There’s a very cool – and very original – new art installation in the Seymour area.
But you will need hiking boots or a mountain bike to find it.
Evidence of Trial Fairies is a photo exhibit in the woods created by the appropriately named Euan Forrester, a local photographer-slash-mountain biker. On his website, euanforresterphotography.com, Forrester explains the background of his project, saying that for nine months he photographed two trail builders as they made a brand new trail.
Once he chose the photographs he wanted to display he didn’t hunt for a gallery space.
He wanted to hang the extra-large prints along the trails, so they’ve been UV and weather-proofed to keep them in pristine shape for the entire length of the outdoor exhibit, which is scheduled to run until September.
I stumbled upon the exhibit while hiking and it was an unexpected and whimsical surprise that turned into an art treasure hunt.
The photos are hung on the Penny Lane and Good Sir Martin trails on Mt. Seymour. At the trailheads, he’s posted large display boards that provide a map of where the prints are located and further explanation about the project, which he explains is dedicated to Martin Newman and Penny Deck, for creating the aforementioned trails.
“In these photos I want to show the experience I observed of being a trail builder: appreciating the beauty of nature, caring for it, and being dwarfed by it. I want to show the feelings of friendship, of pride, of adventure of teamwork, of mentorship, of exhaustion and loneliness that I saw,” he writes.
It’s definitely an exhibit worth checking out. Even if it’s a little hard to find.
