...................SURFACE
The surface of a city is felt under us, whether we are on foot, on a bike or in a car. The old surface of Saint Patrick Street in Ville Emard was about keeping industry moving. Canadian Pacific's tracks ran along the industrial corridor between Saint-Patrick Street and the Lachine Canal; it was known as 'CPR South Branch'. Railway sidings were lodged into its surface to provide access to the industries by rail. They are a testimony to the relationship between industry and the railroad.

Ground transportation also left its mark. The street absorbed the weight of heavy trucks filled with steel products, giving the surface its gritty character. Men would walk or ride their bikes to get to work on what used to be a dirt road. The surface in turn acknowledged their presence, with clouds of dust.

I forgot about the sidings until I noticed the City of Montreal was removing them. Then I turned around and saw the tracks along the canal are also disappearing. It made me realize how we take things for granted when they are there and only notice them when they are gone. Today, cyclists and pedestrians on the Lachine Canal bike path can enjoy a hygenic meaningless image of what the signs refer to as "The Cradle of Industrialization". Why do we have to settle for a poster when we can have the real thing?

This photo captures the type of work that many Italians in Ville Emard did — they were part of 'la genga' the work gangs that built the Canal; they worked 'alla tracka' building the railroad; 'alla villa' building the streets for the City; and in the industries to which these tracks lead to. I took the shot in close-up because it gets across the idea of discovering industrial archeology. It doesn't matter how beat up it is, at last it's real.