18 Shades of Gay

Temporary public art installation in Montréal, Quebec, Canada

45°31′05″N 73°33′23″W / 45.5181°N 73.5564°W / 45.5181; -73.5564

18 Shades of Gay was an art installation by Claude Cormier along Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal's Gay Village, in Quebec, Canada.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The work was initially installed in 2011 as part of Montreal 375th anniversary celebrations, and consisted of pink plastic balls. In 2017, the pink balls were replaced with multi-coloured balls. The installation was retired in 2019 with Cormier explaining he never intended for them to stay up long. This was due to concerns about the balls degrading from sun and rain exposure.^[4]^[5]

After the installation was removed, the balls were made available to buy for $100. Buyers would receive 54 of the balls in a single colour and materials to string them up. The majority of the proceeds were put towards the next art installation, with 10 percent going towards three local LGBT organisations.^[6]

The installation won the 2020 National Urban Design Award in the Urban Fragments category.^[7]

References

^ "180,000 Balls, 18 Shades of Gay, One Stunning Installation | Tourisme Montréal". www.mtl.org. 2018-08-02. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
^ "HELL OF FUN". Landscape Architecture Magazine. 2020-05-29. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
^ "National Urban Design Awards winners announced - constructconnect.com". Daily Commercial News. 2020-03-09. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
^ "Rainbow balls that decorate Montreal's Gay Village here for one more summer". CBC News. 2018-06-08. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
^ Gazette, Montreal (9 June 2018). "Gay Village's iconic rainbow ball canopy to be retired at summer's end". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
^ The Canadian Press (4 September 2019). "Montreal Gay Village's famous rainbow balls taken down and offered for sale". Canada's National Observer. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
^ "18 Shades of Gay by Claude Cormier 2020 RAIC Award of Excellence". Floornature.com (in Italian). Retrieved 13 July 2024.

External links

Media related to 18 Shades of Gay at Wikimedia Commons

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