My last day in Quebec was such a perfect weather day, and I definitely appreciated it after all the heat, humidity, and rain I endured for the month of July! Off I went, down to Saint-Georges, in search of outdoor scupltures lining the river there, a years-long project highlighting mostly Québécois artists.
As I reached my first sculpture, I realized that all the information about the artist and the work was in French. I had a decision to make: stand there and wait for my iPhone to translate it (aim the camera at the text, then wait for text to be selected, then hit the translate button, for those wondering how this works in real time. It’s not bad, but…) or just enjoy the art without knowing anything about the artist or their reasons for creating the piece. I decided to go with the latter approach, and experience the art untouched by the thoughts or intentions of others.
This sculpture caught my eye because of the way it both separated body and mind and yet connected them with a mobius-like strip (the “piste” of the title). It doesn’t seem violent or weird, as much as illustrating that sometimes body and mind get separated, but always there is a connection that can bring them back together. Also, I just really like that head sitting in the loop, framed by sky.
This second piece made me laugh, it was so unexpected to find a dining table with bright bowls and plates and glasses in the middle of a park. The table had many French quotations on it. I snapped a photo of the one I liked most (because I can scan some French sentences and get the gist of them), then asked Google to translate it:
I don’t expect anything from life, I go to meet it.
Hmm, I might have a new motto for my vagabond life.
I’m not sure at all what the deaper meaning of this third sculpture is, but I just liked the design of it and the way the word “silence” seems to be suggesting one walk along the path without headphones or conversation. All too much of life is noise and distraction, and rarely are we silent to listen, to the bird song, the breeze shaking the leaves of trees, or our own thoughts.
There are dozens of sculptures to see in Saint-Georges, along with beautiful views of the Chaudière River. My loop, from a convenient parking lot alongside the river, across a covered walkway over the river to an island and then another walkway (pictured below) to get back across the river, had at least two dozen sculptures and there were more farther down the river. I wanted to leave some for a next visit, giving me yet anothe reason to come back to this beautiful rural area of Quebec.
Everything is subject to personal interpretation and this provides us with thoughts that provoke creative stimulus, and thankfully we all see things differently.
Susan Flaig
Dear Reader, what do you see in these sculptures?
I like the detached head one the best, probably because that’s how I feel a lot, especially when I’m writing. I think the silence one shows the silence occurring when the sound vibrations stop. I’d love to take this walk myself.
Funny we drove by St. George today for the 1st time, and thought that was a nice bridge, then read your article. Enjoy the province.
What a wonderful outing, Annie!