“My Village” by Jean-François Bérubé and “Meeting” by Nick Kline

“My Village” by Jean-François Bérubé and “Meeting” by Nick Kline

The launch of the book My Village, by Montreal photographer Jean-François Bérubé, the vernissage of his exhibit (taken from the series of the same name) and the launch of the participatory art project Meeting, by New Yorker Nick Kline, will take place at the Design Centre of the Université du Québec à Montréal on June 10, 2015, at 6 p.m. Addressing, by way of art, the perspective of the bereaved in suicide prevention, their work is presented on the occasion of the 28th World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, in collaboration with Rencontres.

The setting of My Village is the little community where Jean-François Bérubé grew up and where there has been a high suicide rate for decades. A picture of his peewee hockey team after its victory in the regional finals is the starting point for the exhibit. Since then, several of his teammates and friends have put an end to their lives… My Village originates in the wounds caused by that sudden and often inexplicable loss of loved ones, but also in the memories of those who remain. The exhibit testifies as well to the resilience of life when confronted with death, and explores the impact of the limits of life on survivors.

Nick Kline’s participatory art project Meeting begins in May 2015 and will conclude during the exhibit. Participants in the Congress and the general public are invited to contribute to it – anonymously – by sharing a text, an image or any other form of content (drawings, doodles, mementos, etc.) with the goal of being part of the creation of an artist’s book. On each day of the exhibit, Nick Kline will transfer the contributions to a letter-size page and print out 100 copies. The more the contributions build up, the richer the exhibit will be and the more it will develop. Participants and the public are invited to visit the gallery every day to see, read and take away, free of charge, the printed contributions.

The public can visit the exhibit and take part in the project from June 11 to 16, 2015, from noon to 6 p.m.