onboard** workshops* program

From mid-September to mid-October 2026, I am making use of the ideal time-space of a residency at Ateliers Belleville to orchestrate a speculative adventure within the four walls of an artist’s studio. Allying myself with ships as partner-objects, in a precarious balance between documentary and fiction, I propose to explore the dystopian narratives of the present moment and to construct an interpretation of reality where human protagonism is dismantled.

On the third floor of a building, the construction of an immersive set is underway — a ship built entirely from an inventory of residual or discarded materials gathered for the occasion. Constantly evolving, this makeshift architecture welcomes diverse audiences for a series of activities of varying formats, natures, and structures. Through performative scenarios, exercises, and staged conversations, successive members of an episodic crew are invited to listen, improvise, reflect, and care for the boat together. A material story, a narrative dwelling, and a stretching class for the collective imaginable, this program of onboard workshops unites objects and humans in the complicity of a fictional and transformative sea voyage.

The bateau pour faire semblant and everything that will take place on board constitute the creative component of my doctoral project and the artistic mirror of my thesis, currently being written, entitled Ships for the imaginable: objects as accomplices in a material and narrative sympraxis.

FAQ

* what do I mean by « workshop » exactly?

For me, a workshop is an activity, a format and a context which allows to open research-creation at a stage where it is still unresolved, to take the time to share it as thought experiment, as conversation, and as collective action.

** what is an “onboard workshop”?

Any workshop structured around the fundamental characteristic of taking place on board a boat is considered an “onboard workshop”, the decisive move making participation occur being that of coming aboard.

PROGRAM

meet the mock boat

Friday September 18th from 9pm

After the opening of the Construction / Conduction exhibition at Ateliers Belleville, the mock boat will be close by, open to the public for the very first time! Perhaps still slightly under construction, the vessel will nevertheless be equipped with all the necessary rigging for conversation: an audio station, some rope for weaving, an onboard library, a set of pictograms… and a bunch of joyful sailors!

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movie theatre on the water 

> Friday September 18th around 9:30pm (after the opening of Construction / Conduction)
> potential 
> additional screenings 
> to be announced 
> soon

Let’s snuggle up on board the mock boat and watch a sailing movie. What movie? That’s a secret. The title will only be revealed to the pirates who cross the bulwark that evening. Also, the goal is to project the film onto a sail, but I can’t make any promise (except there will be popcorn and candy). A discussion will follow the screening.

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collage littoral 

Sunday September 20th 10am – 3pm 

(free walk in and walk out within this time frame)

REGISTRATION REQUIRED***

Family friendly

The bateau pour faire semblant begins its journey by cruising along the coast. Seen from the water, the land reveals only a tiny fraction of what it is brimming with. Little sailors! Old sea dogs! Come with your family and lend your scribbles to a collective artwork: we must adorn a wall of the studio with bugs and cattails, mud, sea glass, shipwrecked sailors in distress and coral reefs, mollusks and a beached container, bewildered explorers and turtle eggs. Art supplies will be available onboard (and you can also bring your own!) to create a truly impressive coastline together.

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archéologie sous-marine à l’air libre

Saturday September 26th 15:20pm – 4pm 

45°32’50.1″N 73°38’52.9″W (meeting point : 9300 Saint-Denis !)

family friendly

as part of festival DOUZE DOUZE with La Serre — Arts vivants

Did you know that a ship is currently hovering over the area around Henri-Julien Park, more than ten meters above our heads? The phenomenon is quite recent, and we have yet to find out how long it will last. For paranormal enthusiasts and skeptics alike, this is a rare opportunity to gather, study the sky (the surface?) and survey the lawn (the seabed?) in search of explanations. Led by a speaker who is totally convinced, this performative scenario takes shape at the crossroads between a treasure hunt, a sightseeing tour, and an amateur UFO observation club.

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Journal de corps à bord ~ with Polina Shubina ~

Tuesday September 29th 5:30pm – 7pm

REGISTRATION REQUIRED***

We will balance on a rocking deck, fill the sail with wind, track passing cargo ships, constantly change direction, and keep an eye out for seals. Informed by Polina’s summer residency aboard sailing vessel Horta with Frédérique Laliberté and Philippe Lauzier, this guided movement workshop invites us to (re)visit the Estuary of the St. Lawrence through our bodies.

