H67_18 Photograph - Limited Edition of 9

This project, consisting of a book, and exhibition, was born of a desire to reveal the soul of Habitat 67 to the general public. Still today, this iconic international attraction looms large for architecture buffs and aficionados of the avant-garde. And for good reason: as a remarkable legacy of the 1960s, it has lost none of its modernism. It is in this spirit that every day for nearly two years I attempted to capture the poetry of this celebrated building. Through my lens and vision, I sought to harmonize the changing phases of light with the rawness of the building’s concrete and the vigorous flow of the river behind it. I wanted to illuminate the hidden aspects of Moshe Safdie’s architectural masterpiece and to highlight the tension between its cubist characteristics and the natural vitality of its surroundings. I also wanted to echo the feelings one experiences in this oasis of calm, built as it is between the Saint-Lawrence and downtown. Because beyond the familiar representations of the landmark, there are our personal experiences of its uniqueness: the wind rushing through its openings, the sun on its suspended patios, the rain cooling a concrete passage, the shadows of trees or of a burst of fireworks against it at night.