Triggered by the chance finding of a notebook in which mould patterns had grown, Chrysalides revolves around questions of life and death, the passing of the seasons, growth and decomposition, metamorphosis, mutation and transformation, decay and contamination. The Fashion Plaza, an industrial building in Montréal where the artist had his studio for many years, is the locus of the cycle at once production site and exhibition venue, subject and shooting location, metaphor and allegorical device.

Like many of the city’s industrial buildings, the Fashion Plaza has undergone gentrification in recent years, causing the eviction of businesses serving the garment and other industries, and the relocation of artist studios in favour of more profitable offices for high-tech, architecture and design firms. The physical transformation of the building is the metaphorical anchor for the entire cycle, which began with a series of graphite and ink drawings, and was completed in 2013 with the sound installation Fashion Plaza Nights. It also includes a trilogy of films I Feel Cold Today, Chrysalide and 13, which together provide a portrait of the building’s inner workings, architecture and inhabitants.