Most visitors to the Canadian province of Québec visit Montreal or Québec City, but since 1924 there has been a unique Canadian destination for travelers interested in public art installations that are far from the public.

Perched atop a rocky promontory on a remote island, the Faire le vide public art installation unfolds across the vast landscape of Poisson Blanc Regional Park in the municipality of Notre-Dame-du-Laus, Quebec.

© Maryse Béland

Located in Québec’s Laurentian region, 1.5 hours north of Ottawa, Poisson Blanc Regional Park offers unique outdoor experiences year-round. A true escape, the park features wilderness camping on islands, waterfront cabins, rock climbing on natural walls above Poisson Blanc reservoir, fishing, hiking and even a one-of-a-kind work of art on an island. In winter, the landscape transforms, offering cross-country skiing on the frozen lake and snowshoeing adventures on Montagne du Fort. With its sandy beaches, scattered islands, crystal-clear water and breathtaking viewpoints, this territory is truly one of a kind.

As the first in a series of artistic interventions on the park’s islands, the project, initiated by Poisson Blanc in 2024, aims to transform the reservoir into both an open-air destination and a cultural experience.

The work takes the form of a wooden cube: a minimalist, almost monolithic exterior that conceals an interior sculpted with flowing curves and intricate textures. It is the winning entry of a design competition, conceived by a team composed of artist and architect Luca Fortin and Atelier mock/up.

© Maryse Béland

Born of a deep sensitivity to the site, the monolith was designed to blend seamlessly into its insular environment. Accessible only by water, by canoe or kayak, the installation reveals itself like a well-kept secret nestled in the heart of the reservoir. Viewed from the lake, its form and materiality act as a subtle landmark, inviting curiosity and encouraging exploration of Island No. 22.

The site’s constraints became opportunities for design innovation. Entirely prefabricated off-site, the structure was installed without the use of heavy machinery. Each wooden slab was transported by boat, then carried and assembled by hand. Faire le vide was deliberately designed and positioned to minimize its impact on the rocky outcrop and surrounding landscape.

Crafted from laminated cedar, the structure was assembled piece by piece on site. Two distinct geometries emerge: an orthogonal outer shell and an organically expressive inner chamber. Exterior walls are clad in vertical slats that resonate with the upright stance of the surrounding forest, while the interior preserves the marks left by the milling tool, textures evoking wind’s ripples on the water’s surface. These toolpaths are the result of meticulous experimentation, where grooves and flutes demonstrate how industrial processes can be reimagined to create perceptual, poetic experiences.

Faire le vide reminds us art can emerge where we least expect it: at a bend in a path, on an isolated island, between two breaths. In the simplicity of the present moment, it reveals its power to shift how we see the world.