OutGrowth
Ephemeral public art
Relais routier Petit, Ste-Hélène de Bagot, 2017
“[…] OutGrowth straddles two buildings, in a simultaneously festive and lugubrious manner. There’s no fairground nearby, however. The object, gigantic, resembles more of an abstract creature that has invaded a rest stop, consisting of a restaurant, a parking lot, and a diesel station. The place, almost empty, exudes an end-of-the-world atmosphere, as if this planet fueled by oil, heavy trucks, and concrete had finally driven away all humanity.”
— Jérome Delgado, Le Devoir
Presented as part of the Truck Stop event, OutGrowth is a monumental inflatable structure that attaches itself to the Petit Truck Stop, giving the impression of a strange prominence parasitizing the building. Reminiscent of the science fiction genre, the deployment of this ambiguous organic form both amazes and unsettles the viewer. Due to its size and location, the structure, visible from the highway, also serves as a nod to the various monumental and whimsical structures found along this stretch of Highway 20.
Nylon, paint, ventilator, LED light system.
15 x 7.5 x 6 m
Inflatable: Stéphane St-Georges
Photos: Maryse Boyle & Rosalie D. Gagné