PORTALS takes a look at our modern institutional spaces taken from various locations, mainly in the Montreal region, in order record those seemingly familiar characteristics that seem to define a Government institution as opposed to a private residence or commercial space. Institutions act as the beacons of modern development and they are the very infrastructure that defines the status of a society.

These photos can be considered mundane or boring because in some way they are, ambiguous and bare. However, these spaces were made by us in pursuit, I suppose, toward development, to prolong life, inspire and educate. They are deliberate and carry with it an intended purpose. As sterile and manufactured they seem, throughout the decades they have been constructed using the latest materials of our time while maintaining a neutral platform. They are evidence of our societal temperament, science, economy, politics, and an inheritance for future generations to come.  These are the places where life often begins, transitions to and from and ends.

Presented as a series of rooms, they are of course details from much larger scenes, thus taken out of context in order to better examine them objectively.  To act as portals into another world, a world often taken for granted.

1. one part of a house or building, usually used for a particular purpose. This house has six rooms; a bedroom; a dining-room.
2. the space or area in which a person, thing etc is or could be put etc. The bed takes up a lot of room; There’s no room for you in our car; We’ll move the bookcase to make room for the television.
3. a need or possibility (for something). There is room for improvement in his work. 
4. sufficient space available for something room to work, run and play


a four-roomed house. 

ˈroomful noun

He didn’t feel like facing a roomful of people. 

rooms noun plural

a set of rented rooms for living in.

ˈroomy adjective

having plenty of room. roomy cupboards.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.


PORTAL, por·tal
1 an entrance way, doorway, a gate, or an elaborate and elegant entry point. A window onto the world and see in with a changed perspective.
synonyms: doorway, gateway, entrance, exit, opening, etc.
2. Computer technology: as in access to the internet that provides limitless links to other websites and digital places including social media sites such as, Facebook, twitter, Snapcatch, etc.

The circumstance of design, a place of leisure, repose, an office space, or a classroom. A space to inspire discourse, to reflect on and present ideas and assert one’s claims.



Being Before Being