The Complicated Return of Claude Cormier's 18 Shades of Gay

May 2011: a canopy of 170,000 pink plastic balls was installed above a one-kilometre stretch on Sainte-Catherine E. in the Village, from Saint-Hubert Street to Papineau Street. What was initially meant to last a period of around four months catalyzed an eight-year lifespan, in which this population of balls lay dormant for much of the year, emerging only in the summer months.

Due to overwhelming public support following the installation’s first year, and an agreement between the Village SDC and landscape architect and urban designer Claude Cormier’s firm CCxA, the display, called “Pink Balls,” returned year after year.

By 2017, one-tone pink became 18 different shades, and the streets of Sainte-Catherine E. reflected a rainbow. Designed to represent the Pride flag, the installation was updated in celebration of various anniversaries: the Village turned 35; Aires Libres, the pedestrian zone and public art event, celebrated a decade of operations; the city of Montreal turned 375; and the city held its first edition of Pride Canada.

Like its previous iteration, “18 Shades of Gay” was a fast favourite in the neighbourhood, drawing in both tourists and local Montrealers, and returning the following year. Unfortunately, though, the rainbow installation didn’t have as long a tenure as “Pink Balls,” facing retirement at the end of summer 2018.

Cormier’s got the ball

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the city that wanted to take down the work, but Cormier himself, who initiated the installation’s deconstruction.

At the beginning of June 2018, Cormier defended his decision in a Radio-Canada interview, saying that the plastic wasn’t meant to withstand harsh sun and rain, and that he wanted other artists and designers to have the opportunity to display their pieces on the same strip.

Despite Cormier’s clear wishes, the city presented a different perspective. The Village SDC polled social media users, asking, “Wanna protest to keep them or you have any new ideas for the future?” Then-mayor Valérie Plante responded to Village Montréal’s post on Facebook, writing “Moi, je vote pour les garder! Et vous?”

Despite these mild objections, and while some residents agreed with the city, and others with Cormier, the balls came down for good at the end of the summer.