Claude Cormier
Encyclopedia
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
, born in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
on June 22, 1960, is a landscape architect in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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Cormier’s early life had a singular impact on his career path. He grew up on a farm — a natural environment to be sure, but when one is immersed in it day after day, it can also become exceedingly dull and contrast starkly to the pastoral and romantic ideal of so many urbanites. In Cormier’s eyes, nature offered itself as a resource, not as a sublime experience. And at no time did the nature he knew offer him a means of escape.
Upon reaching adulthood, Cormier chose to study agronomy at the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
in Ontario. He went with the intention of creating a new flower through crossbreeding. However, upon earning his Bachelor’s degree, he realized that it was not plant genetics that fascinated him, but rather the prospect of rendering nature more playful. His study of the sciences, which focused on the possibilities of inventing new “breeds,” would prove useful to him later in his career when he began to apply his knowledge of crossbreeding and hybridization to the urban landscape. His new interest took him to the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, where he studied landscape architecture. A second degree in hand, he worked for a time with various landscape architecture firms, including Gerrard & Mackars. Cormier then made a decision to return to Quebec and live in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where he joined Groupe Lestage, an architecture and urban design firm that took advantage of his arrival to expand its practice to include landscape architecture services.
When Cormier was 33, a combination of circumstances brought him to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he completed a Master’s degree in History and Theory of Design. But he was also drawn to this institution by a person: Martha Schwartz, his long-time mentor and a leading landscape architect. Throughout his studies at Harvard, Cormier worked at Schwartz’s offices, exploring and clarifying the ideas and concepts he had long reflected upon and that would soon take shape. In fact, after leaving Harvard in 1995, he returned to Montreal to found his own firm: Claude Cormier Landscape Architects Inc.
Cormier belongs to the second generation of landscape architects, known as “conceptualists;” Schwartz is widely considered as leader of this movement. Having emerged concurrent with postmodern architecture and on the heels of the conceptual art movement, this approach is distinguished by the predominance accorded the concept or governing idea that spurs a project and defines its every detail, from start to finish. This conceptualist viewpoint differs radically from the functionalist imperatives of modernism. Within this camp itself, the practice of Cormier and his team is distinguished by his insistence to peel back the historic, economic, botanical, ecological and socio-cultural strata (whether hidden or manifest) that make up the sites on and with which they work. In fact, each project is woven from a complex network of meaning, yet remains startlingly clear. This “weave” is constructed from the joining, or intersecting, of various conceptual, material and historical elements. From the exercise emerges a semantic density that sets the team’s achievements apart. Cormier draws his inspiration from both contemporary art and his submersion in a city’s energy. Of greatest importance to him is that he open himself up to the context before him, that he immerse himself in the site’s history (and indeed its memory) to extract from it the elements he needs to create a narrative. And while this narrative may not always be apparent in the final work, it nevertheless remains the thread that runs through the project’s conception and production.
A single formula stands as the most concise definition of Cormier’s philosophy: Artificial, not fake. What he seeks first and foremost is authenticity—a “true fake.” In other words, he strives to display the constructed nature of landscape in its truest form. The finished project must emerge as a hymn to life, fashioned using a palette of exuberant colours and artificial materials with which Cormier innovates through decontextualization. Among his many realizations, those that have contributed most to raising the profile and reputation of the firm are Lipstick Forest (1999-2002), a copse of pink concrete trees; the surprising installations Blue Stick Garden (1999-2000) and Blue Tree (2004); and HtO beach (2003-2007), an urban design project on the Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
waterfront in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. A playful, spirited and indeed sometimes caustic humour is exuded by the projects and has in many ways become their trademark. Not only does Cormier toy with nature, he dupes it by presenting and in fact representing it in a completely original way. And this may be his credo. Conceptual landscape architects target boldness and audacity in an effort to stimulate, seduce and entertain, all the while playing with our perceptions. They appropriate what we’ve long taken for granted and reveal it to us in a brand new light. Their creations often act as identity markers, while transforming the personality of both a site and city. By reinventing urban landscapes, Cormier seeks to stir emotions and give meaning in order to invigorate public space by blurring the boundaries between design and art, natural and artificial, and real and surreal.
In 2009, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
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Projects
- 300 Front Street (2007-2010), Toronto (OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
), Canada - Hôtel Quatre saisons et résidences - Bay/Yorkville (2006-2010), Toronto, (Ontario), Canada
- Evergreen/Brick Works (2006-2009), Toronto (Ontario), Canada
- Blue Stick Garden (2006), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Pergola (2006), Le HavreLe HavreLe Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
(Normandie), FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Jackie Gleason Theatre (2005-2009), South Beach, Miami (Floride), États-Unis
- Roslyn Robertson Herb and Scent Garden (2005-2006), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Église St-James (2004-2006), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Blue TreeBlue TreeBlue Tree is a boutique in the Upper East Side of New York City, which was opened by actress Phoebe Cates.The store contains a wide variety of merchandise, some of which is priced for affluent customers, such as a 19th century Fred Leighton enamel and pearl necklace which costs $35,000, and some of...
(2004), Sonoma (CalifornieCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), États-Unis - Blue Stick Garden (2004), TauntonTauntonTaunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
(SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
), AngleterreEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - HTO - Urban Beach (2003-2007), Toronto (Ontario), Canada
- Complexe des sciences Pierre-Dansereau de l'UQAM (2003-2005), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Camouflage Park/Commissioners Park (2003), Toronto (Ontario), Canada
- Solange (2003), LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France - Blue Forest (2003-2007), Détroit (Michigan), États-Unis
- Bassin de la Place des ArtsPlace des Artsright|frame|View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the rightPlace des Arts is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
(2002), Montréal (Québec), Canada - Blue Stick Garden (2002), Toronto (Ontario), Canada
- Parc du pont Jacques-Cartier (2002), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Échangeur du Parc/des Pins (2001-2004), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Square Dorchester - Place du Canada (2000-2002), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Falaise Sainte-Geneviève (1999-2008), Québec (Québec), Canada
- Esplanade du Palais des congrès de Montréal (1999-2002), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Lipstick Forest (Nature légère) (1999-2002), Montréal (Québec), Canada (situé dans le Palais des congrès de MontréalPalais des congrès de MontréalThe Palais des congrès de Montréal is a convention center located in the Quartier international de Montréal at the north end of Old Montreal in Montreal's borough of Ville-Marie....
) - Blue Stick Garden (1999-2000), Métis-sur-Mer (Québec), Canada
- Jardin privé au Lac Nominingue (1999-2000), Lac NominingueGrand Lac NominingueGrand Lac Nominingue is a lake in Southwest Quebec, located in the Laurentian Mountains, bordering the village of Nominingue. It is connected to Petit Lac Nominingue through a river....
(Québec), Canada - Jardin de Montréal à Shanguaï (1999-2000), ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Chine - Benny Farm (1999-2007), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Place d'Youville (1997-2008), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Blue Lawn (Pelouse bleue) (1996-1997), Montréal (Québec), Canada
- Square Phillips (1996-1997), Montréal (Québec), Canada