Guillaume Sasseville, industrial designer, recipient of the 2011 Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant

Montréal, November 1, 2011 – Helen Fotopulos, Ville de Montréal Executive Committee Member responsible for Culture, Heritage, Design and the Status of Women, today presented the Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant to Guillaume Sasseville, during the inaugural Prix de Montréal pour les arts et la culture awards ceremony. The $10,000 grant will help the recipient complete his project Verre commun, a series of glasses and cups inspired by drinking glasses mass-produced in early 20th-century Montréal, to be designed in Graz, Austria, a member city of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

“This year marks the 5th anniversary of Montréal UNESCO City of Design, a significant acknowledgement of the immense creative potential of design in the city,” Ms. Fotopulos said. “Our local talents, after learning their craft in Montréal, settle wherever the working conditions and the outlook for their professional development are most beneficial. With this grant, we wish to provide support to the recipient not only in his efforts to design products that bear the seal of quality and creativity, but also in raising his profile.“

For her part, Phyllis Lambert, Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), said: “I am delighted that this grant is already in its fourth award year. All of the recipients are true ambassadors for Montréal, exchanging their know-how across such a vital structure as the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, and promoting the creativity and talent that are flourishing here.”

Verre commun: From Montréal’s past to Austrian artistry

With his project Verre Commun, the recipient proposes a journey into Montréal’s history, specifically that of local industrial production of drinking glasses in the early 20th century. He plans to continue his research in Graz, where semi-industrial glassware production is still a going concern. Once finished, he will create a limited-edition line of glasses and cups inspired by Montréal’s past, drawing on the manufacturing techniques and artistry of Austrian craftspeople.

About Guillaume Sasseville

Guillaume Sasseville, a graduate of the Université du Québec à Montréal Environmental Design program, is an industrial designer whose work has encompassed varying scales of the human environment, from urban planning to product design to architecture.

He began his career in 2002 with the architectural firm Saucier+Perrotte. In 2008, he launched his own studio, SSSVLL, taking on projects in jewelry, design for interior spaces, and industrial design. He has also been curator of Carton jaune, an annual design competition devoted to the subverting of everyday behaviours, and has taken part in numerous exhibitions and performance events including Babiche Nouvelle at the Commissaires gallery; From Quebec to New York City in New York; Regard 9 at the Society for Arts & Technology, as part of the 2010 Design Montréal Open House, the 2011 Milan Salone del Mobile; and WantedDesign in New York.

In 2011, Mr. Sasseville earned a master’s degree in Luxury Product Design from the prestigious École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL). During his time in Switzerland, he completed commissions for, among other clients, Baccarat, Christofle and Kopenhagen Fur.

The jury members were won over by Mr. Sasseville’s project, which highlights the poetic appeal of everyday objects while relying on age-old techniques.

The jury members were:

• Fabrizio Gallanti, Associate Director, Programs, Canadian Centre for Architecture;
• Frédéric Gauthier, Founder, Les Éditions de la Pastèque;
• Manuela Goya, Secretary-General, Montréal, Cultural Metropolis;
• Louis-Charles Lasnier, graphic designer and Founder of Atelier Louis-Charles Lasnier; 
• Jean-Pierre LeTourneux, architect and partner, Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes.

“Mr. Sasseville’s approach goes beyond studies of form to engage with the very essence of objects,” said jury member Louis-Charles Lasnier. “He takes a contemporary, committed view of the city. By revisiting raw materials, exploring the relationship of the artisan to the object, and acknowledging Montréal’s history in his creative process, he gives great emblematic value to his project.”

About the Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant

Awarded annually by the Ville de Montréal, the Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant rewards the talent of a young Montréal designer (or design collective) with fewer than 10 years’ professional practice, and having demonstrated exceptional quality in studies and work as well as marked interest in the city. The grant is named in honour of Phyllis Lambert, a Great Montrealer and staunch defender of emerging designers. In awarded it, the Ville de Montréal seeks to underscore her remarkable contribution to the city’s international reputation and to the quality of life of its citizens, as well as the decisive influence she has had on the quality of urban planning, architecture, heritage and design in the city. 

About Phyllis Lambert

Phyllis Lambert is Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montréal. She is recognized internationally both for her contribution in advancing contemporary architecture and for her concern for the social issues of urban conservation, as well as the public role of architecture and the CCA’s programs.

For more information about the Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant, visit mtlunescodesign.com.