For some, a lone glove on the side of a trail is just trash, but for photographer Laurel Terlesky and poet Bren Simmers that glove and other lost objects are works of art.
The Squamish artists’ Narratives of the Lost show opens Saturday, April 1 at the Squamish Academy of Music.
Lost objects, all found on walks in and around Squamish, are represented in the exhibit with photography, poetry and drawing collaborations between Simmers and Terlesky.
“Lost objects as an entry point to a narrative or conversation,” said Simmers, explaining what she hopes attendees take away from the show. “Just stop and look at something we see every day and just spend a bit more time thinking about it.”
Lost gloves are a common find, she said.
Terlesky’s favourite discovery was a little rain-soaked stuffed bear sitting on the top of the Second Avenue sign, Simmers said.
The objects not only become an entry point for a story about them, but they also reflect the dynamic Squamish identity, according to Simmers.
“We started this project thinking about connection and who are these people that these objects belong to and as we have worked on the project Squamish has exploded in terms of its population,” Simmers said. “There’s a lot more people in Squamish, a lot more objects, there’s a lot more people thinking about, ‘What is Squamish?”
The number of small children in the community is represented in the number of lost items scattered around the district, for example, Simmer said.
The main challenge with the project is knowing when to stop, according to Simmers.
“We keep finding new, great, lost objects. I found one yesterday,” she said with a laugh.
The opening reception for Narratives of the Lost is on Saturday, April 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Squamish Academy of Music downtown. The show runs from April 1 to May 21.
The project was made possible by a grant from the Squamish Arts Council.
