In 2008, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Quèbec (BAnQ) dedicated an exhibition to the poet Paul-Marie Lapointe. Combining improvisation, social challenge and linguistic invention, Lapointe created amusing and innovative poetry. We were mostly inspired by his original work and by his constant effort to present words in inventive layouts.

The staging of the exhibition offered a new way of using space. The eight concrete columns surrounding the exhibition area in the Arts and Literature section and the showcases at the service counters on all four levels of the Grande Bibliothèque sported the event’s colors. These visual displays were not only a reminder of the exhibition but they also provided a unique way to read the work.

We have seen projects with excessive type and imaging. This project uses typesetting for meaning and visual impact. The exhibition is about a poet and the content is clearly communicated through direct and simple means. The restraint of the actual typeface and color reflects the poet’s style of writing.