Current issue #56
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Editor’s Note — A unifying competition
A unifying competition
By Ginette Gadoury
Publisher & Content DirectorIn 2011, the INTÉRIEURS | FERDIE awards became the GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN, a testament to their increasingly important role in the Québec design industry. In addition, the number of participants has once again increased compared to last year. For this fifth annual event, 103 design and architecture agencies have submitted 186 projects. For the first time since the creation of the competition, in order to properly assess these projects, we had to form two different juries and spread the deliberations of the nine Jury members over two days.
Once again, the event was overflowing with creativity. But this creativity was not only to be found in young emerging designers offering up projects as daring as they were innovative. What was truly remarkable was to see industry leaders with nothing left to prove take up the challenge and have the humility to be put on the stand and judged, by presenting projects completed in Québec or abroad.
The relevance of the GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN was reflected in the increased amount of participation; however, it was also evident in the obvious support from the design industry for what they represent. Furthermore, 37 winners from previous years have agreed to act as ambassadors for GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN and to promote the event with agencies and companies from the design industry.
The Prix Hommage wishes to emphasize the remarkable work of Marc Cramer, who, through his photographs, has brought to life numerous design and architecture projects, in INTÉRIEURS Magazine and elsewhere. Marc knows how to go beyond a merely visual description of a building, to convey to us its spirit, even its soul.
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Project of the year — Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes
MBAM – Pavillon d’art québécois et canadien Claire et Marc BourgieA bold amalgam
By Marc-André B. Carignan
Successfully promoting a huge collection of Québec and Canadian art within a high-calibre architectural frame—such was the challenge faced, and brilliantly met, by Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes with the recent extension of the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (MBAM). “The pavilion itself has become an artefact,” said Nathalie Bondil, the Museum director and chief curator, during the public presentation of this achievement, a first in the metropolis.
The anchor point for the new Claire et Marc Bourgie pavilion is the old Neo-Roman Erskine and American church, located at the intersection of Sherbrooke Street West and Avenue du Musée. Acquired with great difficulty by the MBAM administration in 2008, the cut stone edifice built in 1894 is amongst the gems in Montréal’s religious heritage, particularly with respect to its fabulous collection of stained glass windows made by the renowned American establishment Tiffany, said to be one of the largest in the world. The challenge was proportionally big: to merge this patrimonial edifice with a new, decidedly contemporary building, while preserving architectural harmony with the eclectic urban surroundings. The interior design theme must follow the same ideas. The result is a streamlined cubic work covered with white marble that echoes its visual environment.
The strength of the new wing design lies undoubtedly in the emphasis on contrasts, visible throughout the whole project. For instance, after the outer envelope’s striking simplicity, the interior space is anything but conventional. In the deconstructed environment the architects have imagined, the interior space delimitations are of minor importance. This deconstruction creates an impressive dynamic, which emphasizes the volume variations from one exhibition room to the other. The selected materials, concrete, glass and wood, are entwined to form a series of five superimposed exhibition rooms. The visitor is invited to follow an ascending route towards the upper level, bathed in natural light by a glass roof crowning the whole space.
The church Erskine and American itself was cleverly converted into an auditorium that can accommodate various cultural and educational events. The edifice’s historical and sacred attributes were carefully preserved, even improved in places by contemporary additions. A noteworthy example is the 311 aluminium and textile individual armchairs created by Michel Dallaire, the designer of the new Montréal star par excellence — the BIXI bicycle.
Downtown Montréal has not been enriched with that many audacious and remarkable achievements these past years... MBAM has demonstrated boldness, character and avant-gardism in seeing this project through to completion. As a matter of fact, the unique character of the new Claire et Marc Bourgie pavilion was acknowledged even before its official opening: it was awarded the Prix de l’Institut de développement urbain du Québec and 2010 Canadian Architect Awards of Merit — an architectural and design gesture that is a definite inspiration for our metropolis.
