A tall white column pierces the sky. This is Le Phare d’Archimède. It stands at the end of Parc René-Lévesque near Lake St Louis. It’s more than just a sculpture. It’s a tribute to Archimedes a brilliant mind from ancient Greece.
Le Phare d’Archimède is a lighthouse. It guides not ships but strollers. The column rises from a bed of stones and broken columns. At its peak sit two black granite volumes. They form an acute angle. A steel beam on the ground mirrors this angle. It suggests a lever.
Originally Le Phare d’Archimède had lights. They couldn’t be activated though. They’d interfere with navigation signals. The name itself is a nod to Archimedes. He wrote the first scientific treatise on statics. His work included the law of the lever. He also laid the groundwork for hydrostatics the study of floating bodies.
Archimedes was a remarkable scholar. He made contributions to mathematics geometry and physics. His work was foundational to the development of science. Le Phare d’Archimède was created for a sculpture symposium. It was part of “L’an II Lachine carrefour de l’art et de l’industrie”. The event took place on the banks of the Lachine Canal in 1986.
The artist Dominique Rolland studied sculpture at Université du Québec à Montréal. He also earned a master’s degree in cultural organization management. He founded the Centre des arts contemporains du Québec à Montréal. For years he coordinated sculpture events for the Ville de Lachine. Many of his works are in public and private collections. Le Phare d’Archimède is a testament to his skill. It’s a piece that speaks to both art and science. A powerful reminder of Archimedes’ enduring legacy. A beacon in the landscape just like the man it commemorates a beacon in the world of science.