PRESS KIT. An exhibition by

Transcription

1 PRESS KIT An exhibition by

2 Table of contents PHOTO CREDITS Cover image : Aerial view of the Expo 67 site, 1967 Archives de la Ville de Montréal. P67-Y-2 Right-hand page (from top to bottom) : Photographer : Guy Juillet, 1967 Centre d histoire de Montréal Photographer : Roger La Roche, 1967 Centre d histoire de Montréal Photographer : Luc Doray, 1967 In the press kit : Unless otherwise indicated, photographs are by Roger La Roche, 1967 The context Expo Extra! The exhibition trajectory Zoom on the exhibition creators An interview with Catherine Charlebois A museum-school project: Marie Lavorel and Lise-Marie Chiret A word from Jean-Francois Leclerc Production team The Centre d histoire de Montréal

3 In 1967, Montreal had the wind in its sails! Over the summer, 50,000,000 people came to the islands, the rendezvous for enlarging their horizons at the world s fair. The Centre d histoire de Montréal unveils its newest exhibition, Expo Extra!, a complement to Explosion 67 Youth and Their World, in which viewers get into the heads of people who were between the ages of 11 and 21 the year of Expo 67, through audio, visual, virtual, and high-tech immersion. To make sure that nothing is missing for the many Expo 67 buffs and to optimize their experience at the CHM down to the last detail, the museum is showing much previously-unseen or rarely-seen material, along with elements that could not be included in Explosion 67. The CHM invited the first-year students in the M.A. program in museum studies at UQÀM to put together the theoretical concept and practical design of this new exhibition. Expo Extra! presents everything from Expo 67 that you never thought you d see or hear again: the objects, the pavilions, the postcards, the stories, and more. Here, you ll be right on the Expo site. THE CONTEXT 3

4 4 While personal reminiscences are the prominent feature of Explosion 67 Youth and Their World, the emphasis in Expo Extra! is on the concrete objects associated with Expo: images, promotional products, scale models, drawings and plans. The second exhibition complements the first but is quite different from it, as it takes you back in time along a subtle, humorous path. The exhibition s installations and scenography transport visitors into the colourful atmosphere of the 1960s, reawakening the memories of those who experienced the fair and offering an immersion in it to those who weren t born yet or were too young to have seen it. This 50th anniversary is the ideal occasion to bring one of the most significant events in the 20th century history of Canada, Quebec, and especially Montreal, back to life. Expo Extra! takes you around Expo 67 through the site s transportation system, its pavilions, and the many technological innovations it introduced to the world. A look at other world s fairs and at the Expo islands as they are today highlights the context of that exceptional event. The exhibit space will also host a special program of activities, events, and public talks. The Centre d histoire is showing its important collection of Expo 67 objects to the world in an amusing, educational, fact-filled exhibition. Inseparable from Explosion 67, Expo Extra! is the former s et cetera. 67 let 9,1 uy o p t ho :G il Ju Expo Extra! 4

5 Centre d histoire de Montréal Archives de la Ville de Montréal,1967, PH-3699 Archives de la Ville de Montréal,1967, PH-3653 Photo : Clément Brillant, 1967 Archives de la Ville de Montréal, P Photo : Guy Juillet, 1968

6 THE EXHIBITION TRAJECTORY [ TRANSPORTATION ] The excitement and popularity of Expo 67 inspired many stories about the transportation systems used on the site and to get there. The crazy trip is evoked by those who came to the fair in a variety of ways, and in images of an idealized city in which the monorail replaced the automobile. More than the realization of a dream, the design of the transport system for Expo was essential to the smooth running of the event. [ THE PAVILIONS ] By means of a highly original installation, artefacts, and archival pho tographs, the many pavilions of Expo 67 are highlighted in their wide diversity. The best-known and the almost-forgotten pavilions, whether national, thematic, corporate, or religious: all of them informed us on the richness of a unique, over-the-top world s fair. [ LOUNGE ] A pause in the trajectory gives visitors a chance to peruse newly-available material, exploring it more deeply and enjoying the sensation of being in the middle of the exhibition viewing archival documents, comfortably settled in a living room decorated in the colours and style of the late 1960s. [ COMPARING WORLD S FAIRS ] A brief history of world s fairs brings a better understanding of why Expo 67 stands out among them as one of the most memorable. Some of the more remarkable fairs are shown, from London in 1851 to Montreal in Next, visitors cross through a zone presenting the new technologies presented at Expo. These may be obsolete today, but in 1967, they were on the cutting edge of modernity. The fair not only introduced tech tools for daily use: it also featured the space race, computers, touchtone telephones, robots, supersonic aircraft, and immersive cinema. These technologies reinforced the sense of freedom that reigned during this era. [ NEW TECHNOLOGIES ] [ THE EXPO ISLANDS TODAY ] What is left of that effervescence, those futuristic buildings, that dream city of the future? Since Expo 67, the landscape of the islands has become unrecognizable. Here is a look at the transformations that have occurred over the last 50 years. 6

