Pays'art Pêcheries Charlevoix and Alexandra Ratté
Julie Gauthier de Pêcheries Charlevoix nous amène à la rencontre d'une tradition quasi oubliée: la pêche à la fascine. Découvrir cette pratique, apprendre qu’une telle tradition survie au monde moderne, voilà l’inspiration sur ce projet coup de coeur de la potière aux créations ludiques et colorées Alexandra Ratté.
Weir fishing
In the river up to her waist, buffeted by waves, a singing Julie Gauthier swings her dip net back and forth, surrounded by the high sides of the structure that hold the nets used for time-honoured weir fishing. At one time, this was a tradition you could see practised on many Charlevoix beaches, but today it is almost completely relegated to the past. When her aging father and uncles wanted to close down the family fishery, there was never a question in Julie’s mind of stopping.
In the spring, it’s as lively as the capelin along the shoreline, as the processing of this species of smelt keeps everyone busy. And Julie has plenty of ideas about keeping things going all year long, for the l’Anse-au-Sac family business.
And for Alexandra Ratté (a maker of fun, colourful pottery creations), discovering this practice, learning that this kind of tradition has survived into the modern world was the inspiration for this cherished project. In her Deschambeault studio, she has silkscreened, shaped, glazed and fired a truly miraculous school of little fish meant to dance in the river wind at Pêcheries Charlevoix, an area the artist particularly loves, as much for the outdoors, as well as the landscapes.
Listen to the waves roll in, see the blue-green waters of the St. Lawrence, then learn about the artistry in her crafting of functional pottery.
It was inspiring to see that it could still be done; I found it beautiful to chronicle this for myself, and to see that the fisheries were swimming against the currents in the industry, fishing quotas.
Pays'art Pêcheries Charlevoix et Alexandra Ratté
Pays’Art, a project initiated by both Charlevoix regional county municipalities, encourages conversations suffused with the beauty to be found where art and agriculture meet… An encounter with creative works in scenic surroundings!
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