All aboard

Background

According to a time-honoured tradition at the Port of Montreal, a plaque is presented to the master of every vessel (cargo or cruise ship) calling at the Port of Montreal for the first time. Since 2024, this symbolic gift has taken the form of a work of art entitled All Aboard, created by Manon Sioui, a multidisciplinary artist from Wendake and member of the Huron-Wendat Nation.

THE WORK AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

The technique used for this work is cyanotype. An early photographic process, it reveals monochrome shades of cyan blue when exposed to UV light, hence the name cyanotype. The work was created with a stencil serving as a negative.

Among the Wendat and several other Indigenous Peoples, the legend of the creation of the earth takes place on the Island of the Great Turtle (i.e. America), represented in the center of the artwork. On Her back, we see the arrival of the first sailboat in America. The lifebuoy represents the hope of a better life for the first comers. We can see the maple leaf which later becomes the national emblem of Canada. Two symbols illustrate the Port of Montreal, which over time has become one of the most important ports in the country: on the right, under the moonlight, the ship loading docks; inside the buoy, the Grand Quay Tower of the Port of Montreal. In the foreground, the tumultuous waves of the St. Lawrence River are represented, as well as the largest gateway in North America for maritime transport. At the top left, in the Turtle's leg, the cedar, sacred grass of the Wendat, represents the ancestral territory and ensures the protection of the crew members.