Deployment: the Canadian Cultural Centre's new free exhibition, our photos

While theArctic is a dream for many travelers, thanks to its icy desert landscapes, this part of the globe is also a strategic location where various issues, particularly military, are at stake. This is precisely what Emmanuelle Léonard is proposing to us. The Canadian photographer and video artist took an interest in Canada's Far North during an exceptional research residency with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Arts Program .

From June 9 to November 14, 2023, the artist will be unveiling the fruits of her labor in a new exhibition entitled"Le Déploiement", not to be missed at the Canadian Cultural Centre.

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Through this undeniably thought-provoking installation, Emmanuelle Léonard tackles a range of diverse realities, such as the strategic military deployment at play in this remote part of the world, where national, political and economic stakes are multiplying under the effects of global warming.

But the exhibition also highlights the commitment of young adults to the collective values of the army, and the contribution of the Inuit Rangers, who share their wealth of knowledge about survival in the hostile environment of Canada's Far North.

Through a dozen or so works, combining photographs and videos, Emmanuelle Léonard introduces us to a part of the globe that we have imagined and fantasized about through the accounts of numerous explorers, but which we know very little about in the end. And it's through the eyes of Canadian Armed Forces soldiers and Inuit Rangers that the artist takes us into this polar and icy, but oh so fascinating, universe.

In the basement of the Canadian Cultural Centre, for example, we discover a huge video diptych. Called " Operation Nunalivut " - named after the operation carried out by the Canadian Armed Forces since 2007 in the Resolute sector of Nunavut - this audio and video installation is a double panoramic projection showing the Canadian Armed Forces in the midst of a survival exercise, trying as best they can to get their " Ski-Doo " (i.e. snowmobile) up and running in temperatures of almost -60°. What's striking is the continuous noise (aircraft engines, snowmobiles, generators, etc.), breaking the image of an isolated and silent Far North. And then there are the soldiers' impressive outfits (parka, balaclava and goggles), often covered in frost, or even stalactites, so intense is the cold.

Still in the basement of the Canadian Cultural Centre, another video work is shown. Presented as a triptych, Emmanuelle Léonard films her very first expedition to Salluit and Deception Bay, Nunavut in 2016, where she worked alongside marine biology researchers. Images of night-time celebrations mingle with those of scientists processing water samples.

Upstairs, the journey to the Arctic continues with two other videos: one presenting the motivations of a female military officer to become part of this world, and the other aesthetically revealing short portraits of a dozen military volunteers invited to share with the camera their impressions of the landscape, the cold, life, remoteness and nomadism that military life entails.

The " Deployment " installation also features sublime photographic portraits of soldiers and Rangers, photographs of camps and a firing range, and written testimonials from Inuit Rangers. Participating as reservists since 1947, these Rangers speak 26 languages and dialects, and are essential contacts for the 200 Inuit communities spread over the vast territory of Canada's Far North.

Produced in collaboration with the Galerie de l'UQAM, this ultra-refreshing visual and sound exhibition (ideal for this summer) raises many questions about geopolitical and climatic issues. We also learn more about the harsh lives of these young soldiers (here aged 18 to 22), as well as the tragic history of the colonization of Resolute, the small Inuit village that hosted Operation Nunalivut from 2007 to 2018.

Visit the Canadian Cultural Centre from June 9 to November 14, 2023 to discover Emmanuelle Léonard's exhibition"Le Déploiement", free of charge. Please note that the opening of the installation is scheduled for June 8 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.