Source Sculpture Montreal – Words connect us all

Every time I think I’ve seen all there is to see in Montreal, I discover something new. As I was walking from Griffintown, (a previously industrial area now newish neighbourhood) in the distance I noticed a sculpture I had never seen before. I went over to inspect it, and as I drew closer I was impressed, first by its size and then by the details which are only seen once you stand in front of it. ‘Source’ by the Catalan artist Jaume Plensa is a piece of public art given to Montreal in September 2017 as part of the city’s 375-anniversary celebrations.

At first, I thought it was just a sculpture in the shape of a human head and shoulders with an open torso, made from squiggly lines bent and shaped together. But then I stood inside the centre of the statue and looked up, and realized that I wasn’t surrounded by squiggly lines but words. Words in several languages including Japanese, Arabic and Hebrew. Then the sun shone through ‘Source’ and the words cast their shadows beneath it, creating interesting patterns. What I like most about ‘Source’ is the positive message that despite differences in language, we are all one.