
1986
In the early 1980s, a hydroelectric dam was built in northern Quebec even though it was known that the resulting lake would obstruct the traditional caribou migration route. The caribou stubbornly followed their established course and thousands drowned. As can be seen by the swirling torrent of disorder and confusion of the caribou depicted in the tapestry, Marcel Marois was profoundly affected by the event. However, Marois has gone beyond expressing the powerlessness and ignorance of the dying animals to suggest a universal concern. The gaze of these caribou asks us if we would recognize any better than they did the forces that engulf them? If we did, would we be any better able to act to prevent our fate?