Comments on: Photo du Jour : Optical illusion balconies

By: Kaï in Côte-des-Neiges

Kaï in Côte-des-Neiges — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:43:08 +0000

It’s little things like this that put the lie to the false dichotomy between art and economy that’s sometimes asserted whenever one of us complains about the featurelessness of some slapped-up development. (Comments like “Well, you urban hipster boho types must be swimming in money to want these artsy-fartsy features”, or somesuch.) Creativity need not cost a dime more.

By: newurbanshapes

newurbanshapes — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:38:26 +0000

That cladding, though. Ouch. The 1960s were cruel.

By: Chris Erb

Chris Erb — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:00:41 +0000

I know exactly the balcony you’re talking about. It really is quite nice.

By: Maria Gatti

Maria Gatti — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:52:25 +0000

Those are very nice – I’ve never noticed them on any version of those postwar plexes common in some parts of Rosemont and Villeray.

There is an unusually beautiful balcony – a work of art of an Automatiste or surrealist style – in southwestern Villeray, on Drolet between Jean-Talon and avenue de Castelnau, on the west side of the street (to your left as you cycle up – Drolet is a one-way street north). I bet you can find it between your work and your home.

The little duplex it is part of seems to have been transformed into a single house; probably belongs to an artist.