University of Quebec students create a scent journey representing the rivers, gardens and waterways of Lifford Gardens

Anne Bernard, Marianne Demers and Lou Marchais, students in the Graduate Diploma in Event Design (DESS) at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), the only university in Canada to offer courses in the arts, present their multi-sensor installation 'Absolues jardin', on display until 16 October in the Place Pasteur at UQAM.

Photo credit: Nathalie St-Pierre

Nine olfactory snapshots

Absolue, an extract used in perfumery, inspired these designers to create an olfactory journey in three parts—river, garden, and stream—that capture the scents of the sublime landscapes surrounding the Reford Gardens. Every day, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on UQAM’s Place Pasteur, in the heart of Montréal’s Latin Quarter, these structures diffuse nine (9) fragrant blends, veritable memory capsules carefully designed to stimulate the imagination.

The installation is made up of three distinct islands, imagined by the vertical abstraction of the route of the waterways that correspond to them. The team of designers has reinterpreted the terrain around the Reford Gardens: the winding course of the Mitis River, the gentler curve of the shore of the St. Lawrence and the course of the stream that crosses the Reford Gardens.
Photo credit: Nathalie St-Pierre

Materials gleaned from nature embedded in concrete form a unique terrazzo. The copper details recall the old stills and vats used in the past for the distillation of perfumes.
Photo credit: Nathalie St-Pierre

Materials gleaned from nature embedded in concrete form a unique terrazzo. The copper details recall the old stills and vats used in the past for the distillation of perfumes.
Photo credit: Nathalie St-Pierre

The installation is comprised of three distinct islands, imagined by the vertical abstraction of the route of the waterways that correspond to them. The team of designers has reinterpreted the terrain around the Reford Gardens: the winding course of the Mitis River, the gentler curve of the shore of the St. Lawrence, and the course of the stream that crosses the Reford Gardens.

About UQAM

UQAM is the only Canadian university offering courses in every artistic discipline, as well as the largest French-language communications training centre in the country. Innovative and inventive, UQAM is involved in the socioeconomic, scientific, and cultural development of Montréal. Each year, its students transform public spaces through ephemeral architectural installations and creative projects exhibited at Montréal’s major festivals.

About the Reford Gardens

A National Historic Site of Canada, and a Quebec heritage site, the Reford Gardens is a must-see stop for anyone visiting the Gaspé and the Lower St. Lawrence. A cultural space and tourist destination for 60 years, the Reford Gardens are an iconic landscape that offers visitors soothing and innovative experiences of connection to nature. Located at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Mitis rivers, they were designed by the adventurous horticulturist, Elsie Reford, from 1926 to 1958, and are listed as one of North America's most famed gardens and one of the world's top 150 great gardens. Since 1999, Hydro-Québec has been the lead sponsor of the Reford Gardens.