Press Kit | no. 5671-01
'Faire le vide' at Poisson Blanc Regional Park
Luca Fortin + Atelier mock/up
Public art on a deserted island
Perched atop a rocky promontory on a remote island, the Faire le vide public art installation unfolds across the vast landscape of Poisson Blanc Regional Park, in the municipality of Notre-Dame-du-Laus, Quebec. As the first in a series of artistic interventions on the park’s islands, the project — initiated by Poisson Blanc — aims to transform the reservoir into both an open-air destination and a cultural experience.
The work takes the form of a wooden cube: a minimalist, almost monolithic exterior that conceals an interior sculpted with flowing curves and intricate textures. It is the winning entry of a design competition, conceived by a team composed of artist and architect Luca Fortin and Atelier mock/up.
Born of a deep sensitivity to the site, the monolith was designed to blend seamlessly into its insular environment. Accessible only by water — by canoe or kayak — the installation reveals itself like a well-kept secret nestled in the heart of the reservoir. Viewed from the lake, its form and materiality act as a subtle landmark, inviting curiosity and encouraging exploration of Island No. 22.
The site’s constraints became opportunities for design innovation. Entirely prefabricated off-site, the structure was installed without the use of heavy machinery. Each wooden slab was transported by boat, then carried and assembled by hand. Faire le vide was deliberately designed and positioned to minimize its impact on the rocky outcrop and surrounding landscape.
Crafted from laminated cedar, and CNC-milled, the structure was assembled piece by piece on site. Two distinct geometries emerge: an orthogonal outer shell and an organically expressive inner chamber. The exterior walls are clad in vertical slats that resonate with the upright stance of the surrounding forest, while the interior preserves the marks left by the milling tool — textures that evoke the wind’s ripples on the water’s surface. These toolpaths are the result of meticulous experimentation, where grooves and flutes demonstrate how industrial processes can be reimagined to create perceptual, poetic experiences.
Faire le vide is an encounter between place and craft, where art and fabrication intertwine. It weaves a dialogue between gesture, material, and the rhythm of the landscape — a threshold between the visible and the invisible that celebrates the poetics of place and time. The work reminds us that art can emerge where we least expect it: at a bend in a path, on an isolated island, between two breaths. In the simplicity of the present moment, it reveals its power to shift how we see the world.
Technical sheet
Project name : Faire le vide
Location : Island no.22, Poisson Blanc Regional Park
Client : Poisson Blanc Regional Park
Architects/designers : Luca Fortin + atelier mock/up
Manufacturing team : Luca Fortin, Hugo Thibaudeau, Véronique Côté, Thierry Thibaudeau, Daphée Cantin, Raphaël Pellerin, Tom Hallett
Financial partners : MRC d'Antoine-Labelle, Government of Quebec, Poisson Blanc Regional Park
Materials : Cedar
Suppliers : Cèdre JD Sirois
Overall dimensions : 2438 x 2438 x 2438
Project opening : June 2024
Photographs : Maryse Béland, Karma Photographie, Behind Création, Maika Nadon, Irvin Burel, Luca Fortin
Videography: Karma Photographie
Video complement : La Fabrique Culturelle, Télé-Québec
About Luca Fortin
Luca Fortin lives and works in Quebec City. As an artist and architect, he weaves together matter and memory, space and narrative. Recipient of the Henry Adams Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects, his work has been presented in China and India, as well as in several solo and group exhibitions in Quebec. His works are part of several public and private collections, including those of Loto-Québec, Desjardins, and Méduse.
Through public art, he explores a practice rooted in listening to place: each creation is born of a dialogue with the environment, guided by a method both rigorous and sensitive that seeks to reveal the spirit of the site.
His sculptures offer a sensory experience where body and spirit find refuge. They invite you to wander and contemplate. For Luca Fortin, each work is a gateway to a shared imagination, and a gesture of resonance between the visible and the invisible, the tangible and the intangible.
About atelier mock/up
Located in the heart of Quebec City's industrial district, mock/up is a parametric design and digital fabrication studio that pushes the boundaries of architecture and design. Their office space, adjacent to their workshop studio and warehouse, embodies their integrated approach, where knowledge and know-how meet. mock/up's approach is based on a synergy between design, research, and manufacturing, enabling them to transform the most singular concepts into concrete realizations. Their aim is to explore new ways of designing, and to make unique ideas a reality by collaborating with architects and designers, cultural and academic institutions, artists and private enterprise.
mock/up's team members are as varied in profile as they are in background. Each person's knowledge feeds the studio's collective intelligence, both technical and creative, where the sum of everyone's baggage enables them to propose bold solutions. Together, they offer parametric, design for manufacturing and assembly, design-build, and manufacturing services.
About Parc régional du Poisson Blanc
Located in Quebec’s Laurentian region, Poisson Blanc Regional Park offers unique outdoor experiences all year round.
A true escape, the park features wilderness camping on islands, waterfront cabins, rock climbing on natural walls above the Poisson Blanc reservoir, fishing, hiking, and even a one-of-a-kind work of art on an island. In winter, the landscape transforms, offering cross-country skiing on the frozen lake and snowshoeing adventures on Montagne du Fort. With its sandy beaches, scattered islands, crystal-clear water, and breathtaking viewpoints, this territory is truly one of a kind.
Here, we are truly elsewhere.
For more information
- www.ateliermockup.com/
- www.instagram.com/lucafortin_/
- poissonblanc.ca/
- www.instagram.com/atelier.mockup/?hl=fr
Media contact
- atelier mock/up
- Maryse Béland
- m@ateliermockup.com
- +1 (418) 803-8389
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