The diversions feels like a break from routine, an unexpected journey through places of history and small observations scattered across an everyday landscape.
Détours is produced and directed byAgence TOPOunder the direction of Taien Ng-Chan, who is also responsible for the creation of two of the routes explored in this project: Passages de ville, with video poems and a narrative based on the observation of those strangers we meet on the bus and who become familiar to us; and Les rues des saints, a joyous fusion of geography, poetry and hagiography, with the support of the Byzantine iconographer Adrian Gorea. The other routes mapped for this project all offer a unique exploration of the places that inhabit us. In Walkups: scenes from Montreal life, extracts from the author's collection Lance Blomgren have been mapped and enriched by the sound explorations of Gordon Neil AllenIn Les chansonnettes de ville (City Ditties), the artist uses short stories and the absurdities of life as they relate to Montreal homes. In Les chansonnettes de ville (City Ditties), Samuel Thulin proposes sound environments linked to certain places in the city and created with the help of his mobile phone, using only sounds recorded and mixed on the spot with his iPhone. In Field Notes, Emilie O’Brien explores Le Champ des possibles - a Mile End wasteland also known as Maguire Meadows - with embroidery, textworks, images, and an interview with the creator of this Roerich Garden project, Emily Rose Michaud. In Les lignes de désir (Desirelines), Donna Akrey mapped lines of desire, wild shortcuts traced by people over the years and discovered during her urban wanderings. Finally, the Rendez-vous map was created in collaboration with participants in cultural mediation workshops run by Accès Culture Montréal, as part of the 2012 Biennale internationale d'art numérique.
All the routes that make up Détours have been optimised for viewing and listening in the very places that inspired their creation, although walkers are also invited to discover them and enter this universe. Détours is a media project designed for the web and mobile platforms, and is accessible via tablet computers and smartphones. For a better experience, the use of headphones is recommended.
Taien Ng-Chan would like to thank Agence TOPO for their support for this project, and all their collaborators for their wonderful work. And thanks to Joe Ollmann and Samuel Ollmann-Chan, as always.
TOPO would like to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Ville de Montréal, and Société des arts technologiques for their support.
