A performative installation conceived by Montreal based transdisciplinary artists Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard (2boys.tv). This iterative project has been presented in various cities since 2009, with Pollard and Lawson collaborating with urban curator Shauna Janssen. boutiqueARCADE is a site-responsive ‘pop-up’ retail outlet features a special collection of shoes and shoeboxes that contain miniature dioramas and cinematic performances that centre on forgotten and displaced parts of the urban landscape. The concept for this travelling project is inspired by urban environments where it has been presented, Charles Baudelaire's notion of 'the flâneur', and Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project: a reflection on allegory and the ruins of nineteenth century Paris Arcade. The collection of scenes contained within the shoeboxes make up a larger urban imaginary, a fictional narrative of the city, or a particular urban location or neighbourhood.
The miniature scenographics inside the shoeboxes are revealed using a variety of methods, from simple static maquettes or tableaux, to more technically involved stereographic 3D video and audio works, and participatory works (ie. chatbooks or maps) that invite viewers to inscribe their own reflections on the city.