Squares in the Pavement & BeauTemps, Mauvais Temps is a photo-documentary project created by two artists: one from the East, the other from the West. Every Friday since September 14, 2001, these two artists have met each other in front of the Israeli Consulate in Montreal to stand vigil for peace and justice in Palestine. For a period of one full year, rain or shine, Josée and Shahrzad have documented the participants at these vigils as a testimony to their collective hopes and fears. The collaboration between the two artists is an installation of 104 black and white photographs. While Josée's contribution symbolizes time, season and continuity, Shahrzad captures portraits of people wearing the most immediately recognizable symbol of Palestine - the "keffia" - people of all walks of life, teachers, workers, artists and students; young and old from all races and origins, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist and …

       Josée Lambert is a freelance photographer in the cultural domain. Twelve years ago, she began documentary work in the Middle-East. Often associating herself with humanitarian organizations, Josée's work primarily focused on the impact of sanctions on the Iraqi people. She also produced, in collaboration with Amnesty International, an important documentary with prisoners of Khiam Detention Centre, south of Lebanon. For her exhibition Ils étaient absents sur la photo, she was awarded artiste pour la paix in 1998. Shahrzad Arshadi, a human rights activist and Montréal-based Canadian/Iranian artist, came to Canada as a political refugee on December 24,1983. In the past ten years, Shahrzad has ventured into different fields of photography, painting and video, enabling her focus on issues of memory, culture and human rights. Shahrzad has exhibited her work in various locations across North America.
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