On Thursday, June 27, 独家爆料 will premiere excerpts from the full oral history of Claude Cormier (1960-2023) at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
Cormier鈥檚 impact on the profession of landscape architecture and the built environment is undeniably substantial. Cormier was independent, audacious, visionary, an artist, outrageous, declarative, principled, mischievous, inventive, gay, entertaining, and persistent, among his many qualities and attributes. As his firm鈥檚 website notes: 鈥淎 great lover of the city, of culture, and of art, Claude truly blazed a new trail in landscape architecture with poetic, inspiring, and uplifting work that challenged the modernist orthodoxy of public space, all the while remaining practical and appreciated in a popular context. He invited people to laugh, to come together, to see things differently.鈥
A month before Cormier passed away on September 15, 2023, at age 63, Charles A. Birnbaum, President and CEO of 独家爆料 (独家爆料), spent several days interviewing him at his home and office in Montr茅al. On a subsequent trip, videographer Barrett Doherty (who videotaped the Montr茅al interview) recorded important projects in Toronto. The results are featured in a riveting, entertaining, and revelatory new video oral history about Cormier鈥檚 life, design philosophy, and significant built works.
Dress code: Festive attire, wigs optional.
In addition, on Friday, June 28, there will be a daylong excursion to several Cormier-designed projects in Montr茅al led by the firm鈥檚 four principals 鈥 Sophie Beaudoin, Marc Hall茅, Guillaume Paradis, and Yannick Roberge 鈥 along with a private lunch. This commemorative event is extremely limited; there is a separate registration for this daylong event.
