“Culture is like chocolate. A pleasure that we savor and share,” summarizes the municipal councilor responsible for cultural issues in Bromont, Michel Bilodeau. There is no doubt that the mural taking shape on the exterior wall of the arena hits the target directly.
In fact, the premise of the giant work project was born as part of Bromont’s 60th anniversary festivities. “Our committee met and the idea of a mural on the arena came up. We thought as a concept that it would be good to put the theme of winter sports in images,” explains the culture and community life coordinator in Bromont, Ève Panneton.
The City therefore launched a call for applications from local artists. Three creators were chosen from among the many respondents, namely the professional painter Zoée Boivin, then the Kuizin collective, made up of the renowned illustrator Christine Battuz, and her talented long-time accomplice, the graphic designer Marc Serre.
And why did you choose the arena as a canvas? “The arena is a busy place. And we agree that concrete is boring, says Michel Bilodeau. By adding a mural that will be there for a long time, we achieve our goal. People who see it smile instantly. The goal is to color Bromont. It is directly in line with our sustainable development plan which wants to include culture in urban furniture. It’s exciting,” explains the municipal councilor responsible for cultural issues.
Big challenge
The three artists were given carte blanche to develop the “vintage with pastel colors” work. “The City wanted characters, beautiful colors. She thought of the three of us with that in mind. Zoé, with her super playful universe, full of beautiful colors with organic and abstract shapes. And we, more in the figurative. Marc took care of assembling the two concepts, the texture of Zoée and my characters. It was not an easy task,” confides the children’s illustrator.
The concrete facade comes to life thanks to the creative impulses of three artists (Stéphane Champagne)
However, adjustments were necessary. “When the equipment arrived, it didn’t work. So, we vectorized everything to assemble the elements into unique pieces. Then, we recomposed it all on the wall, taking into account its constraints, argues Marc Serre. We also created a system so that we could modify the colors together. It was very collaborative work, so everyone had their say.”
The graphic designer also says he is “pleasantly surprised” that the collaboration between the three artists is “so effective and fruitful”. All this within a tight schedule.
Given its size, the giant work had to be projected, a week ago, onto the concrete surface, at night, in order to trace the contours of each portion of the mural. A logistical challenge… combined with a bit of luck.
“The projector is a big machine. We had to be very careful about it. So, we had a small window of good weather, because a downpour was coming. We were hesitant, but ultimately we went for it. After our last shot, we put the projector in its box and it started to rain,” recalls Marc Serre.
To give the mural great durability, it is made with exterior latex paint and will be covered with a protective layer.
Synergy
You just have to see the three artists talk about their common project to understand the extent of their love for their art.
“A project like this is what gives meaning to my practice. I started painting because it brought me well-being, calm, joy. And my mission is to share my art, whatever the form. The mural is powerful, very large-scale and accessible to everyone, says Zoée, who has around fifteen giant-sized works to her credit. When painting, the reactions are immediate. We receive really good feedback of the entire community.”
“We developed a great synergy,” continues Christine Battuz. We didn’t know Zoé, but we share lots of things. It’s fluid between us. It’s also a very human experience.”
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the mural project should be completed by the end of the week.