Contemplation at
the Four Seasons Hotel

Montreal artist Pascale Girardin’s monumental sculpture in downtown Montreal

Via v2com

The recent arrival of the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal located in the vibrant heart of the Golden Square Mile is transforming the city’s hospitality and entertainment offerings. Acclaimed Montreal artist Pascale Girardin has created Contemplation, an original site-specific sculpture for the newly opened prestigious hotel.

Suspended in the hotel’s open-air atrium, the sculpture is a centrepiece, evoking nature in the very heart of the luxury establishment.

Suspended in the hotel’s open-air atrium, the sculpture is a centrepiece, evoking nature in the very heart of the luxury establishment. The work speaks to the artistry that is so richly alive in Montreal, and to the detailed craftsmanship, enriching human stories, colourful detail, and connection to place.

The all-white installation with gilded accents of 24-karat gold is made up of over ninety floral suspensions ranging from thirty centimetres to one meter in diameter, made of lightweight aluminum. These garlands cascade through the atrium from the seventeenth to the eighth floor, evoking the cycles of nature—the blossoms of spring flowers, the movement of petals adrift on a summer breeze, the spill of autumnal leaves and the lightness of falling snow.

Contemplation evokes the blossoming of spring flowers, the drifting of petals in the summer breeze, the twirling of autumn leaves and the quiet fall of snowflakes. The brevity and continuity of each interval are both felt in the organic assemblage, just as they are expressed in a hotel, that ephemeral place of gathering and celebration that renews itself from generation to generation.

Pascale Girardin’s oversized installation, made piece by piece in her eponymous studio, echoes the artistic talent so alive in North America’s most European city. Contemplation delivers a vibrant tribute to the artisans but also enriches the power that an authentic connection to the world around us generates.

In both form and counter form, Contemplation is a delicate counterpoint to the linear geometry of the hotel atrium. The work of the internationally renowned designer is introduced into the architecture and natural light of the hotel like a gift from heaven, for the eyes of guests and residents who can enjoy the dance from every floor of the building.

Technical Sheet

Hanging in the hotel’s open-air atrium, Contemplation is a masterpiece that evokes nature at the very heart of the luxury establishment. There are 94 pieces in the work, which spans nine floors and is 31.5 m high. A multitude of floral rosaries, made up of nearly a hundred flowers and petals, cascade down between the seventeenth and eighth floors. Manufacturing and installation took about nine months. The meticulous installation of each petal and flower was made possible thanks to the talents of Vertika’s spider-men and was carried out over a period of three weeks.

About Pascale Girardin

For more than twenty years, Pascale Girardin has been navigating between the world of ceramics, visual arts and design, instilling her unique vision upon the art objects, tableware and architectural installations that she creates. Inspired by the expression of pure forms, her art discreetly highlights our fundamental relationship to the world in which we live. Whether suspended, adorning a wall or floating in the water, her works recall the omnipresence and organic structure of nature.

Originally trained as a painter, Pascale Girardin’s interest in both art and science led her to study biology (Université de Montréal), design (Certificate in Digital Technologies, Concordia University) ceramics (Centre de Céramique Bonsecours) and visual arts (BFA Concordia University). With the goal of enhancing her ability to conduct thoughtful research and to continue nourishing her work, Girardin is a recent graduate(MA) of the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Her work as a visual artist and designer has earned her several awards and distinctions, including the Pierre-Pagé Prize and grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. Pascale Girardin’s work complements the architecture of many luxury establishments around the world, including Nobu Broadway, the Four Seasons Montreal, Saks Fifth Avenue, Clement Restaurant in New York, Four Seasons Private Residences in Pudong, the Printemps Paris and the Al Badia Golf Club in Dubai.

Pascale Girardin
www.pascalegirardin.com
info@pascalegirardin.com

Images : Stephany HildebrandRead also: Dialogue with nature at lac Archambault