The latest art installed in the métro network, Correspondances, a photomontage by Yann Pocreau, is the 56th piece of the STM public art collection to be included in the Art public Montréal database.

This piece, which you can see in the new Jean-Talon station entrance building (south), is printed on four aluminum panels. It presents three main visual elements.

First, words, numbers and names appear on a dark background: They are extracted from the first census in Nouvelle-France, compiled by Jean Talon during the winter of 1666. Then, fine lines mix with the names of the first colonists: They sketch a plan and a cross-sectional view of the building in which the art is located. Finally, three rectangles form the central element of the work. Two are in the colours of the métro lines which intersect under the new building.

The next time you pass through the Jean-Talon métro station, take the time to view Correspondances. It’s an invitation to become aware of the architecture that envelops us. It’s also an invitation to preserve the memory of the inhabitants who came before us. And it’s a nod to our contemporaries: we rub shoulders with the other inhabitants and creators of the neighbourhoods connected by the blue and orange métro lines.