Photos

Nine large flags, on nine tall poles, stand in the triangle formed by Cherrier, Sherbrooke and du Parc La Fontaine streets in Montréal. They are in fact on the "place Urbain-Baudreau-Graveline" (a name I ignored until today), on the edge of the La Fontaine park. They were installed in 1996 to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's arrival on the Island of Montreal.

Now that the leaves have fallen, they are the last spot of intense color on my way down to the office in the morning. Even if the sky is gray, as it is often the case in Montréal's November, they stand against all odds to cheer you up.

The artist is Daniel Buren, and the official name of this piece of public art is "Neuf couleurs au vent" (Nine colors in the wind).