2020-10-13

Artwork at Les Avenues Vaudreuil: a creative portrait

One of the core values of the Harden family-owned business is the promotion of art and culture.

This is exemplified by the magnificent sculptures that enhance the Vaudreuil-Dorion commercial centre.

We are delighted to share the secrets behind the three works enlivening the gathering places of Les Avenues Vaudreuil: Les Pêcheurs at Avenue Mode, En Famille at Avenue Marché, and La Pomme Verte at Avenue Loisirs.

We’ve already introduced artist Vanessa Harden and her work LES PÊCHEURS, the sculpture most recently installed at Avenue Loisirs, showcasing our region’s activities, vibrancy and closeness to the water.

Today, we’re adding family to the tale. It goes without saying that family values are at the core of both the Harden family and their business.

Part II – EN FAMILLE

Avenue Mode is a living and continually changing environment where the young and the young-at-heart come together to enjoy a friendly atmosphere. The events Harden organizes at Les Avenues Vaudreuil are intended for all families to enjoy.

It is therefore only natural that Avenue Mode’s artwork celebrates the family.

Are you an artist in a business family or a businesswoman doing art?

My father, William F. Harden, founded Harden as a family business, and my brothers Chris and Tyler joined it. They are entrepreneurs at heart.

As for me, I am an artist, a designer, a creative. I’m very proud to be able to contribute to the family business through my artistic journey.

My family has always been very supportive of my choices and given me the freedom to explore my passion. Whenever possible, they’ve created space for me to work with them. They understand and relate to my work because they take the time to care about what I do. They’re my biggest fans right now. I feel very lucky.

What influenced you as a child?

I think my parents and I influenced each other. They had to learn to appreciate my art and I was able to grow into it thanks to their influence and sensitivity to art and design.

As a child, I participated in drawing contests and my dad would help me and encourage me. He saw me as a creative human when I was very young. My mom studied interior design at one point, so she has an eye for it.

Would your family have liked you to join the family business as well?

Of course! They thought I would be the architect! But I wanted something different, to go away, work with Burberry, teach at New York University. My family has always supported and encouraged me to do that.

But now that there’s an opportunity to work with my family, after all these years, I’m more than happy to do it because I enjoy it.

Had I started working with my family at the outset of my career, without having lived all these fulfilling experiences, I wouldn’t have brought as much artistic value to the businesses that I work with—including my family’s.

I have worked on projects in Dubai, South Korea and New York. As a result, I am now able to provide work of an international caliber, by world-class artists.

How do you see your professional future?

There are two parts to “Vanessa”.

Part of me works as a designer of architectural installations, and I want to continue that. The other part of me is very involved in education.

I teach agricultural technology at New York University. I also work with Design for Change. For instance, I work with orphanages and disability centres to develop and implement technological solutions for their agricultural challenges, such as a lack of water or too much sunlight.

And I do a lot of guerrilla gardening. I find undeveloped areas and I plant and grow food for food banks.

Whether in Brooklyn or in Mumbai, there are food security challenges, and people can benefit from technological developments. I believe in designing tools to improve the capacity of communities to build gardens and grow food—basically, to feed themselves. I also started a non-profit based out of New York that carries out projects in this field.

About EN FAMILLE

Tell us more about EN FAMILLE

When we think of Avenue Mode, we instinctively think of themes and objects related to fashion, such as shoes and handbags.

But the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to go beyond the act of buying. We decided to focus more on the shopping experience and the people who we go shopping with. Essentially, the experience of shopping EN FAMILLE (as a family).

The sculpture is built of steel and then painted white. It’s faceted, just like LES PÊCHEURS, so it’s made of small steel triangles that were fabricated individually and then welded together to create the shapes of the figures.

The shopping bags are made of Perspex plastic, and they have lights inside. At night, the sculpture is illuminated by a computer-controlled cycle of colours, representing the branded colours of Avenue Mode.

How many people were involved in creating this piece?

About four or five people.

We create and build most of each sculpture ourselves. However, depending on the size of the project, we also bring in partners for different elements of each piece.

In this case, we brought in a metal fabricator for the figures and then we created the bags ourselves in our studio. We also do all the electronic and interactive work.

Once the creative process was complete, the actual build took about four months.

Still to come : LA POMME VERTE.

CLICK TO Discover or rediscover LES PÊCHEURS