7 Read & Co. Engravers & Printers, 1851 Archives de la Ville de Montréal, VM97_S6_D2_P090_CD-CHM-15 Archives de la Ville de Montréal, 1967, VM94-EXd Photo: Roger La Roche, 2011

8 AN INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE CHARLEBOIS When we were putting together Explosion 67 Youth and Their World, there was already the suggestion of creating a complementary component, an experimental space that would have the double function of an exhibit space and a living space where all kinds of activities and presentations would take place. This is how the concept for Expo Extra! came into being. The main idea in Explosion 67 is to get inside the heads of young people at the time of Expo using their retrospective personal accounts. The strong conceptual basis of this exhibition uses the event almost as a pretext to deal with broader matters. Catherine Charlebois, museologist at the Centre d histoire de Montréal. In a contrasting approach, Expo Extra! shines light on the collection of Expo 67 objects at the Centre d histoire de Montréal, the most important in Quebec. We felt it was essential to give Expo 67 buffs a more detailed experience with a wider range of artefacts. The goal was to provide as much information as possible within precise themes. Expo Extra! is the fruit of a collaborative museum-school project in which the Centre d histoire gave a class of first year M.A. students in museum studies the mandate to carry out the conceptual and practical realization of the exhibition. The CHM wishes to expand this program in coming years to give future Montreal museologists concrete experience in their field. The exhibit took shape step by step, acquiring its distinct character as the discussions between the students and the team at the Centre d histoire proceeded. Expo Extra! is a wink at Expo 67 with the principle aim of delighting visitors. Light-hearted and sparkling with colour, it takes them back 50 years through original iconic objects. ZOOM ON THE ARTISANS OF THE EXHIBITION 8

9 EXPO EXTRA! : A MUSEUM-SCHOOL PROJECT Interview with Marie Lavorel This exhibition is the result of a project initiated by the Centre d histoire de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal. In the museum-school program, the CHM proposes that some of its exhibitions and collaborations serve as experimental labs principally for museology students. For the creation of Expo Extra!, students at UQÀM taking the course Exhibition, interpretation, dissemination were invited to devise an exhibition concept that would give visitors a fast-track encyclopaedic overview of Expo 67. Carrying out truly professional roles, five groups of students engaged in this exercise, accompanied by their professor, Marie Lavorel, who took the initiative of integrating the Centre d histoire de Montréal exhibition into her course. This practical dimension is at the heart of the master s program in museum studies at UQÀM, directed by Jennifer Carter. Marie Lavorel, PhD, professor of museum studies, UQÀM. The team at the CHM collaborated in the project by apprising students of the museum s expectations, its material and financial constraints, and the approach underlying its exhibitions. After several weeks of work, each student group presented its concept to a jury of representatives of both the museum team and UQÀM. Although only one project was selected for this museum-school initiative, in practice, all the concepts put forward by the groups of students inspired the final result by their different approaches, ideas, discoveries, and creative solutions. Marie Lavorel stated: This teaching experience blending theory and practice was very enriching, as much for me and my students as for the CHM. To conceive and transmit the essence of an exhibition, we must to go into the field and create bridges between the university and the museum milieu. I am very proud of the work my students have accomplished, and impressed by what we were able to build in so short a time. In this same spirit of collaboration and training, the final trajectory and scenography of the exhibition is the work of Lise-Marie Chiret, a student in Marie Lavorel s course who is carrying out an internship under the supervision of the Centre d histoire team. We warmly thank all those who participated in the new formative adventure of the museum-school, and hope that Expo Extra! will give visitors the same collective pleasure that its artisans had in conceiving and creating it. 9

10 EXPO EXTRA! : A MUSEUM-SCHOOL PROJECT Interview with Lise-Marie Chiret Photo : Lise-Marie Chiret, 2017 Lise-Marie Chiret a student in Marie Lavorel s course and an intern at the Centre d histoire in the framework of the museumschool project. She talks about her experience in class, her arrival at the Centre d histoire, and the concrete task of taking the project in hand: Photo: Robin Cagnon-Carbonne, 2017 Lise-Marie Chiret, a student in the master s program in museum studies at UQÀM. Marie Lavorel s students in the master s program in museum studies. Josée Bellemar Maelle Brogard Lucie Pauline Bruguiere Brigitte Campeau Lise-Marie Chiret Ophélie Clermont Geneviève Collin-Gascon Teodora Dimitrova Alexandre Lafortune Iloe Francon Catherine Gabois-Laurendeau Anna-lou Galassini Jean-michel Grenon-Godbout Annie Jussaume-Lavigne Chrystel Khoobeelass Ariane Letourneau Maude Pelletier Gisele Villacorta-Murcia Genevieve Renaud Ariel Rondeau Emma Servonnet Clara Tissot Zoe Vangindertael We were all strongly motivated by the idea of this collaboration. For us, it was an opportunity to conceptualize a project based on the objectives and constraints of the museum and on the expectations of its members. This museum-school project brought us up against the reality of budgets and the feasibility of our ideas. Each member of a student group was assigned a specific role, allowing us to cover all the aspects of the profession of museologist: the project head and the persons in charge of the trajectory/scenography, iconographic choices, the selection of artefacts, and the writing of explanatory texts. To be able to continue the project as an intern at the CHM, and therefore, to be able to bring the work started by my class to the completion of the exhibition was an incredible opportunity for me. Thanks to the warm welcome from the members of the CHM and the large amount of autonomy I was given there, from the beginning, I felt a strong sense of belonging that allowed me to become completely involved in the project, dealing with the issues while facing the everyday reality of the constraints with all the rigour required by a museum institution. The context proved to be veritable motor for my creativity and for my reflections on exhibitions in relation to the missions of museums. 10

