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I. CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND 

Typology

Skatepark turned ephemeral nightlife venue

Location

Van Horne Skatepark

5855 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H2T 1T3

Hours of Operation

The Tran Horne Takeovers and WhoreKOut parties took place in the Summer of 2021 on Thursdays, often starting around 9 PM and ending as late as 5 AM.         

Origins and Mission

The construction of the Van Horne viaduct in 1971 produced a concrete wasteland underneath bounded by the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, the Rue Saint-Laurent underpass, and other industrial land uses. By the 2000s, the isolated, discreet nature of the space gave rise to informal gatherings and DIY music shows popular amongst punks and other fringe communities. Witnessing the revitalizing potential of the space, the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough commissioned landscape architecture firm Rousseau Lefebvre and the Skateboard Association of Montreal to design a public skatepark underneath the viaduct in 2018.

Tran Horne Takeover emerged as an informal skate meetup dedicated to creating a comfortable environment for transgender and queer skaters to learn and practice in response to the cis-white male population that dominated Van Horne Skatepark. The events soon turned into social gatherings and parties referred to as WhoreKOut that were mainly attended by trans women and other queer or gender non-conforming people, its popularity in part owed to the COVID-19 pandemic which limited opportunities for going out for all but especially isolated queer communities. 

II. SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL ANALYSIS  

Who is cared for? Who is caring? 

The Van Horne Skatepark was designed to enliven the area surrounding the Van Horne viaduct and serve the skateboard community, but not necessarily the more marginalized, gender non-conforming skate community. Tran Horne Takeover established a dedicated, temporal space for trans skaters to learn, practice, and socialize by appropriating the skatepark for one evening each week. Queer skaters cared for each other by exchanging skateboarding knowledge and nonjudgemental encouragement, while queer DJs and partygoers recreated the mutually supportive nightlife atmosphere that made up a significant source of social care for queer communities in lieu of the social supports assumed to be universal by quarantine policy.

How does the space’s design facilitate/impede the care?  

Van Horne Skatepark was designed with the care of youth and the skate community in mind, but the establishment of Tran Horne Takeover suggested an exclusive interpretation of this community. Still, the skatepark’s unique interstitial spatial configuration created an inconspicuous place for vulnerable communities to gather, socialize, dance, and practice skating without scrutiny. 

Trans and queer attendees gravitated towards the space’s balance of privacy and visibility. Different elevations of roads and skatepark structures complicated surveillance of the space, obscuring the view of people or activities within and providing a semblance of shelter or security, while proximity to loud roads and industrial land uses helped conceal any noises generated. The recessed skate bowls and looming viaduct had the effect of enclosing the space and offered moments of intimacy, while elevated obstacles simulated the dancing platforms of clubs and provided moments for exhibition and attention. 

The pre-existing punk character of the area also politically and socially aligned with the values of the trans community as demonstrated by graffiti advocating for LGBTQ rights or anti-fascism that covered the concrete surfaces. An unauthorized opening in the fence bordering the railway discretely and directly led to a different jurisdiction, perfect for ensuring safety from police. 

How is the care specific to the night? How does this space intersect with nighttime economies of care? 

From its inception, Tran Horne Takeover was conceived counter to an often hostile, cis-male dominated skateboarding scene. The collective avoided these normative daytime crowds by organizing meetups in the evenings, utilizing the relative privacy of night to cultivate a more comfortable, nonjudgmental environment for gender non-conforming skaters to practice and learn. 

These evening skate meetups evolved into late night parties for trans and queer people outside the skate community who lacked dedicated opportunities for socializing as COVID-19 restrictions relaxed but formal nightlife operations had not yet resumed. Despite lacking paid work in this context, local queer DJs and event producers volunteered their equipment and talents to recreate a nightlife atmosphere for their community at no cost. Furthermore, Tran Horne Takeover’s informal setup afforded flexibility and prolonged, often migratory gatherings compared to proper nightlife establishments with firm closing times.

How does the night care intersect with governance, regulation and citizenship?  

“Queer nightlife is queer survival.” 

From Gabriel Cholette's Occuper Le Straight Park 

For many queer individuals, identity expression and community building occur outside of institutions like work or home, particularly in nightlife spaces severely limited by COVID-19 restrictions. With no physical or monetary barriers to entry, the self-governed, DIY premise of Tran Horne Takeover exemplified a far more accessible and democratic form of nightlife than any formal indoor venue. 

Tran Horne Takeover created an atmosphere of safety and belonging by strategically co-opting a public outdoor space situated and constructed to conceal the activities transpiring within. In inevitable encounters with police, participants exploited the site’s jurisdictional ambiguity to guarantee their safety and simply migrated the party across the tracks out of the borough’s boundaries.

Tran Horne Takeover demonstrates how marginalized communities consciously identify and animate marginal urban spaces and architectures to serve their oft-overlooked social care needs. Queer sociality thrives in spatial and temporal margins.

Compiled by: Alexandre Neron, Renee Li