Tour Fides

Students and recent alumni of Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts are invited to this call for submissions to propose and develop a prototype for a work of public art to be installed in the lobby of the newly renovated Tour Fides. Proposals will be reviewed by a jury, and three finalists will receive a $5,000 honorarium to build out a small-scale prototype of the artwork.

Students and recent alumni are invited to apply as individuals or in teams of up to three people. 

The Tour Fides, located at 235 boulevard René-Levesque Est, is a historical modernist building currently being renovated into housing units. The project developers are putting a new and modern spin on the original 1964 Éditions Fides building while maintaining its name and existing heritage façade which has patrimonial importance to the city of Montreal. 

The original Fides building was designed in 1964 and remains one of Montreal's most iconic towers of the modern era by contributing to the institutional character of René-Lévesque Boulevard. The Fides Building is distinguished by its avant-garde volumetry and the distinction of its materials. 

Founded in 1937 by Paul-Aimé Martin, Éditions Fides quickly became one of the leading publishing houses in French-speaking Canada. At one point, Fides even had its own distribution system and network of bookstores. Over the years, as Quebec society evolved, the company diversified its editorial offerings, providing readers from all walks of life with literary works, reference books, art books, essays, and books for educational purposes.

To honor the rich history the building offers the city of Montreal, the developers are commissioning an artwork  that reflects both the historical significance of the site and the technological advancements driving its transformation  into a new large-scale  residential project.

If you have any questions about the application process or need specific accommodations to help you succeed in applying, please get in touch with artvolt@concordia.ca.

Students and recent alumni are invited to apply as individuals or in teams of up to three people. 

Three finalists will be selected and will each receive a budget of $5,000 to develop and build a small-scale prototype of their proposed idea. This amount includes artist fees, and production costs to be allocated at the discretion of each finalist. 

The selected finalist will be announced the week of September 8th, and will have until the end of October to develop and build their prototype. A final presentation will be held the week of October 27th to select a winning proposal. 

In the event that the developer of the Tour Fides project wishes to move forward with the realization of the winning proposal, they will offer the winning artist(s) $10,000 to purchase the prototype and the rights to the design of the artwork.

Applicants should carefully consider the technical and historical aspects of the Tour Fides site, as well as project feasibility in their project proposal. Keep in mind the proposed location for the public artwork is inside a residential tower :

• Applicants need to propose an artwork that fits within the technical specification of the site. 

• The final artwork should be self-standing and approximately 1m (length) x 1m (width). The ceilings in the lobby are very high, so the height of the work is flexible. 

• Digital, audio and interactive components are permitted.

• Proposed artworks should take inspiration from, and make reference to, the building’s historical context and its namesake: les Éditions Fides.

• Proposed works must not depict violence, suggest violence, contain nudity or any other content not suited to a public setting.

• The prototype produced by each finalist will need to include a small-scale 3D maquette of the proposed artworks, a digital 3D rendering/technical plan, along with an estimated production budget for realizing the full scale work.

Applicants must be current students or recent alumni (up to three years after graduation) of Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts.

Students and alumni interested in applying, are invited to join an information session on Thursday, July 31st at 12PM. Applicants will be able to ask questions, as well as discuss their project proposal with the project developers in charge of the Tour Fide renovations. To join the information session please request a zoom link with artvolt@concordia.ca

Please send your application in ONE PDF or in ONE ZIP FOLDER (if you are submitting audio recordings) to artvolt@concordia.ca before Monday, August 18th at 5PM.

Please provide the following information:

1. Personal information: 
*If you are applying as a team, please include all team members’ personal information.

• Full name

• Preferred pronoun (optional) 

• Telephone number

2. Supporting documents:

• A written bio (max 250 words), or an audio recording (1 min. max). 

• A written project proposal (max 1 page), or an audio recording (2 min. max): describe the artistic project, demonstrate a consideration for historical and technical requirements, as well as feasibility.

• A written curriculum vitae (2 pages max) or an audio recording (3 min. max).

• Budget for the prototype build: Please download and fill out this budget and include it in your submission PDF. 

• Proof of enrollment or graduation: a PDF of your unofficial transcript, downloaded from your student Hub, or your diploma. 

3. Audio/Visual Documentation:

• Between 1 and 5 images, preliminary sketches of mock-ups of the proposed project. 

• A portfolio of current or previous work, including relevant support material
  (max. 10 images and/or links to 2-5 audio/video excerpts, no more than 15 MB)
  

• A written descriptive list of visual/audio documentation (max 1 page) or an audio clip (1 min. max) : Please include the title of the work, the medium, the year of creation and any other relevant information. 

If you have any questions about the application process or need specific accommodations to help you succeed in applying, please get in touch with artvolt@concordia.ca.