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Péribonka, à la source des mots
By : La bande à Paul inc.
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN 18th edition
Discipline : Interior Design
Categories :
Culture, Sport & Leisure / Museum & Gallery
: Gold certification
The Louis-Hémon Museum, located in Péribonka, north of Lac-Saint-Jean, is the only museum institution dedicated to literature in the province of Quebec. Its mission is notably to perpetuate the memory of the author Louis Hémon and his famous novel Maria Chapdelaine, which became a bestseller upon its publication (20 million copies, 150 editions, translated into over 30 languages). Since the mid-1980s, the Museum was located outside the residential boundaries of the municipality. In the interest of proximity and after many efforts, the institution has been relocated to the heart of the village center.
It was in this very particular context of the Museum's relocation that the mandate was given to La bande à Paul in the fall of 2022. Started in 2020, this large relocation project was already underway, but much remained to be done at the time our team became involved. It should be noted that it involved moving the Samuel-Bédard house, where Louis Hémon stayed in 1912, and then housing the Louis-Hémon Museum in the Saint-Édouard church, deconsecrated for its new purpose. It should also be noted that the Espace Péribonka is a complex including the town hall offices and the municipal library.
For this mandate, La bande à Paul faced an additional challenge. Not only designing the inaugural permanent exhibition of the new Museum, but also dealing with the evolving architectural project. Transforming a religious building into a museum space requires numerous interventions, reflections, and specific arrangements. These were the details that were subject to discussions and analyses. To accomplish all these tasks successfully, La bande à Paul held regular meetings involving the Museum management and the project manager in charge of liaising with architects and engineers.
All in all, the challenge was met and, despite some delays, constraints, and unforeseen events, the permanent exhibition was inaugurated at the initially scheduled time, to the pride of the Péribonka community. A major project, the brand new Louis-Hémon Museum, housed in the bright Espace Péribonka, represents a significant asset in terms of tourist and cultural revitalization for its locality.
Collaboration
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