Kanitau-unahitshesht. Homage to the High Trapper

Kanitau-unahitshesht. Homage to the High Trapper – Gallery

Photos of the project in progress, collection of artifacts and sounds, and production of cyanotypes.

The cyanotype is a monochrome photographic process in negative from which a photographic print is obtained in a cameo of Prussian blue, cyan blue to white using a photosensitive mixture applied to a surface. The mixture must dry in the dark. Once dry, a silhouette appears in shades of yellow and green.

When exposed to sunlight, the iron on exposed surfaces is reduced, forming the blue color. Any type of object can also be used to produce photograms. This is the case here in the project with the students: “Kanitau-unaitshesht. Tribute to the superior trapper”.

After exposure, the unreacted iron (or iron chloride) (yellow-green) is removed by rinsing with running water. The resulting cyanotype is then air-dried.

Photo credit: Amélie Courtois / Benoît Côté

Waiting for sun exposure to create the image

Waiting for sunlight to create the image. Get some fresh air

Amélie Courtois, one of the artists accompanying the students on the project.

Rinsing off iron chloride that has not reacted to exposure

Rinsing by Marie-Renée Bourget Harvey, one of the artists accompanying the students in the project.

Faster drying, by Benoît Côté. (Artist, project manager and creator of Cosimu)

The artists accompanying the students in the project.

Marie-Hélène rinses a work of great form. Large work; large basin for rinsing.

Large-format rinsing by Marie-Renée and Amélie.

Art selection with art teacher and artist Josée Robertson.

Summary of the project

This Homage to the High Trapper/Kanitau-unahitshesht is an inverted reference to Riopelle’s famous masterpiece L’Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, the “high trapper” – Kanitau-unahitshesht in the Ilnu language – a nickname coined by André Breton, leader of the Surrealist movement. To create the series of paintings in L’Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, Riopelle took long walks on Isle-aux-Grues and Ile-aux-Oies and collected various objects and fauna and flora samples. He would then place these objects on wooden boards and stencil them with spray paint. The youth of Mashteuiatsh, in the region of Lac-Saint-Jean, will be called upon to apply a similar process to various objects from their immediate environment found on their Indigenous community’s territory to create their own artworks. They will collect sounds from their space and create compositions using fonofone-image, an innovative digital tool developed by project partner Cosimu to combine music and image.

Important dates in 2023 📅

June 1st → Launch at Old Convent of Saint-Prime
All summer 2023 → Exhibition at the Vieux Couvent of Saint-Prime and the Mashteuiatsh Museum

Discover the project Discover the project

Realized within the framework of the centenary

The creation of the Foundation was inspired by the dream of Jean Paul Riopelle, who wished to pass on his passion for art, his vision and inspire the next generation of artists to explore, innovate and surpass their creative potential.

Learn more Learn more