Illuminated Crowd

Lonely Planet review

Are you disturbed or compelled? That's more or less the conversation first-time visitors to Raymond Mason's 1986 statement on the human condition find themselves having. It's one of Montréal's most talked-about sculptures and arguably the most photographed piece of public art.

The inscription reads in part: 'A crowd has gathered…the strong light casts shadows, and as light moves toward the back and diminishes, the mood degenerates; hooliganism, disorder and violence occur.' The group placed on four giant steps ranges from wide-eyed, upstanding citizens in the front to miscreants in the rear as the steps descend downwards. They're made of polyester resin with a vanilla-yellow coating that can appear sickly or radiant depending on the light.