‘Moored’ art exhibit in Chilliwack celebrates love for B.C.’s lakes and trees

A Chilliwack fabric artist is sharing her passion for B.C.’s trees and lakes along with two other artists in the newest exhibition at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.

Lilly Thorne is one of three women with the Davis Road Collective who have come together to present Moored. The show is at the O’Connor Group Art Gallery from Feb. 22 to March 25.

The concept for Moored came out of an antique store find. The Toby, an eight-foot folding boat made by hand, caused the three artists to reflect on the changing nature of the lakes and forests of B.C.’s Interior as a refuge from urbanization.

“Part memory and part nostalgia, the installation is a statement of longing for a connection with the earth uncoupled from endless commercialization and for a recognition that what seems timeless is in fact fragile and cannot be taken for granted,” reads the artists’ statement. “The health of the trees is the hum in the background of how we view summers at the lake.”

With the Toby as the centrepiece, the three artists have brought their own perspective to the installation while employing a common imagery.

The boat is suspended while Thorne’s fabric ‘sails’ printed and embroidered with the shadow imagery sway above. She’s a fabric artist who uses traditional practices of embroidery, dyeing techniques – both ancient and newly invented – and digital imagery.

Inside the boat, Jane Everett’s charcoal drawing of the cedars on translucent drafting film accompanies ink drawings done directly on the plywood.

Finally, Lysle Barmby’s black-and-white photographs of cedar shadows add a timeless reference, evoking the dreamlike quality of memory and anchoring the installation to the gallery wall.

“This way of seeing locates or ‘moors’ the vessel in a forest of shadows.”

Together, the three artists have created a collaborative installation in hopes that people will think about their responsibilities to the environment.

“The experience of the seasonal trek to the campsite or cabin is deeply embedded in our national psyche and intimately connected with the trees of B.C. We hope the work will evoke in the audience their own memories and experience of the lake.”

Moored by Lilly Thorne (Chilliwack), Jane Everett (Kelowna) and Lysle Barmby (Calgary and the Shuswap) is at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre from Feb. 22 to March 25. Opening reception is Saturday, Feb. 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Admission is free.

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