I work in the field of environment so it is no surprise that some of my colleagues are bird watchers. When they return from their weekends or vacations away they tell other colleagues about the species that they got to see. They talk about the Blue-Headed This and the Wisconsin That which is rarely seen around these parts. I personally know nothing of birds. I can recognize a chicken from a crow or from an ostrich, and that’s about it. Oh, and I can recognize the male Red-Winged Blackbird because they eat cyclists in early June.
It has dawned on me that my excitement when I discover street art pieces by my favorite artists is the same as that of my colleagues when they get to see rare birds. But there’s no need for me to go to the country, my photo safari starts as I set foot into the street, in the very heart of the city.
Pieces and mural details featured in the gallery below were mostly found between 2013 and 2016. Click on any image to see in full size.
Je travaille en environnement, ce n’est donc pas une surprise que quelques uns de mes collègues soient fanatiques des oiseaux. Il reviennent de leur fin de semaine ou de leurs vacances et jasent avec d’autres collègues des espèces qu’ils ont eu la chance de voir. Ils parlent du machin-truc à tête bleue ou de la kekchose du Wisconsin qui est rarement vue à ces latitudes. Personnellement, je n’y connais rien aux oiseaux, je peux reconnaitre la poule, le corbeau et l’autruche… et aussi le carouge à épaulettes mâle parce que ça mange du cycliste en début de juin.
J’ai réalisé que mon excitation lors de la découverte de street art par mes artistes préférés est la même que celle de mes collègues pour les oiseaux. Par contre, nul besoin pour moi d’aller à la campagne, mon safari photo commence dès que je mets les pieds dehors, au coeur même de la ville.
Les pièces et détails de murales de la gallerie-photo ci-dessous ont été en grand majorité trouvés entre 2013 et 2016. Cliquez sur les images pour voir en grand format.
Futur Lasor Now
Futur Lasor Now, mural in Centre-Sud
From the
2013 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
Futur Lasor Now, pasted
Futur Lasor Now paste-up
Futur Lasor Now sticker
Futur Lasor Now sticker
Futur Lasor Now‘s Lasor Bird species has been spotted on hundreds of stickers, sometimes on pasted paper, and even in graffiti or painted on a wall. It is often armed but does not seem to be a threat to humans. It is somehow related to Patch the Lasor Dog, but the two species are rarely spotted in the same ecosystem. However the
Turtle Caps species is often found in the same environment as the Lasor Bird.
L’espèce Lasor Bird de Futur Lasor Now est généralement aperçue sur des centaines d’autocollants, parfois sur des affiches collées, et même en graffiti ou peinte sur un mur. Elle est souvent armée, mais ne semble pas être une menace pour l’humain. Elle est bizarrement apparentée à Patch (un Lasor Dog), mais les deux espèces sont rarement aperçues dans les mêmes écosystèmes. Par contre on observe souvent l’espèce de tortue Turtle Caps à proximité du Lasor Bird.
Listen
Listen, Chinatown
Listen on garbage container in Mile-End
Listen, graffiti on St-Laurent
Another species often glimpsed in Montreal is the
Listen Bird. It supposedly originates from the Edmonton area, but it has been spotted in many places in Canada and the USA and is very common around Montreal. We love it in colours with a speech bubble containing some sort of philosophical message, but also bubble-less in graffiti, tag or on a sticker.
Une autre espèce souvent apercue à Montréal est l’oiseau de Listen. Il parait que cette espèce vient de la région d’Edmonton, mais elle a été apercue ailleurs au Canada et aux Etats-Unis et est très commune dans la région montréalaise. On l’aime en couleur avec une bulle portant un message plus ou moins philosophique, mais on l’apprécie aussi en graffiti, en tag et sur des stickers.
ROC514
ROC514, pasted
ROC514, pasted
ROC514 sticker
ROC514 in alley between St-Denis and Drolet
The
ROC514 bird is rather small, round and very cute. It is very common around Montreal and has been seen in just about every possible colour. The natural environment of the smaller specimens of this species is the sticker, while the larger ones are usually spotted on pasted paper or painted/drawn on a wall or door corner.
L’oiseau de ROC514 est plutôt petit, rondelet et très cute. Il est extrêmement répandu à Montréal. Il existe aussi en plusieurs couleurs. L’environnement naturel des plus petits individus de cette espèce est le sticker, tandis que les plus gros specimens s’observent habituellement sur du papier collé ou peints/dessinés sur un coin de mur ou de porte.
Other species / autres espèces
Many other species have been glimpsed around Montreal, but they are much less common than the ones above. Indigenous and exotics varieties can be viewed in the image gallery below.
D’autres espèces sont aperçues à l’occasion, mais elles ne sont pas aussi communes que les trois précédentes. Des variétés indigènes et exotiques sont présentées dans la galerie ci-dessous.
Peru 143 aka Peru Dyer in Parc Lhasa de Sela
Peru143 at Lhasa de Sela park
Clandestinos (Shalak and Bruno Smoky) in Petite-Patrie for the Tandem Rosemont program
Clandestinos (
Shalak and
Bruno Smoky) in Petite-Patrie for the Tandem program of that borough.
123Klan, mural for the Mural Festival
123Klan contribution to the
2014 edition of Mural Festival. Incidentally, this mural was replaced with another bird mural (see next) for the following edition of the festival.
