La lanterne

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Rue Saint-Viateur est

La lanterne

Firm

vlan paysages

Type

Cultural › Gallery Cultural Center
Educational › University
Government + Health ›
Transport + Infrastructure ›

YEAR

2012

BUDGET

$10K - 50K

LA LANTERNE reflects the potential of urban
infrastructures—in this case a neighbourhood Hydro sub-station--to generate
public spaces. As we approach
these structures from a post-industrial perspective, we can explore
transforming, re purposing and reintegrating them in a new cycle of functional
urban regeneration. This is also a
reflection of urban landscape and how landscape architecture can play a
creative, central role in the re-thinking of the 21st century
city. These are some of the issues
raised by actual applications of Landscape Urbanism and a model for examining ecology
in developed urban centres.
LA LANTERNE borders a high traffic commuter corridor, a
municipal cycle path/green space, the Grand River (which bisects downtown
Cambridge) and a secondary road two blocks from Cambridge Galleries. It is also an intersection of energy
generation--water, hydro, cycling and walking, wind, natural light and shadow
day and night. The installation itself encloses the yard of a local Hydro
station, transforming it into a metaphorical ‘lantern’. Brightly coloured
material is woven into the chain-link fence surrounding a small Hydro building.
The woven pattern depicts shafts of light and text that will filter the sun
during the day and are reflected by car headlights at night. The words used are
of a poetic nature. They refer to
both the historic and symbolic aspects of the site. It can be viewed at a
glance by passing motorists, or contemplated at length by pedestrians and
cyclists.