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Montreal, Quebec, Canada: The Illuminated Crowd

A sculpture of an artificial mob scene in front of a bank in Montreal.

Address:
1994 McGill College Ave., Montreal, PQ, Canada
Directions:
On Avenue McGill College, halfway between Boulevard de Maisonnueve O and Rue Sainte-Catherine O, on the northeast side.
RA Rates:
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Illuminated Crowd front view.

The Illuminated Crowd

The "Illuminated Crowd" is an interesting public sculpture, made in 1985 by artist Raymond Mason from stratified polyester resin with polyurethane paint.

The plaque reads: "A crowd has gathered, facing the light, an illumination brought about by fire, an event, an ideology -- or an ideal. The strong light casts shadows, and as the light moves toward the back and diminishes, the mood degenerates; rowdiness, disorder and violence occur, showing the fragile nature of man. Illumination, hope, involvement, hilarity, irritation, fear, illness, violence, murder and death -- the flow of man's emotion through space."

Explosion, embrace, beggar.

Officially 314 x 860 x 320 cm or approx 10 x 28 x 10 feet, the figures are life-sized. About 12 people from front to back and 4 from side to side.

It's in a good location outside the main gate of McGill University, amidst several skyscrapers, with shops and restaurants nearby. In the short time I was there several people stopped for a look and/or a picture.

[Marv Solberg, 01/10/2008]

There's a lot of interesting mayhem in the back of the "Crowd," including a nude man collapsing backwards over a crawling man, a knife-wielding Klansman, and a smoke cloud from a cross or bomb.


Nearby Offbeat Places

La Lecon (The Lesson)La Lecon (The Lesson), Montreal, PQ, Canada - < 1 mi.
Monument to Victims of the October CrisisMonument to Victims of the October Crisis, Montreal, PQ, Canada - < 1 mi.
Le Proliferateur: Big SlingshotLe Proliferateur: Big Slingshot, Montreal, PQ, Canada - 2 mi.
In the region:
Somewhere Near the Birthplace of Chester A. Arthur, East Fairfield, VT - 58 mi.

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