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Jury Special Award — INPHO / Jean-Maxime Labrecque
Sculpture habitableLiving in a sculpture
By Juli Pisano
Few customers ask their architect or designer to create "a space people will find cold." Yet such was the demand made to Jean-Maxime Labrecque from INPHO, by a condo owner whose dream it was to "live in an art gallery."
To achieve the desired minimalism, the space was emptied and stripped to its original walls, floors and industrial concrete ceilings. With breathtaking simplicity, the architect-designer then thought out a delicate multifunctional piece of furniture made entirely of raw aluminium, to stand in the midst of the space. The use of aluminium juxtaposed with wooden beams creates an interesting contrast of material that warms up the room. Like an inhabitable sculpture, the module complex harbours home conveniences: bed, walk-in wardrobe, bookshelf, sofa, counter, stools, kitchen and storage. The achievement of such an immerse piece of furniture demanded the solution to some impressive challenges, such as creating a system of horizontal sliding doors without ground support. A corridor of arches stretches into the walk-in, like a room within the room.
A glass block containing the household appliances and hot water tank supports, throws into bold relief the amazing panache of the large furniture piece in the main area. The third architectural element, a former concrete vault, houses a bathroom of small dimensions with a black interior finish. Here, a full size mirror creates an amazing sense of "tempered greatness.”
Impressed by the coherence of the architect-designer’s response to the client’s bold demands, the GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Jury has underlined in particular, the outstanding technical achievement and international character of the spatial concept, along with the rigour of its execution. While such minimalism might not be for everyone in the 21st century, it is obvious that Jean-Maxime Labrecque has manifested a decidedly realistic perspective upon our ultra technological era and brilliantly fulfilled a daring mandate.
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New talent award — Anne Sophie Goneau
A distinctive feel
By Sarah Lévesque
Designer Anne Sophie Goneau amazes the jury by her sensibility and her control of the space with so few years of experiences. Her two subdued projects, Espace Le Moyne and Tuango, testify a maturity and a rigor which impress. The jury can only underline the talent of this young designer by handing her the New Talent Award of the year.
In Espace Le Moyne, the refurbishing of a 1,600 square feet ground floor and basement located in Old Montréal, designer Anne Sophie Goneau has played with the spirit of the premises with high subtlety. To emphasize her homage to architectural memory, but also for the purposes of sustainability, she chose elemental materials — such as stone, brick, plain steel and wood — to evoke the passing of time, colouring the environment in a unique way.
One feels the presence of these timeless materials around this open-plan kitchen, the central focus of a space that opens, on one side, into the dining room, and on the other, into the living room. Framed by two columns and a supporting steel beam, it bears witness to the building’s past life as a warehouse store, around 1857. In a transition space leading to a WC, on the ground floor, a wooden arch encased in a brick wall, discovered during renovations, has not only been kept, but is now enhanced by a mirror.
In the basement, a happy combination of white walls and spare spaces highlight fragments of the building’s enduring history. For instance, the room’s space is delineated with a glass partition to retain a view of the stone wall. Once again, the original materials are brought out, as if on display. Yet, Espace Le Moyne is a project marked by a contemporary spirit, with its vast, well lit, preferably white spaces, in which the furniture brings touches of colour. The bathrooms, almost futuristic, emphasize a functionality that is de rigueur nowadays — the distinctly contemporary sensibilities of this emerging designer.
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Prix Hommage — Marc Cramer
Smoked MeatDe Brownie à Leica à Hasselblad et toujours avec un frisson dans le dos
Par Madeleine Champagne & Anne Darche
Les GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN rendent cette année hommage à Marc Cramer, photographe, afin de souligner son travail exceptionnel auprès des designers et des architectes. Marc sait aller au-delà de la simple description visuelle d’un bâtiment pour nous en faire pressentir l’esprit, peut-être même l’âme. Son apport à la profession est incommensurable et, c’est pourquoi aujourd’hui, nous tenons à le souligner en lui remettant ce prix.
