A major public art installation will take shape near the Peel Basin

Wednesday December 17, 2025

To mark the 200th anniversary of the Lachine Canal, the Corridor Culturel is spearheading an ambitious artistic project that will come to life in spring 2026 in the Peel Basin area. Nine unique works, created by four engaged artists—June Barry, Franco Egalité, Thaïla Kampo, and Mecky Ottawa—will line the canal’s banks, telling the story of its past, its transformations, and its future.

Please click to see the video about the Corridor Culturel x Parcs Canada project.

Conceived as a monumental narrative frieze, these large cut-out silhouettes will bring art, memory, and landscape into dialogue. Inspired by the canal’s rich tangible and intangible heritage, they will evoke the industrial, human, and cultural worlds that have shaped this iconic site over the centuries. Crafted primarily from treated metal and at times enhanced with coloured vinyl, the works will play with light and reflections on the water, offering a renewed visual experience both by day and by night.

Spanning nearly 20% of the inner length of the Peel Basin, the installation will be visible from all surrounding routes—pedestrian, cycling, road, waterway, and rail—inviting the public to an spontaneous encounter with art in the heart of the public realm.

Led by the Corridor Culturel in collaboration with Parks Canada, this project reflects a shared commitment to enhancing public spaces through contemporary creation and to showcasing the heritage of the Lachine Canal. A perfect opportunity to discover the installations during a sun-filled stroll along the docks!