The Collectif des Créateurs Canadiens and Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte present

FICTIONS

An immersive virtual experience broadcasting from Montreal, featuring works by eight local designers, April 22-30, 2021.

“These mirrors of montreality, gathered here, are expressions of a meridian city that is neither here nor there. Where invention requires it and feeling follows, it manifests at the meeting point of elsewhere and elsewhen.”

–Daniel Canty, Writer

On Thursday, April 22, the Collectif des Créateurs Canadiens (CCC) will unveil FICTIONS, an immersive virtual experience showcasing new and exclusive works by a group of eight Canadian designers, both established and up-and-coming: Atelier Zébulon Perron, Claste Collection, David Umemoto, Lambert & Fils, Loïc Bard, Pascale Girardin, SSSVLL and Yannick Pouliot. The exhibition is the CCC’s inaugural initiative and collaboration with acclaimed contemporary curator, design specialist, and architect Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, himself a Montreal native.

An atypical love letter to the northern city, FICTIONS is a freeform exploration of shape, materiality, and function. Set in a nondescript post-apocalyptic environment in the heart of Montreal, the thirteen pieces await with poise for the viewer’s gaze. Familiar in their appearance, these fictions of mutated furniture blur the lines of design and art, and question who the user might be, what purpose they are meant to inhabit.

“Fictions takes visitors on an intriguing and mysterious journey, featuring eight designers and artists who pay tribute to the fabric of Montreal. How did these elegant and majestic pieces end up here, in this forbidden space?

Rich in textures of light and sound, the exhibition is discovered slowly, almost secretively – but its legacy, and its Montreal spirit, remain with the viewer long after they have left the premises.” –Laurence Gélinas, Executive Director of CCC.

For the duration of one week, viewers are invited to visit www.cccollective.org/fictions where

they will be prompted to immerse themselves into the exhibition by choosing one of four different camera angles: floor view, bird’s eye, detail, overall view. This voyeuristic setting, reminiscent of 70s sci-fi and surveillance cameras, will marry imagery and video footage by Pierre-Alexandre Guay and Director of Photography Alex Lesage (Anniversary Magazine) to an original soundscape by composer Philippe Brault. Viewers are strongly encouraged to

periodically return to the exhibition as the lighting changes throughout the day – a discrete signifier of the passing of time – and how it livens up the inanimate objects.

As a companion to FICTIONS, writer Daniel Canty imagined “A Line of Light,” a short essay and user manual to what he calls Montreality: that common denominator or “palpable energy” that radiates through the city’s enrapturing “general stylistic disorder,” furthered here by the CCC’s installation.

“Fiction, in other words, is an artifice that makes up facts. It makes artefacts.”

–Daniel Canty, Writer

ABOUT THE CCC

The CCC strives to promote the emergence and development of Canadian creatives, at both the national and international level, by supporting their endeavors and creating opportunities for growth.

Founded in 2018, the Canadian Creatives Collective – the CCC – was born out of a desire from a group of creators to see Canadian design soar to new heights and discover new markets. The organization aims to stimulate connections and foster meaningful collaborations between design professionals. To achieve this, it offers logistical support to creators while they establish representation and expand marketing opportunities abroad. The CCC also creates opportunities that foster the emergence of new talent by connecting with prominent professionals from around the world. It especially encourages bold and innovative projects which will highlight Canadian savoir-faire.

www.cccollective.org

@cccollective_

ABOUT NICOLAS BELLAVANCE-LECOMPTE

Based in Milan, Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte is a contemporary design specialist, architect, and curator. His commitment to collectible design drove him to co-found the traveling showcase NOMAD held so far in Monaco, St. Moritz, and Venice, which has already established a strong and international network of collectors, design patrons, strategic partners, and gallerists. He also co-founded Carwan Gallery in Beirut, the first contemporary design gallery of the Middle East, where he serves as Art Director.

Bellavance-Lecompte has curated more than fifty design exhibitions for private galleries, museums, and institutions. He has recently been appointed Art Director of the Fonderia Artistica Battaglia.

www.nb-lecompte.com

@nb_lecompte