Marisa Portolese unveils
"Goose Village": A Chronicle
of Displaced Lives and
Lost Heritage

Montreal artist Marisa Portolese presents "Goose Village," a powerful publication unveiling the lost history of a vibrant neighbourhood decimated by urban development in the 1960s. Released on November 4, 2023, this first edition chronicles the once-thriving Goose Village in Pointe-Saint-Charles, Montreal, and the lives of its displaced inhabitants.

Read the press release here. 

Portolese's comprehensive body of work, spanning four years of production and research, delves into the narrative of Goose Village. This multidisciplinary endeavour combines oral history interviews, p ortraiture, urban landscapes, and a forensic gaze into thousands of historical images housed at Les Archives de la Ville de Montréal. The result is a heartrending exposé of how short-sighted urban planning decisions devastated a close-knit community, forever altering the cultural and social fabric.

The Goose Village publication, co-authored by Vincent Bonin and Marisa Portolese, serves both as a moving memorial and a call to acknowledge this historical injustice. Published in both English and French, this meticulously researched 229-page softcover book showcases a wealth of historical documentation and personal anecdotes, enabling readers to understand a forgotten era in Montreal's history.