Lately, I have been doing a lot of construction
zone paintings and noticed a growing trend in Montreal, the Vend-a-Pylon. Just when you think the depravity of Montreal construction can not get any worse, they come up with a vending machine built into a construction pylon. So now, not only does the construction company get a flat-rate $2 a day to rent the pylon to the city, they also get to collect money for selling snacks and bevarages to a captive audience, that is, people stuck in traffic. It should be a real outrage, like there is enough construction going on without profiting from traffic jams. For posterity, I made a painting of one of the monstrosities... it had a card swipe panel, selection buttons, and a mechanical hand that would reach out and give the product to the customer through their car window. There was also an option to connect your smart phone to the pylon to order directly on the Vend-a-Pylon app. Controversially, some of the pylons were selling Provincially sponsored alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis, and a few I could see had slot machines built in for gambling purposes. Its
so Montreal, and a great addition to my Curio Folio of things you have never seen and don't really need in your life.
Curio Folio: Vend-a-Pylon, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2025 (No. 4815b)
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