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Art Action
(Gorilla Park, a lost forest in a city)
 
There used to be a piece of land that sat not far from my studio in the Marconi-Alexandra district of Montreal,
where large factories used to work. They now lie dormant, waiting for speculators to reincarnate their purposes into
more condos, filling the streets with more cars on an already saturated city corner.
I called this abandoned old CP rail property "Gorilla Park." It was a link, a path where nature was left untouched for
many years. It was home to a variety of plants and animals who populated its borders and were left undisturbed to thrive
in a slice of land forgotten.
 
Back then, those walking its wild path were suddenly transported back to roots, to a lost "wildness" within the framework
of a large city. I called it Gorilla park because it was left to grow wild, almost like a jungle. Sometimes, there were
people who planted  vegetables gardens, pitched tents for shelter in seclusion, protected from the outside concrete jungle.
For many years, it provided respite, a place to contemplate, stand in awe and listen to the wind rustle through the leaves
of old-growth trees and witness nature's return to a purer state. It was a secret urban forest in our small community, until it
was brutally bulldozed last May, 2013 by a greedy land developer known as Olymbec.
 
These paintings, writing and information articles are a testament to what is possible, when ordinary citizens unite in
a common goal to protect the environment; to make a corner of our urban life more livable, humane and environmentally durable for generations to come. I am profoundly moved by the past year with the wellspring of citizens who want to
reclaim Gorilla park. It has become a beacon for  like minded individuals from the local community and beyond to protect
these precious oasis' of natural urban wildness. It's a source for reflection, inspiration and occupation.
 
 
 
Helpful Links for further information
 
http://ruemasson.com/?p=22448
 
http://ruemasson.com/?p=22375
 
https://www.facebook.com/operationaveduparc
 
http://parcdesgorilles.blogspot.ca/
 
http://www.urbanexpressions.ca/decor/story/building-on-nature
 
/hyperlocal.cbc.ca/mediadetail/11047737-Marconi-Alexandra's Secret Urban Forest?offset=15?offset=15
 
 
      
                   The Tree Planter                                                                                 Crowing For Nature 
 
             

 
 
 
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