Allumettières by Renaud Jobin-Delaquis is inspired by the cliffs lining the Allumettières Boulevard, an immense rock face often passed by without much notice. Made from charred wood, the work replicates this cross-section of the Canadian Shield, shaped during the road's construction. The drill holes, still visible in the rock, bear witness to this dramatic transformation of the landscape.
A tribute to the matchstick women
The work pays tribute to the matchstick women who worked at the E.B. Eddy factory, located near the Cultural Trail. It also evokes the great fire of 1900, which profoundly marked Hull's history. Here, fire is not destructive: it becomes a symbol of transformation, memory, and resilience.
Fire as material
Composed of nearly 2,000 pounds of wood, the sculpture is machined in layers, hand-carved, and then torch-burned. The fire marks the material, blackens it, and gives it an almost mineral texture, blurring the line between wood and rock.