Appliqués for Sun, a summer day in Montréal

The photographer

Maxime Sauriol (alias xim_Sauriol on Instagram), a 30-year-old creator and content curator, has an eagle eye for detail. After long days spent in front of his computer, he likes to shift gears and create content in unique places that he captures on his phone.

It’s always so cool to shoot in the #Underground!

Une photo publiée par Maxime Sauriol (@xim_sauriol) le 11 Nov. 2015 à 15h36 PST

The Photo

One day, in a part of Montréal’s underground network (under the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, in the Quartier international), he was struck by an absolutely ordinary but photo-worthy scene: two tourists trying to figure out the city’s public transit map, their silhouette reflected on the ground, gleaming. To add a touch of the surreal to the whole composition, Maxime doubled the photo, giving it a singular geometry.

The concept

The photo taken by Maxime and reposted by Tourisme Montréal as part of its #MTLmoments campaign, served as a springboard for the short 16 mm film shot by Melissa, one of eight filmmakers given carte blanche to share their vision of Montréal for the second segment of #MTLmoments.

That simple moment was enough to inspire Melissa for her Appliqués for Sun diptych. Minimalist close-ups, also surreal, make up this charming and refreshing ode to a Montréal summer, its languidness, its vibrancy and its youth.

The result

As it weaves among Montréal’s iconic architectural buildings and works of art, the film pays tribute to these places where time seems to stand still. With Melissa’s deft touch, the everyday becomes pure fantasy.

It’s amazing how the simplest things can change our perspective when we take the time to notice them. A bird trilling far away, the play of light and shadow, monochromes of beige in the summer sun that bleed into orange. Postures, nature, colour, architectural details, everything is doubled in Appliqués for Sun, the film Melissa Matos created in collaboration with video artist Emmanuel Mauriès-Ringret for #MTLmoments/perspectives.

For more about the #MTLmoments/PERSPECTIVES short films, click here.

Up next: #MTLmoments / Perspectives: short films showcasing Montréal