M&P Poissonnerie Molle : a Surrealist Fish Market

Walking by, you might think that a new fish market opened on the corner of Duluth street. However, as you step into MAM & POP, you realize that it’s more of a surreal fish market.

The ice is actually styrofoam, the fish are handmade plushies and the fisherman, well, an actor. M&P Poissonnerie Molle is actually an artistic installation, not an actual fish market. This lovely creation was all thought out and made real by Jolène Morin. Everything from start to finish is placed and made as though it were a real shop. She even went so far as placing flyers around the neighbourhood, stating that a new fish shop was opening. It was so convincing that some people showed up ready to buy some food! At the back of the shop is a black board with a written out explanation of how their fish is kept fresh. Also written are the requirements that need to be met for placing a delivery order, because yes you can purchase the fish plushies, and the prices are actually those of the fish market! If you do decide to grab yourself some of their "fresh fish” on the spot, it is packed in brown paper and comes with a small card stating guaranteed freshness.

Really, all that was missing was some fish scented Febreeze.

Part of Jolène Morin’s inspiration came from seeing her kids play “store” and pretend that they had their very own business (now I miss playing with my old cash register instead of actually doing it as a Summer job). The installation is in a way an immersive kids game that is also for adults. Saddly, M&P Poissonnerie Molle has it’s doors open for only 10 days, making this Sunday June 24 2018 the last day to visit it. As Jolène was telling me, those who buy a plushie will be leaving with a part of the installation forever, as she is not planning to reopen this fish shop. So what happens next? Well, the installation is actually taking place in what is normally MAM & POP, an artistic shop that sells a bit of everything, creations made by Jolène. This means that you can always pass by her artistic shop and check out what else she's cooked up.

M&P Poissonnerie Molle may at first seem like a simple installation, but trust me, creating all of this by hand takes a lot of time and effort, so if you have the chance of visiting it this weekend you should. It’s located on Le Plateau (precisely at 619 Ave. Duluth Est), which makes it the perfect spot to hang out in Parc Lafontaine afterwards or in a quirky coffee shop.

Picture taken from MAM & POP's official website

“Une installation pour jouer grandeur nature, out of the blue, mais spéciale.”

- Jolène Morin

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Me as I walked in and saw all the plushies :