Jonathan Cohen's photos with the keyword: En Masse

The alligator in the corner of the mural reminds me a little of Albert Alligator, a character in the classic Pogo comic strip. Created by cartoonist Walt Kelly (1913–1973) and set in the Okefenokee Swamp of the southeastern United States, the strip often engaged in social and political satire through the adventures of its anthropomorphic funny animal characters. Walt Kelly first used the quote "We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us" on a poster for Earth Day in 1970. The quote was a parody of a message sent in 1813 from U.S. Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry to Army General William Henry Harrison after his victory in the Battle of Lake Erie, stating, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours."

The first edition of the MURAL street art festival took place during the summer of 2013 on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, in downtown Montreal. Already a street art hot spot, the boulevard, known here as The Main, went through a major transformation. Twenty street artists from all over the world were invited to create murals of various sizes and styles. Saint-Laurent boulevard used to be a lively artery in Montreal. In the last decade, businesses have been closing and ongoing street repairs have slowed foot traffic. The MURAL festival was organized to rebrand the street, giving it new, bright colors and an effervescent atmosphere that would draw people back. MURAL was founded through a collaboration between artistic marketing agency LNDMRK and the Société de développement du boulevard Saint-Laurent (Saint Lawrence Boulevard Merchants’ Association). With more than 800,000 visitors over four days, both organizations deemed it a success. Aesthetically, the objective was to create an open, outdoor museum. Big names from the international street art scene recruited, such as Escif (Spain), Phlegm (Great Britain) and Pixel Pancho (Italy). Many local artists, including Jason Botkin, Omen, Le Bonnard and Chris Dyer were also invited to make their mark on Montreal’s walls. Twenty building facades were chosen to be covered. Artists were free to design and paint the murals according to their own style and inspiration and they were well supplied with the paint and tools required to create the giant murals. The MURAL festival is poised to become an annual event (rumours has it that a 5 year contract has been signed). Mural painting was the core of the event, but other activities such as body painting, live music and dance troupe shows were also offered to the public.

One of the most popular night spots in the 1960s and ‘70s was the Montreal Pool Room, at 1200 St. Laurent, where you could score a hot dog steamé and rub shoulders with the likes of a young Leonard Cohen or Michel Tremblay. "Reeking of patates, steamies and lost innocence, this cheap Red Light institution has hands down the best hot dogs and inhale-the-grease fries," is how one tourist guidebook writer described the Pool Room. In spite of the date on the door that claims a Bulgarian immigrant, Filipoff Dakov, opened the Montreal Pool Room in 1912, city archives show Dakov obtained his first licence in 1921. The Montreal Pool Room lost much of its legendary underground allure after it was gutted by fire in 1989. When it reopened, things weren’t quite the same. In March 2010, it relocated to a site across the street.