Voir un ami pleurer
Brel l’a dit, rien n’est plus triste que de voir un ami pleurer …ou de voir du quai sa Leica adorée oubliée sur un banc dans le métro. Cramer parle d’amour, comme il parle de caméra et vice-versa. Première peine d’amour : « Nous avions été ensemble 7-8 ans. C’était ma bête, mon amour. Je dormais avec, la portais près du corps, collée à la peau.
Je l’ai laissée sur un banc de métro… je n’ai pas senti la « strap » glisser. Je l’ai vue trop tard quand les portes du wagon se sont refermées. Un drame. Je la pleure encore. Ma Leica, d’amour. Leica ma camera sexy, avec elle on voit toujours l’image, on est toujours en contact avec la personne. »
Et c’était la veille de son départ de la France pour le Canada.
Laissez vos idées préconçues dans le corridor
Le grand photographe d’architecture et de design qui nous reçoit dans son lieu de travail n’est ni froid, ni cartésien, ni cérébral. Pas de discours sur la technique, la perspective et les angles. C’est un tourbillon, un derviche tourneur ! Il gesticule, se lève, s’assoit, se relève, rit et oui, pleure. C’est un nerveux, un émotif, un passionné, un amateur de grands frissons.
Un entier. Il se livre, généreux. Nous raconte son parcours invraisemblable, digne d’un livre - qu’il est d’ailleurs à assembler selon la méthode d’ordonnancement Pert… ok, il est peut-être un peu cérébral, mais son sens du design, son appétit de lumière, sa curiosité dévorante en font un personnage attachant.
Cramer vs Cramer
Ce type n’est pas où on l’attend. Amateur de grande beauté féminine et architecturale, il travaille et habite pourtant depuis toujours sur le boulevard Saint-Laurent - la Main, en face du chic Cinéma L’Amour (Le plus grand écran XXX en Amérique !). Une fois la porte très banale de son loft industriel franchie, on pénètre dans un logis agencé comme un bateau à voile où tout est au poil et pourtant où tout respire. Le mood ? Résolument New York.
Smoked Meat !
Il demeure à deux pas d’un icône Montréalais et il aime les Smoked Meat de sa Main (Our kind of guy!), mais pas les touristiques, les vernaculaires de l’autre côté de la rue. And he likes them Medium Lean, with a Diet Coke please. Attaboy!
Dream childhood
No it’s was not …and then again. Né dans le 15e arrondissement à Paris, dès l’âge de trois ans, il déménage en Algérie où il sera élevé par ses grands-parents. Why? Don’t ask… his father wasn’t exactly father knows best… Mais ce papy, autrefois apprenti dans une fabrique d’accordéon, par la suite monteur d’ascenceur chez Otis, l’a élevé de manière juste et aimante et lui a permis de s’épanouir sous le soleil brûlant d’une ville algérienne au nom charmant, Maison Carrée. His grandfather gave him his first Brownie with flash. His very first first Kodak. Here comes the sun… Little Marc shoots hundreds of landscapes. A photographer was born and then some.
J’aurais voulu être un artiste
Et puis le très jeune Cramer passe à la peinture à l’huile… C’est bien difficile… mais il y excelle et il reproduit avec succès des Monet et des Utrillo. Mais c’est la photo qui demeure son alpha et oméga, et il dira volontiers : « Je suis venu à la photo par la peinture ».
While Warhol was knitting
Soooo he comes back to his true love, photography and in one of his many reincarnations, Marc Cramer worked as a set photographer on one of Andy Warhol’s films!! “This was shortly after he was shot in 1968. He paid no attention to me or anyone around him. All he did was sit there and knit, day after day.”
