Context

Originally, "le canard" was the space circumscribed by logs outside where students gathered for breaks between classes. It was said to look like a duck when viewed from the upper floors. No one remembers when the duck became the mascot of the Collège Sainte-Croix. Old-timers say over twenty years ago. Now it's everywhere: each graduating class designs its own t-shirt with the duck's image and dedicates a film shot in the video workshop to it; students dress up as a duck when an important announcement has to be made; the duck presides over the "Fun Day", the big costume party that precedes the end-of-year exams; the "duck by night" parties are organized to raise money for trips or to contribute to the "duck support fund", which helps students in financial difficulty. And people "go to the duck" to meet up outside. But then, the duck had to be torn down in spring 2019 to make way for the construction of a new wing of the building. And everyone felt an irremediable sense of loss.

The commission

Taking advantage of a budget earmarked for the creation of a work of art in connection with the building extension, a group of teachers and students decided to seize the opportunity to reflect together on what the duck represented for their community and what it should become. Of course, first and foremost, it embodies the playful and creative identity that Sainte-Croix has forged for itself, in contrast to the serious Latin motto of the neighboring, more bourgeois high school. But above all, its convocation gives ritual form to spontaneous, even anarchic actions that would otherwise not be tolerated. For it is also the judge, the protector, the guarantor of a social cohesion sometimes challenged by the bilingualism practiced at the college. 

Everyone agrees that a sculpture of a duck would not highlight the complexity of the issues it symbolizes. The commissioners wanted an artistic project that would "accompany the ritualization of convivial and festive actions" outdoors, and that could "give rise to new rituals and welcome the creative projects of future generations". To meet this complex demand, the mediator of Nouveaux commanditaires/New Patrons invited them to work with artist Lili Reynaud-Dewar. 

The artist proposed to take over the sheltered area, a heritage structure with wooden columns, located behind the college in a state of relative neglect. The idea is simple: to add ornamented curtains and a colored wooden floor, so as to transform the space into a kind of stage for events. And it could also be used as an open-air classroom, or simply as a place to hang out and chat between classes. The curtains give the space a public and scenic dimension when open, and a more private and intimate one when drawn. The yellow and orange curtains are inscribed with the lyrics of a song co-written by the artist with students as a tribute to the duck and their daily life in Sainte-Croix, and set to music by composer Nicolas Murer. This opened up the possibility of a new folklore, that of songs to be performed or written to celebrate the beloved duck. In a setting that revealed its extraordinary acoustic quality following the artist's intervention.