What does it feel like to be on a boat? What mobilities and hidden infrastructures become evident when sailing? And what kinds of relationships emerge when we are on the water?

No dance experience is needed. We will work with simple movement prompts, sensory attention, imagination, and play, while moving as much or as little as feels comfortable.

Polina Shubina was born and raised on the shores of the Baltic Sea and has a background in theatre, puppetry, visual arts, and sailing. She now lives in Tio’tià:ke · Mooniyang · Montreal, where she is pursuing a PhD in the Individualized Program at Concordia University. Her research-creation explores sailing as a method and sailing ships as media for transdisciplinary inquiry, community building, and environmental outreach.

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night navigation (in pyjamas or in a raincoat)

Saturday October 3rd at sunset – Sunday October 4th at sunrise

REGISTRATION REQUIRED***

Let’s bet you have never found yourself in the middle of the night on a papier-mâché ship. It is not too late to give it a try. This activity will attract the most daring crew members because, as the name suggests, it truly lasts all night. From sunset to sunrise, real time dictates the shifts – which teams sleep and which teams are on watch. Apparently, in the long run, sleeping in short bursts of a few hours punctuated by periods of attentive wakefulness is the best thing for human health. After just one night, however, the effect is utterly exhausting – not that I’m trying to discourage you. A golden opportunity to disrupt the “normal” division of time!

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Sinking with

Wednesday October 7th 10am – 5pm 

REGISTRATION REQUIRED***

If you had to go shipwrecked with, as your ally, one of the following so-called enemies of humankind — a crew of pirates, a shark, invasive sea weeds, a bunch of mosquito, some plastic junk, a virus, a sea monster, the storm itself — which one would you choose ? Why ? Or… if you didn’t get to choose and had one of those undesirable beings imposed to you as your accomplice, how would that go ? Remember, the ship is sinking. 

In this workshop, unlikely collaboration and disaster stick together like glue. By means of material and narrative exercices and games, we will try to figure out potential survival, potential death and how any of that can get done as part of a crooked team you have no authority on. Listen to the tricksters. Let salt take a bite of you. Learn to sympraxis. Maybe go through an ending. 

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carnivalesque dismantling

Thursday October 8th 8pm – late

party-family friendly

Epilogue to the collaborative shipwreck of Sinking with, this final activity is a kind of end-of-residency-wild-pre-dismantling-costume-party, and it is open to everybody. Come dressed as a sea creature or aquatic object of your choice! Dance to the rhythm of the crashing waves! Leave with a souvenir looted from the mock wreck!

one rule : no costumes = no looting

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In addition to scheduled activities, the mock boat is also accessible throughout the residency to welcome the public informally. Rookie, spontaneous and seasoned sailors alike are invited to climb aboard and spin a yarn in good company! Please text 4 1 8 2 6 1 5 3 1 5 before showing up to make sure the crew is ready for your visit.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

***For workshops marked “REGISTRATION REQUIRED”
Please write to lalibertefrederique@hotmail.com, mentioning the title of the workshop you wish to register for, your name, and your email address. Access details for the venue, as well as all information regarding your participation, will be provided in a confirmation email.

Unless otherwise indicated, all workshops take place in the mock boat. The mock boat is located in unit 308, on the 3rd floor of Ateliers Belleville (545 Legendre Street West, Tio’tià:ke · Mooniyang · Montreal). For events that do not require registration, the main entrance will be open, and signage will help you find the boat.

all workshops are free

all workshops are conducted in Frenglish, in a patient, supportive and flexible attentiveness to the needs of all participants

BIPOC, trans, queer, neurodivergent and disabled individuals are encouraged to participate. Please let me know about your accessibility needs in your registration email.

PLEASE NOTE: Given the unpredictable nature of life at sea, minor changes may be made to this program along the way. Check this page before your visit for the most up-to-date details.

This onboard workshops program is supported by Ateliers Belleville + WEURKEUMEURKEU +  Études et pratiques des arts PhD program at UQAM + LA SERRE — arts vivants + the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture. Thanks everyone!