Wonderbra + Lejaby = Wonderful?... maybe… just maybe
The young man needs money so he does what every photographer dreams of: photograph young beauties in their undies. “Actually it’s hard work, like a war machine” he says while frowning. “You’re up on a perch and you shoot nonstop as 2 assistants hand you munitions. Modulating the light to highlight both the lace and the skin is also a challenge.” « À un moment j’en ai eu marre de photographier de la dentelle. Je n’en pouvais plus de faire rire les filles, mais quand même… respecter la dentelle et dévoiler la peau tout en douceur ce n’est pas rien. Parfois j’y pense lorsque je photographie un building, de respecter le mariage des genres ».
Câline de doux blues
Câline de blues, faut que j’te jouse. Et oui ! Le photographe d’architecture réputé a aussi été photographe pour le groupe rock québécois Offenbach. Long cheveux rouges henné à l’appui et ce sont eux qui l’ont attiré de la France au Québec. Ah… cette voix brisée par l’alcool, les cigarettes et les nuits folles.
Le building me parle
Les yeux plissés, avec le sourire du chat satisfait il dit « Je ne vous dévoilerai pas tous mes secrets, mais je suis à l’écoute du building que je photographie. L’architecte voit parfois son édifice de manière unilatérale et moi, selon la lumière et la conversation que j’ai avec son œuvre, je peux lui proposer une vision nouvelle de son projet, souvent plus poétique. Et si d’aventure deux bicyclettes sont posées contre un mur, je les conserve dans la photo. Destin, baraka… je ne sais pas, mais je les garde. Listen darling… They are playing our song!
Les meubles
Association pendant 10 ans de Marc Cramer et Nancy Bergeron dans le design de mobilier « NBMC », ceux-là même qu’Éric Devlin a appelé le lion et la sirène. La même que Cramer appelle sa muse and together they will produce slick and zen furniture sold in Paris, Toronto, Barcelona. A Renaissance man he is!
Ses étudiants sont toute ouie
« Pour Marc Cramer la photographie est autant un art qu’une discipline. C’est une manière de communiquer, d’aller à la rencontre de la beauté du monde, mais c’est aussi une façon de découvrir et de connaître. Voir et montrer l’architecture, c’est une question de regard. Cette sensibilité, accompagnée d’une grande rigueur, est très appréciée des étudiants. » raconte Georges Adamczyk, professeur d’architecture qui a été directeur de l’École d’architecture de l’Université de Montréal là où enseigne Cramer.
Hasselblad
« C’est mon compagnon d’armes mais avec la visée reflex, la relation n’est pas fusionnelle comme avec un Leica ». Mariage de raison ? Peut-être… mais la question Hasselblad donne droit à un ballet digne de Noureev, debout les pieds en V, Cramer shoote, regarde, vise, tourne… c’est peut être un mariage de raison mais solide comme le roc. Son Blad, c’est à la vie et à la mort.
Post-Scriptum ; Côté cour, côté jardin
Ginette Gadoury avait un rêve “créer un magazine de design et d’architecture dédié aux professionnels du milieu, une interface qui soit le reflet de la créativité d’ici”.
Marc Cramer a reçu la commande de créer le contenu photographique du reportage charnière du premier magazine, portant sur les HEC et d’en créer la couverture.
Stupéfaction et bonheur ! Cette couverture, inspirante, décapante, inusitée reprenait un élément des fauteuils de l’auditorium, invitait les lecteurs à ouvrir les pages du magazine, emportés par la vague de ces dossiers devenus presque magiques.
Ce fut le début d’une collaboration exceptionnelle, tant au niveau des couvertures, (une dizaine) qu’à l'aspect visuel intérieur du magazine, là où Cramer a toujours su intriguer les lecteurs, donner le ton du magazine et livrer des photos d’une qualité technique et esthétique exceptionnelle.
Just what the doctor ordered!
It was the beginning (and still ongoing) of a long love affair and as Gadoury says, gave a soul to the magazine. “Ses images sont mélodieuses” dit-elle with a wistful smile…
Music to our ears…
INTÉRIEURS Magazine
