The island, a small parcel of land surrounded by water, was long a refuge for the fishermen of the Basse-Côte-Nord Territory. For years, families would move onto this small piece of land to be closer to its fishing grounds. Every May, the island bore witness to this migration, patiently awaiting the arrival of the fishermen and their families. It welcomed them on its rocky shores and wild beaches, watched them settle in, and offered them shelter for the summer. Seeing the sailors depart in the fall, like its migratory birds, the island had to bid them farewell. But today, the island feels abandoned. It remains frozen in the immensity of the Gulf, waiting for a life that no longer exists. It wonders whether its role has vanished, whether it will ever again become that refuge between land and sea.

Exodus takes root in this tradition of transhumance, when the inhabitants of coastal villages would move, with the arrival of summer, to live on the island, bringing their houses with them. This seasonal passage, this movement between shores, is a phenomenon captured in the films of Pierre Perreault, who, fascinated by this region, seized the very soul of this transhumance in his documentaries. Today, the EXODE architectural project seeks to reinvent this practice by giving it a new form while preserving its meaning.

By reviving the seasonal aspect of transhumance, the architectural project proposes a peaceful way of life dictated by the rhythm of the seasons. The idea is to design a compact, self-sufficient dwelling that moves from the coastal village of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon to Île Verte, which, by their proximity, form a strong bond. Shaped like a boat hull, the structure of the dwelling contains everything necessary to live comfortably and simply.