Yet another cool heritage art project has come out of Concordia’s Communication Studies department, this time in the form of Imagining NDG, a multimedia website that showcases vintage images and the rich history of this west-end Montreal neighbourhood. Past and present collide as archival material is contrasted with photos of current buildings, blocks and sites, interspersed with interviews by residents, community organizers and business owners who call Notre-Dame-de-Grâce their home.

How has the landscape – politically, socially, physically – changed over the past sixty years? This is the question Concordia professor, documentary filmmaker and NDG resident Tim Schwab hopes to address with this collaborative project (four years in the making!), through snapshots of the extensive urban development NDG has experienced. The construction of a new super hospital, gentrification, demographic challenges and more are illustrated, and the cultural diversity of the neighbourhood is emphasized through several short documentaries.

Meant to act as a forum of conversation and nostalgia, Montrealers are encouraged to share anecdotes, stories and photographs through the site.

Now, all we need is an NDG metro station and we’ll be all set.

~ Tyler Yank