Claude Millette, born in Saint-Hyacinthe, received his education at the École de sculpture de Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, complemented by apprenticing internships with Robert Poulin and Jordi Bonet. His works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and are in the collections of, among others, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée d’art de Joliette, and the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent. Among the 20 works of public art that he has produced is L’amphore cryogénique, created for a commission by the Ville de Pointe-Claire to mark the new millennium. The artwork includes a time capsule.
Artwork description
The work stands in front of Pavillon Vincent-Lecavalier. Previously situated behind the pavilion, in 2012 it was moved and enhanced to make it more easily accessible to residents. The work is composed of three modules made of blue-painted steel bolted to oval-shaped granite bases. Each module is in the shape of the Greek letter pi and is inclined from the vertical axis. The modules are of different heights, and a metal grid fills the space between the vertical elements of the two smaller modules.
The work tests the limits of balance, combining the brute strength of the material with an evocation of movement that destabilizes perception. The formal rigidity of the components is counterbalanced by the curves, the colour, and the piercings suggested by the trellis, which offer points of access to the environment. The placement of the three elements suggests a movement of rising, like an appeal made to the imagination. The tallest module is the most complete, and it makes the appeal most meaningful, through its movement toward the sky.