Melissa Del Pinto’s contribution to the 2015 edition of Mural Festival
Melissa Del Pinto for the
2015 edition of Mural Festival. Incidentally, this mural replaced an earlier one by 123Klan (above in this gallery) also featuring a bird.
Zema mural in Mile End
Zema in Petite-Patrie.
Zema in Plateau park
Zema in a Plateau park.
Zek in Plateau back alley
Zek in a Plateau back alley
detail of mural by Carlito Dalceggio in Rosemont
Carlito Dalceggio in Rosemont (detail).
Arpi ‘mural’ on a pillar of the Van Horne|Rosemont overpass
Arpi on one of the
pillars of the Van Horne|Rosemont overpass.
collaboration between Pask and Robe/Fore in Plateau End (detail)
Fore
Nychos’s contribution to the 2015 edition of Mural Festival
Nychos for the
2015 edition of Mural Festival.
Labrona & Gawd, detail from mural on Clark street
Detail of a mural by
Labrona and
Gawd. The bird is by Labrona.
Zen on door in alley between St-Denis and Drolet
Zen in
alley between St-Denis and Drolet.
Labrona on métro Jarry column
Labrona on métro Jarry column
Two of
Labrona‘s columns outside Jarry metro station.
Monk.e (?) in Hochelaga
Detail of a mural by Axe (contribution not shown) and
Monk.e.
Monk.e on container
Monk.e on a container in Mile End.
Monk.e on container
Monk.e on side of the above container.
Monk.e mural in the Plateau
Monk.e in the Plateau.
detail of mural on Hotel de Ville by Shalak, Smoky and Monk.e
Detail of mural on Hotel de Ville by Shalak of
Clandestinos.
Bird by Snikr, letters by Cens and door by Labrona, in the Plateau
Cens and
Snikr in a delivery entrance on the Plateau. The door also shows a bird, this one by
Labrona.
Hoarkor in the Plateau
HoarKor aka HRKR in a delivery entrance on the Plateau.
Detail of a long wall by Zek in NDG
Zek in NDG, detail of a longer wall.
Unidentified artist in Old Montreal
Unidentified artist on a
K6A wall in the Old Port.
unknown artist, Plateau Mont-Royal
Piece by Max from the YMCA crew.
Figurative lettering by Max representing his YMCA crew at the PSC legal graffiti wall
Max, spelling out the letters of his YMCA crew.
Figurative lettering by Max representing his YMCA crew at the PSC legal graffiti wall
Max, spelling out the letters of his YMCA crew.
A’Shop mural in Rosemont
Ashop in Rosemont.
detail of an Art Du Common mural on Laurier
Detail of an
Art Du Commun mural on Laurier.
detail of mural by Fanny Aishaa in Rosemont
Detail of mural by
Fanny Aishaa in Rosemont.
detail of mural by unidentified artist in Pointe St-Charles
Detail of mural by unidentified artist in Pointe St-Charles.
detail of a Bruno Smoky mural in the Plateau
Detail of a
Bruno Smoky piece in the Plateau.
Detail of A’Shop (featuring Ose, File, Zek, Fluke) mural on Napoleon
Detail of
Ashop (featuring
Dodo Osé, File,
Zek,
Fluke) mural on Napoleon.
Veak in alley off Bélanger
Veak in alley off Bélanger.
detail of mural by Astro near Duluth
Detail of mural by
Astro near Duluth.
Arose mural in Plateau end (detail)
Detail of larger mural by
Arose.
Arose mural in Plateau end (detail)
Detail of larger mural by
Arose.
detail of mural by Kyoti for Decolonizing Street Art
Detail of a mural by Chris Bose aka Kyoti for Decolonizing Street Art.
detail, presumably by Nese
Detail of a mural by
Nese/Nessie.
piece by unidentified artist
Unidentified artist.
detail of Under Pressure mural by Ms Teri
Detail by
Ms Teri of a mural done for the
2014 edition of the Under Pressure Festival.
detail of mural by A’Shop’s Dré and Fleo
Detail of mural by
Ashop‘s
Dré and
Fleo.
excerpt of mural, by Lamb?
Unidentified artist.
Futur Lasor Now (top centre) and unidentified friends in alley off St-Laurent
Futur Lasor Now (top centre), Sam Kaston and friends.
Lily Luciole wheatpaste (bird) with stickers by Decolonizing Street Art (middle right), Waxhead and ROC514 (bottom right)
Lily Luciole wheatpaste (left)
wheatpaste by unknown artist (You Go Girl?). various locations (this one on Coloniale)
You Go Girl wheatpaste.
stencil by unknown artist
Stencil by an unidentified artist.
artist B.Loved?
Stencil by an unidentified artist.
Dfek and Zek for Trife Life, on garage door
Trife Life on garage door
Bubz? in alley between St-Laurent and Clark
Bubz in the
alley between St-Laurent and Clark.
DMT on abandoned Canada Malting building
DMT aka DIEMTI aka
IMVGINVTI.
Il Flatcha paste-up
Il Flatcha paste-up.
Rage5 sticker
Sticker by
Rage5.
Bezoman sticker
Sticker by
Bezoman.
sticker by Avive
Sticker by Avive.
sticker by Ether TFB
Sticker by
Ether.
sticker by unidentified artist
sticker by unidentified artist
sticker by unidentified artist
Three mini-stickers by the same unidentified artist.
Drawing signed LS
Drawing signed LS.
