Founded in 1987, the Centre de Diffusion 3D (CDD3D) is a not-for-profit corporation with the mandate of publishing Espace magazine, a periodical dedicated to promoting contemporary sculpture. The CDD3D is also responsible for initiating and taking part in contemporary art events, which it achieves by establishing partnerships with similar-minded organizations. In addition, it coordinates activities (conferences, symposiums, roundtables, essay publication) that contribute not only to the exchange of information, but also to the stimulation of dialogue regarding the status of art in an ever-changing cultural landscape.
Since December 2013, Espace magazine has been led by André-Louis Paré, a member of the editorial committee since 1994 and a dedicated contributor since 1988. Under his direction, the magazine is beginning a new chapter: given its focus on current trends in art, Espace aims to remain true to its roots as a publication devoted to contemporary sculpture while also continuing to evolve. From the outset, the magazine’s logo has been associated with sculpture. But sculpture refers at times to a conception of art that vastly differs from the array of practices observed in different spaces today; the term might therefore appear restrictive in an artistic sphere that often encompasses a variety of disciplines. To address this issue, the magazine has changed its visual signature: by shifting its emphasis to the notion of space, the new logo promotes diversity in artistic practices related to sculpture, installation and all other forms of spatial art.
Inspired by this refurbished visual identity, we similarly re-evaluated the look of the entire magazine, which will be moving forward with an updated format, font, paper finish and page design. The transformation also extends to the production team, which welcomes a newly formed editorial committee. Lastly, instead of four issues per year, Espace will now be published every January, May and September. Three editions will enable us to produce a more substantial magazine, offering greater visibility to artists from Quebec and across Canada and contributing to the vitality of the local art scene.
A founding member of the CDD3D, alongside Édouard Lachapelle and Joëlle Morosoli, Serge Fisette served as editor-in-chief of Espace magazine from 1987 to 2013. Through themed issues published as of 1990, as well as summaries of exhibitions and international events, Espace magazine has always aimed to serve as a research, knowledge and information tool for artists, collectors, students and teachers interested in current artistic practices in the field of sculpture. The members of its editorial committee, the first of which was formed in 1994, have included Gilles Daigneault, Marie-Josée Jean, Jean-Pierre Latour (ᵻ), Jocelyne Lupien, Nicolas Mavrikakis, Nycole Paquin, Jean-Michel Ross and Élisabeth Wood.
The following is a sample list of past issues: Le surplus (vol. 7, no. 4); Un certain Montréal sculpté (no. 20); L’artiste et la ville (no. 22); L’art et la science (no. 36); Sculpture/Nature (no 38); Les Duos en art (nos 45 and 46); Art et nourriture (no. 52); Sculpture et pédagogie (no. 56); L’atelier et son dessein (no. 57); Espace sonore (nos 58 and 59); La sculpture et le précaire (no. 66); L’art réexposé (no. 71); Jumelages (no. 75); Sculpture et humour (nos 76 and 77); L’espace ment (no. 83); Transmission (no. 87); Art et pouvoir (no. 89); Le sacré en art (nos 90 and 91); Le devenir-animal (no. 93); Sculpture et vie privée (nos 95 and 96); Espaces utopiques (no. 97); La nécessité de la radicalité (nos 98 and 99); Espace cartographié (nos 103 and 104); La société du spectacle (no. 105); Espace architecturé (no. 106).
In the summer of 2012, in celebration of the 100th edition and 25th anniversary of Espace magazine, twenty-five authors from various backgrounds and of different generations were asked to propose five outstanding sculptural exhibitions or public artworks from the period of 1987-2012. Artist Mathieu Beauséjour designed the front cover of this special edition, which enclosed a do-it-yourself sculpture created by the team of Doyon/Rivest – a nod to the do-it-yourself sculptures featured in the magazine’s earliest editions, published in the late 1980s.
Until recently, the Centre de Diffusion 3D has also published texts belonging to its CDD3D collection, or “Lieudit.” These works include Symposiums de sculpture au Québec 1964-1997 (author: Serge Fisette); Textes furtifs autour de la sculpture 1978-1999 (author: Lise Lamarche); La sculpture et le vent, Femmes sculpteures au Québec (author: Serge Fisette); L’art insituable (author: Johanne Lamoureux); Jean-Pierre Latour, Critique d’art; Exposer l’art contemporain au Québec (edited by Francine Couture); and Espaces utopiques (authors: François Chalifour, Serge Fisette and Nycole Paquin).
The CDD3D continues to organize sculpture symposiums such as Du nomadisme d’une dénomination (Cinémathèque québécoise, December 1999). It has also coordinated exhibitions that include Femmes sculpteures au Québec, held at the Centre d’art CIRCA (2004), and Jumelages: l’espace et son double, which featured the work of eight Montreal artists and was shown in seven cultural centres across Île de Montréal (2006-2007). Among its more recent exhibitions are L’Odyssée d’Espace, presented at the Maison de la Culture Plateau-Mont-Royal (2012) to celebrate the 100th edition and 25th anniversary of Espace, and Espaces utopiques: prospection et projection, held in the spring of 2013 at the Maison de la Culture Côte-des-Neiges.
From 2001 to 2007, the CDD3D oversaw the “Centre d’art public,” a subsidiary that organized the following public exhibitions: Artefact Montréal – Sculptures Urbaines 2001 (curator: Gilles Daigneault), held at the Lachine Canal and accompanied by an exhibition at the Maison de la Culture Marie-Uguay (2001); Artefact Montréal – Sculptures Urbaines 2004 (curator: Gilles Daigneault), held on Mount Royal and accompanied by an exhibition at the Centre des arts contemporains du Québec in Montreal (2004); and Artefact Montréal – Sculptures Urbaines 2007 (curators: Gilles Daigneault and Nicolas Mavrikakis), held at the site of Expo 67 and accompanied by exhibitions at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and various art galleries throughout Montreal (Joyce Yahouda, Art Mûr…).