Jane Zdansky commemorates the Griffintown Horse Palace by building Scrapped, a monument of a horse. The Griffintown Horse Palace, situated at 1220-1226 Ottawa, has been a continuously functioning stable for the past 147 years. One of the last continuously Irish owned institutions in an area that is of historical importance to the Irish-Canadian identity, the Horse Palace is also one of the few remaining examples of this building type in North America.

The monument transforms discarded materials into a horse. It allows the viewer to focus on recycled materials in a new way. All the materials to construct the monument are salvaged from the South West borough of Montreal, the official borough to which Griffintown currently belongs to. The materials used include a tree stump found in a vacant lot, a section of wood (“piece sur piece”) culled from the restoration of a 125 year old building;  metal gas pipes from the afore mentioned building; industrial metal grates that were used as boot scrapers, found in the garbage of an industrial building; the metal base of an old singer sewing machine; a car tire found while walking.

Although no material was paid for, the current “value” of the materials varies widely. Some things that are commonly thrown into the recycling bin or garbage, when reclaimed, are extremely sought after. For example the wood when reclaimed sells for more than the new wood. The fluctuations in the value of  the materials in the monument reflect the land value upon which the Horse Palace is located. Both the monument and the site signify, that over time, that which we value changes.

Zdansky’s monument is a time piece. The horse here but leaving; a tree trunk from a forest or field now gone or going; construction materials salvaged from homes being restored /renovated; tires from cars that replaced the horse and changed urban design since coming into use. All that is old is new again.

Artist Bio

Jane Zdansky is an artist living and working in Saint Henri, an area in Montreal’s south west sector, adjacent to Griffintown. Zdansky, who is committed to increasing community involvement, directs the bi-annual St-Henri studio art walk (Les Soirees D’Art de St-Henri) and works as an activist to improve quality of life in the area. She recently completed an 8 year restoration/renovation of her home and studio,  repurposing a complex of buildings that include 2 triplexes and 3 garages. Zdansky’s art addresses a range of issues concerning biodiversity, such as the depletion of fish stocks, and most recently, the removal of homes and horses  from Griffintown. She holds a  B.Sc. from McGill University and B.F.A from Concordia University. She works primarily as a painter. Her work can be viewed at www.janezdansky.com.