The Brine Project

Join interdisciplinary artist Simone Lucas and the Museum of Jewish Montreal for a fish tasting session and presentation of work-in-progress. The Brine Project asks how odorous, pickled fish brine could be remediated as a multimedia video installation. While Simone was traveling in Lodz, Poland on a family heritage trip, a tour guide shared a story: in a pre-war fishmongers’ market, herring brine soaked so deeply into the ground that the smell of fish persisted for a decade after the war. In this tale, brine becomes a unique agent of memorialization. This project investigates how brine and video-as-brine could preserve stories about fish and Jews, leaving material and non-material traces such as smell along the way.

Simone will present work in progress and lines of inquiry on fish preservation, inviting questions and contributions from participants. Pickling fish is integral to Simone’s artistic research. The audience will have an opportunity to smell and taste home-preserved fish and learn about the pickling process. All will be invited to share the memories and sensations these foods evoke. Vegan options will be provided.

Attendees are kindly asked to wear masks for the duration of the event, except while consuming food.

Cost: Attendees are invited to contribute a voluntary cash donation at the door. A limited amount of pickled fish will be available for sale.

Event Accessibility: The event space is wheelchair accessible. It will take place indoors, in a large room with high ceilings. We would be grateful if you contact us ahead of time for any specific accessibility needs.

About Simone:
Simone Lucas (she/hers & they/them pronouns) is an interdisciplinary video artist, educator, and community activist of Jewish Ashkenazi descent, a white settler based in Tio’tia:ke/Mooniyang (aka Montreal).

Simone’s educational background integrates cultural studies and media production. She has an MA in Media Studies from Concordia University with scholarships from the FQRSC and SSHRC. 

Simone creates with video, multimedia installation, sound, and performance. Their non-fiction film, I Think About You Every Day, takes a feminist, autobiographical approach by drawing on Their personal archive of correspondence with a friend. Politically grounded art and research is also a core part of Simone’s practice. Relationships to social movements inform their guiding principles in artistic processes.

This event is a part of the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s Microgrant Program for Creative or Cultural Exploration, which is funded by the Quebec Community Group Network’s Community Investment Fund.