PARCOURS PHOTO SHERBROOKE 2024-2025

The Parcours Photo Sherbrooke is on view from September 5, 2024 to September 2025 along the walking path around Lac-des-Nations.
Admission is free of charge at all times.

VILLE EN MOUVEMENT (City in motion)
To mark this anniversary year of the Parcours Photo Sherbrooke, the City of Sherbrooke, the Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke (MBAS) and the Comité Arts et culture Jacques-Cartier are presenting a photography exhibition featuring original works by Annick Sauvé, Arlette Vittecoq and René Houle, one of the project’s founding members. The collective theme of these images is Ville en mouvement (City in Motion).

While wandering along the streets of Sherbrooke, these professional photographers have documented various aspects of the downtown area –  physical, creative, demographic, geographical and architectural. Through their lenses, they captured the very essence of the vibrant city and now, in this exhibition, they are inviting viewers to take a very different look at their everyday surroundings.  

EXHIBITION OPENING

The launch of this outdoor exhibition will take place on September 5, 2024 at Sherbrooke’s Marché de la Gare (5pm). Accordionist Élise Legrand will provide cheery musical entertainment and the three artists will be on hand.  After the speeches, attendees can take a guided tour around the three photographic “stations” around Lac-des-Nations.

Curators: Maude Charland-Lallier, Frédérique Renaud and Miguel St-Laurent

 

RENÉ HOULE
Station #1 : Place de la Gare

René Houle focuses on geometric shapes and in this latest series he captures the fundamental characteristics of human activity. He does this by recording the way people gesticulate and move, contrasting the dynamic motions of the human body with the lines and curves of a landscape or a building. Through his philosophical approach, he invites us to reflect on the beauty of everyday life and the variety of geometric forms that can be found in our environment.

Originally from the Outaouais region, René Houle considers himself to be Sherbrookois by adoption! He has been a photographer for over 35 years and is heavily involved in the regional arts scene. Houle is the creator and co-founder of the Parcours Photo Sherbrooke, as well as a director of Club Photo Sherbrooke. His work has been shown at the Centre culturel Pierre-Gobeil, Galerie d’art Antoine-Sirois and the Centre culturel Le Parvis (among others).

 

ARLETTE VITTECOQ
Station # 2 :  Camério (near rue Vanier)

Arlette Vittecoq follows the principles of social photography, employing a documentary approach to the city and its inhabitants. Her work offers an “Open window on the city” (Fenêtres sur ma ville) – the title of her most recent book, published in collaboration with artist Isabelle Renaud.

Her detailed, colorful compositions illustrate the dynamism of urban life. They give the impression of being grab shots but in fact, Vittecoq waits patiently for just the right moment before shooting a scene – the perfect ray of sunshine, a passing cyclist or a bird flying by – a technique that is far from spontaneous….

Trained at the École nationale de la photographie et de la cinématographie in Paris, Arlette Vittecoq moved to Sherbrooke in 1970. Her work takes a close look at the city and the way it changes over time (lifestyle, population, buildings etc.) – topics that are the subject of a number of her publications and exhibitions. Arlette’s artwork can be found in numerous collections, including those of the Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke (MBAS), the Fondation J. Armand Bombardier Foundation and the City of Sherbrooke.

 

ANNICK SAUVÉ
Station # 3 : Parc Jacques-Cartier

This recent series by photographer Annick Sauvé takes a cue from a technique known as “Intentional Camera Movement” (ICM). The camera is set for a long exposure time, during which it is moved to create a special effect such as blurring or brush strokes. This method of taking a picture produces an image that looks more like a painting than a photograph, resulting in the city’s iconic landmarks being depicted anew.

Annick Sauvé is a photographer, director and videographer who lives and works in Racine in the Eastern Townships. After training in media technology, she became a director with Radio-Canada. At the same time, she practiced photography and experimented with different ways of producing images.  Sauvé has exhibited her work at numerous venues around the region, including Galerie d’art Antoine-Sirois and Maison des arts et de la culture Brompton.