and I thought that one day I’d like to make one.”
Paiement is interested in public art because it is accessible to all and lets him reach people outside a designated cultural framework. For the Montréal métro, he will create a bright high-rise piece that will be integrated into the station. It will shift as natural light passes through it.
For him, art is a vehicle for interrelation. He aims to represent the multiplicity of cultures through the use of various forms and textures. Métro customers will be able to discover—and rediscover—the work during their visits, as the shapes and patterns will vary, appearing differently depending on their location in the station and the time of day.
Recent works of the artist
Bleu de bleu
Ondes croisées
Tessellations sans fin
Marc Séguin was born in Ottawa in 1970. He received his BFA from Concordia University, where he studied under Guido Molinari. He currently lives and works in Montréal. Already in 1996, his first solo exhibition featured large-scale paintings with astonishing plastic features. He is also the author of several novels.
For the future Madeleine-Parent station (Langelier), Séguin will create a hand-painted cyclorama with a narrative framework. The piece will be over 100 metres long, which will make its integration into the station a major task. However, the artist, working in synergy with the architects, has already started thinking about possible strategies.
For Séguin, public art allows him to connect with customers and citizens and bring art into their lives. By creating this work of fine art, the likes of which exist almost nowhere else in métro systems worldwide, the artist is fulfilling a long-held dream: “It’s a privilege to have access to the public in an urban setting. People will live with the work. They will see a part of it in the morning, and another part in the evening coming back the other way. There’s a very interesting and inspiring immersive quality to it.”
Recent work of the artist
Anima
Born in 1974 in Montréal, Nadia Myre is an Indigenous visual artist from Quebec. Her practice has been inspired by participant involvement to initiate dialogues on identity, resilience and politics of belonging. She has received many awards, and her work can be found in the permanent exhibitions of several museums. Myre is also the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts Practice.
Her art focuses on the point of contact between different cultures and on indigenousness. The métro is a strong cultural symbol. By creating a piece for the future Anjou station, she aims to express the complexity of the multicultural social fabric of Montréal.
For this piece, Myre draws her inspiration from the history of the place, people of the neighbourhood, and symbols—both individual and collective: “I’m interested in symbols that are repeated from one person to another, no matter where they are in the world. Symbols can be a language of universality.”
The artist has done extensive research on weaving and beading on large surfaces. In the coming months, we will learn more about her plans for the artwork and its integration into the station’s architecture.
Recent works of the artist
Pimisi Station
Dans l'attente
Tree of Shifting Forms
Incorporating artworks into the network is a core value and adds to the distinctive identity of the Montréal métro.
Since the late 1970s, any building or extension of a public building financed by the Quebec government must include an artwork by a Quebec artist, valued at roughly 1% of the construction budget. As such, each new station on the Blue line will include an original Quebec artwork.
To be considered, artists had to be registered in the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications artist database. A committee created by the Ministry first narrowed down the list of more than 600 applicants to 20 names. These artists were then asked to submit a proposal outlining their artistic vision for the new stations, remaining anonymous in the process. For each station, the jury, which included the station’s design architect, selected one artist.
Montrealers already know that every station in the Montreal métro is unique. But did you know that it is a global trailblazer in terms of integrating artworks in its stations? Since its opening, the network has had a long tradition of inviting artists to work with design architects to create artworks that reflect the identities of the stations, making our network a true underground museum!
According to Art Public Montréal, public art “refers to all works of art in public spaces, whether outdoors or indoors. The works are permanent and installed in common public areas. Public artworks are presented in more or less discreet ways, affirming their formal, conceptual or temporal characteristics. They can relate or not to their site, adapt harmoniously to their environment or contrast with it, depending on the artist’s intention.”
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The blue line extension project follows in the wake of the Déclaration du gouvernement du Québec et de la Ville de Montréal to revitalize Montréal East. Many projects are underway to give a new impetus to this sector. Increased mobility, economic development, and improved living environments are at the heart of this ambitious project. For more information, see Québec.ca/RevitalisationEstMontreal (in French only).