The Ring is a 30-meter wide stainless steel circle installation that is sitting snugly in between two buildings and on top of a staircase, giving it the illusion as if it is floating mid air. Completed in 2022, the installation is part of the revitalization project of Esplanade Place Ville Marie, an urban gathering space in the downtown Montreal’s business district. This magnificent structure was designed by award-winning landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associés and it took nearly two years to completion.

Greysuitcase Montréal Series: The Ring, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

“The Ring, commissioned by Ivanhoé Cambridge, is a customized art installation and a one-of-a-kind reflection of the symbolic importance of Place Ville Marie, an icon of Montreal’s modernity. The suspended metal ring is a site-specific installation that conveys monumentality and humility. It highlights a unique visual perspective where the McGill University campus, the architecture of the Victoria Hospital, the steep slope of Mount Royal, and the Mount Royal Cross follow one another. The Ring frames this axis of strength and contributes to the physical, symbolic, and functional articulation of Place Ville Marie pole, which marked the birth of the modern city.
This artistic installation reinforces the timeless character of the whole of Place Ville Marie through a gesture of great sobriety, of an elegance that gives a dimension of durability. The Ring is a unifying project, a new element of the Montréalité, a proof of love for Place Ville Marie, downtown Montreal and Mount Royal.” —Art Public Montréal