Four artists, nine silhouettes
The work takes the form of nine life-size silhouettes in cut metal, designed by four Montreal artists. They stand along the quay, in the heart of the Lachine Canal National Historic Site. Seemingly carried by the water, they reveal themselves one by one as you stroll along, together forming a poetic trail.
In the 19th century, the canal was a major route for workers and the industrial heart of Montreal. It still bears the mark of the Irish workers who built the neighbourhood, on lands inhabited by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. ÉCHOS brings this history into the present.
Each artist brings their own world to the project, interpreting this heritage site through one or more silhouettes. All of them approach the canal’s industrial past as a shifting space where nature and people meet. For the artists, the project is also deeply personal: “This project is close to my heart, because history can disappear so quickly if we don’t keep its story alive,” says June Barry.
A shared project
Unveiled on June 18, 2026, ÉCHOS offers a fresh look at this heritage site. “This project reflects our shared desire to bring the Lachine Canal National Historic Site to life in a new way,” says Mélanie Lottinville, Acting Director, Waterways in Quebec, Parks Canada.
Each silhouette has its own name: Vague souvenir, Entre ciel et terre, Trame de chance, Five Roses, L’homme qui aime, Main d’œuvre, Courants de vie, Vigie and Espoir à bord. Nearby, a bilingual plaque features a text by author Gabrielle Poliquin that gives voice to the site’s memory. Together, the silhouettes form a new stop on the Corridor Culturel, to be discovered on foot, by bike or by kayak.
This project was made possible through financial support from the Gouvernement du Québec’s Fonds signature métropole.