11 Expo was an EXTRAordinary experience for those lucky enough to attend the event. In subsequent years, Man and His World prolonged the pleasure of those who had visited the fair in 1967 and offered a new experience to those who hadn t. This year, amid the intense commemoration of Expo 67, we felt it was important to directly answer the question: What was Expo 67? The Expo Extra! exhibition provides a detailed exploration, in a playful way, of several concrete aspects of the Montreal world s fair: the pavilions, the transportation facilities, the technology, the restaurants in brief, everything you could want to know about this watershed moment in history that has been handed down from generation to generation as a vibrant memory. Moreover, one of the roles of the Centre d histoire de Montréal is precisely to decode the moments and legacies of the past that have forged Montreal s identity. For many, Expo Extra! will be an occasion to visit or revisit our feature exhibition, Explosion 67 Youth and Their World, an interactive digitalized plunge into memories of Expo 67 and the 1960s as they have never been seen before. Jean-François Leclerc, director of the Centre d histoire de Montréal. A WORD FROM JEAN-FRANÇOIS LECLERC 11

12 An exhibition produced under the direction of Jean-François Leclerc, directeur du Centre d histoire de Montréal Project Management Catherine Charlebois Lise-Marie Chiret Stéphanie Mondor Research Catherine Charlebois Roger La Roche Caroline Martel Stéphanie Mondor Historical Fact Checking Roger La Roche Original Script and Graphic Concept Master s students in Museology at Université du Québec à Montréal, within the framework of the course Exposition, interprétation et diffusion directed by Marie Lavorel. Script Development and Graphic Concept Catherine Charlebois Lise-Marie Chiret Stéphanie Mondor Scenography Lise-Marie Chiret Texts Catherine Charlebois Roger La Roche Jean-François Leclerc Revision Marie-Anne Gagnon Anne Gombert Translation Marie-Anne Gagnon Robert Tyler Wood Coordination, Set Design and Installation Stéphanie Mondor Lise-Marie Chiret Printing Paragraph Video clips production Caroline Martel Subtitle Caroline Martel Installation Lise-Marie Chiret Stéphanie Mondor Mathieu Gendron-Méthot Communications Margot Bouju Lise-Marie Chiret André Gauvreau Administration Linda Rougeau Educational Programs Josée Lefebvre Charles Turgeon Robert Tyler Wood Archives Textual and Iconographic Archives Archives de la Ville de Montréal Bibliothèque et Archives Canada Centre d histoire de Montréal Fonds Jim Shypertt Library of Congress Audiovisual Archives Air Canada Serge April Archives de la Ville de Montréal Archives Canadien Pacifique Bibliothèque et Archives Canada Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec Collection historique Bell Michal Ann Crawley Richard et Saël Lacroix Richard Prelinger (Prelinger Archives) Claude Fournier et Marie-José Raymond André et Antoine Rostworowski (Film Art) Loans and Gifts Jérôme Aspert Joseph Aspler Raymond Auger Robert Boily Roland Bonneville Clément Brillant Shirley Brown Josseline Bujold Bill Cotter Yvon Desjardins Robin Doak Luc Doray Luc Durand Ginette Felton Yves Jasmin Lucie Juillet Gilbert Langlois Roger La Roche Gilles Léonard Armelle Lirette Ève Marion Monique Michaud Stéphanie Mondor Gemma Morasse Paule-Andrée Morency Marco Pardo Ronald Plamondon Gary Sims Rosemary Sullivan Guy Vanier PRODUCTION TEAM 12

13 THE CENTRE D HISTOIRE DE MONTRÉAL The Centre d histoire de Montréal, founded in 1983, is dedicated to the history of the city of Montreal. The museum is housed in a former fire station, a unique heritage building. On the ground floor, visitors can tour the permanent exhibition, Traces. Places. Memories, an overview of the city s history from 1535 until today. This exhibition is intended to open up a direct route to the city, encouraging visitors to walk through the streets to rediscover traces of history. The CHM is particularly interested in Montrealers daily lives and their personal stories. Temporary exhibitions accordingly focus on the city, its current inhabitants, and their experiences. The Centre d histoire also has the mission of serving communities in the city. It initiates research activities and the collection of personal stories in several Montreal boroughs. It has developed visits aimed as much at adults as at young people, especially elementary schoolchildren and recently-arrived youngsters who are learning French. The specificity of the Centre d histoire de Montréal lies in its social approach that centres on the memories of Montrealers. 13 Photo : Normand Rajotte

14 An exhibition by