Programming
Denis Lessard
Montréal russe
Denis Lessard se penche sur les conditions d'immigration et de vie de la communauté russe montréalaise, marquée par une diversité de classes, de religions, de convictions politiques et d'expériences antérieures d'immigration.
Mémoire vive
Initiated by DARE-DARE in collaboration with the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, Mémoire Vive provided a framework for reflection that brought together artists and stakeholders in the heritage field.
In the context of Russian Montreal, developed for Mémoire vive, Denis Lessard examines the conditions of immigration and life of Montreal's Russian community, marked by a diversity of classes, religions, political convictions and previous immigration experiences. Over the past few years, he has established ties with members of a Russian Orthodox community by attending Saints Peter and Paul Church. Finding himself in some ways an immigrant in this group discovered through Orthodox Christian spirituality, he began learning Russian and began to trace the history of the community.
Russian Montreal offers the public a series of tours and cultural encounters that allow them to experience Orthodox holidays and learn about the businesses of Little Russia. By inviting people to live a singular and intimate experience of immersion in the Russian community, Denis Lessard awakens us to the complex process underlying the encounter of different cultures and traditions; the discovery of the history, language and rituals of the other being the heart of a personal migration process.
History and human experience and the formation of personal connections are integral to Denis Lessard's creative work. In his efforts to constitute a memory that was previously absent, he retraces people and images, finds objects and places. He becomes the link and the marker, the memory that allows us to access an experience or a reality otherwise ignored. Starting from the intimate and the private, his work opens onto a community of people in the manner of a family tree whose sap would be the documentary research, rigorous and attentive.
Press release
Denis Lessard invites the public to experience a brief immersion in the Russian Orthodox community of Montreal. Throughout the summer, he will offer the public a series of visits and cultural encounters to experience Orthodox celebrations and discover the businesses of Little Russia.
The next visit : Little Russia. Come and discover some of the businesses that serve Montreal's Russian community. On the agenda: a history of Russia in the 20th century; a tasting of Russian specialties; information on the Russian community in Quebec today, its cuisine and crafts...
Tours of Montreal's Little Russia
Saturday August 17, 2002
Saturday, August 24, 2002
Meeting point : at the entrance of the Snowdon metro station, corner Queen Mary and Westbury
Tour times : 1pm and 4pm (with the possibility of having dinner in a local Russian restaurant).
Maximum of 15 people per tour.
Approximate duration: 2 hours
The tour is free. Please make reservations at (514) 878-1088 and specify the date and time of your choice.Also, please specify if you will take part in the dinner.
Speakers: Éric Coupal, Julie Fontaine, Manon Leroux and Denis Lessard
Screenings at the Centre d'histoire de Montréal
From July 30 to August 25, the 2nd floor screening room of the Centre d'histoire de Montréal will host a continuous screening of a National Film Board short film entitled Christ is Risen, directed in 1976 by William Canning at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Montreal. At the same time, an interview will be screened in the same room: this interview was conducted this summer with Michel Woinovsky-Krieger who appears in the 1976 film.
Meeting with Mrs. Eugénia Humchack
In the temporary exhibition room of the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, come and meet Mrs. Eugénia Humchack who will demonstrate traditional Easter egg decorating. Mrs. Humchack will be pleased to exchange with visitors and share her knowledge on the history and culture of Russia and Ukraine.
Sunday, September 1, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Admission included in the price of admission to the Centre d'histoire de Montréal.
In June and July, Denis Lessard offered tours of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. He offered interested people the opportunity to attend the liturgy and then take part in the community meal before visiting, with him, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
Throughout the summer, the artist also intervened on several occasions in the permanent exhibition of the Centre d'histoire de Montréal and presented, in the Living Memory Laboratory, a set of objects and documents related to his research and discovery process of the history, language and certain traditions of the Russian community in Montreal.