Head in the clouds | International competition

La bande à Paul, working together in a consortium along with WxY Studio of New York and Collectif Escargo, won the international landscape architecture competition for a new art installation on Sainte-Catherine Street East, in the heart of Montreal's Gay Village.

Like clouds that shift as they scud across the sky, the installation evolves and changes along the artery through the Village and evokes different physical light phenomena. Each street section exudes a specific energy that reflects its personality and the various facets of the iconic artery. Six zones express themselves visually along the kilometre of interventions under a canopy through street furniture and ground interventions. 

Designed to survive four seasons both day and night, this poetic street metaphor offers a mirror of the neighbourhood’s diversity. Vibrant and multidimensional, the installation showcases astonishing and emotional facets of “Sainte Cath”.