Northern JourneysBy Blouin Orzes architectes, 2024Review Mason WhiteNorthern Journeys is self-described as a travelogue by Blouin Orzes architectes, but it is much more than that. The Montreal-based practice of Marc Blouin and Catherine Orzes has been working in the northern regions of Quebec (known as Nunavik), as well as in Nunavut and northern Manitoba, for more than two decades. The large-format book is an immersive collection of photographs, drawings, and short diary-like texts.Unlike a typical monograph, the book foregrounds concepts such as self-determination or being together as well as particularly unique journeys and place-based experiences over project descriptions and slick architectural photography. Blouin Orzes positions the collection of material in the book within the tension of what they call the north/south duality, where the north offers a space in which time takes on a different dimension. This atypical approach to a monograph allows for powerful connections between the distinct culture, climate, geography, and context of architecture and urbanism in both Nunavik and the Arctic as a region. The reader feels as though they are travelling along with Blouin Orzes as they meet Elders for a consultation meeting, or traverse challenging terrain in blizzards, or debate which portions of a project can be prefabricated and delivered by train or sealift.The short texts accompanying the full-page photographs of moments along the northern journeys provide a useful introduction to the unexpected aspects of Arctic-specific matters such as energy, adaptation, community, and land use. For example, the section on energy describes the hydroelectric mega-dams in the James Bay region as an essential to northern power supply, and details how the 1975 agreement for the dams led to the creation of the Inuit self-governing region of the Kativik in Quebec. Another travelogue entry describes the Inuit practice of building traditional structures during celebrations and community events, particularly in Inukjuak, but also in other hamlets and communities. Building these traditional structures ensures the continuation of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or the Indigenous knowledge of the Inuit.The book also captures Blouin Orzes architectes own site-responsive projects, including the Katittavik Cultural centre in Kuujjuaraapik, Quebec, the OMHK multifunctional warehouse in Salluit, Quebec, and the Wildlife Field Research Station in Pond Inlet, Nuvavut. The architects position buildings not as rarified objects, but as process, and as dialogue. The final projects are seen as artefacts of material culture, serving as modest back-drops to daily life.The format of the book is well-suited to this humble expression of architectureits folio of large-format candid photographs captures not only the buildings and the place, but also the way in which these buildings create opportunities for the intimacy of everyday northern life. Blouin Orzes architectes work, too, is honest yet experimental, and adventurous yet thoughtful.Blouin Orzes architectes work will be featured in Palazzo Mora, Venice, from May 10 to November 23, 2025, as part of a series of exhibitions organized by the European Cultural Centre during the 19th International Venice Architecture Biennale.As appeared in theApril 2025issue of Canadian Architect magazineThe post Book Review: Northern Journeys appeared first on Canadian Architect.