Pontiac artist Michèle AimPée Parent represents Pontiac at the 2026 Recycl'Art Biennial

Drazen Seslija

Professional visual artist Michèle AimPée Parent, based in Fort-Coulonge, has been selected to participate in the 2026 Recycl'Art Biennial, a contemporary art event taking place from July 4 to August 30 at Brasserie Creek Park in Gatineau.

Organized by the Centre d'art contemporain de l'Outaouais (CACO), this biennial, whose works all relate to the theme "Future Resonances," brings together 22 artists this year, chosen by a jury. The works explore the reuse, transformation, and repurposing of recovered materials through contemporary artistic approaches.

Opening Reception and Unique Artwork

The opening of the Recycl'Art Biennial, hosted by Denis Marceau, President of CACO, took place on July 4, marking the launch of an outdoor art trail that will remain open to the public until August 30.

For this edition, Parent unveiled her work entitled Sounds of Fossilized Mouths, part of a sculptural installation inspired by both the Outaouais region's forest heritage and collective memory.

The artwork rests on an imposing log, a symbol of the Pontiac region's forestry history, covered with reclaimed shoes transformed into a multitude of expressive faces. Each face evokes a story, a memory, or a human journey, inviting visitors to reflect on the second life of everyday objects.

"This work is rooted in our forest territory while giving a new voice to abandoned objects," explained the artist. “Each face tells a story of humanity and reminds us that even the most worn-out objects can still reveal unexpected richness.”

Through this creation, Parent hopes to spark reflection on the reuse of materials, while establishing a dialogue between the past, present, and future. Shoes, repurposed from their original function, become silent witnesses to human experiences reinvented by art.

With her work, Sounds of Fossilized Mouths, Parent primarily aims to awaken the public's curiosity. According to her, this curiosity opens the door to questioning, discovery, and reflection on everyday objects. By transforming old shoes into expressive faces, the artist invites visitors to imagine the stories their own footwear might tell. “Everyone wears shoes. They are objects that accompany us everywhere and preserve the traces of our journeys,” she explained. Her work thus establishes a parallel between these shoes that “resonated on other floors” and the new resonances they create today through their stories.

A work of multiple dimensions

Created after several weeks of work, the installation is the result of a shoe collection organized in the Fort-Coulonge community. The work is also designed to be interactive thanks to QR codes integrated into the sculpture, allowing visitors to discover the stories of certain shoes, as well as collaborations with other artists, notably ceramicist Martine Buczkowski and singer-songwriter Claire Michelle Sirois. “I wanted the public to be able to take the time to explore the details and extend the experience beyond simply looking,” the artist emphasized.

At the opening, held on July 4 under clear skies, many visitors explored the installations in the company of the artists. Parent says she received several enthusiastic comments on the originality of her approach, with some visitors even calling Sounds of Fossilized Mouths a favourite, which pleased her. She also believes the event raised public awareness of the potential for reusing everyday objects. "Democratizing access to public art is important, and I think many people left with a new perspective on reclaimed materials," she concludes. The Pontiac artist's participation in the Biennial highlights the dynamism of the Pontiac art scene and contributes to the visibility of local artists throughout the Outaouais region.