Come watch as the forest grows up around you. Gaze through the silhouette of the future and see the juvenile grow to be a giant. Watch the theatre of the forest. Bring patience, it’s going to be a long performance!
Materials: Reclaimed Yellow Cedar telephone pole, rocks from around the site, small orientation sign from reclaimed cedar and posts, two large bolts, brackets and screws.
Time: Come for a moment, sit for half an hour, return for the rest of your life, know in five generations your ancestors will see the grand climax of the show
Accessibility: From parking lot, expect a 15-20 minute walk uphill on uneven gravel surface up an old logging road. From the entry sign the path to the site is 25 feet of cleared narrow rock/dirt path winding through young forest. Easy flat access with potential twigs to trip on from time to time. The site can be hot in the sun. This ecosystem contains wildlife, which may include elk and bear. Wear sturdy shoes, long socks, sunhat and bring water. The site is not accessible for every body. Please take good care and self-select if this site is not for you.
Directions to Years 7 of 1000 Year Theatre
Look, google maps won’t help you, so pay attention. There are no real signs up there. Just odd pieces of flagging tape that don’t indicate anything useful. Start at the Gumboot. They have the best muffins. Go uphill on Roberts Creek Road until you hit the light. Turn right. After Cliff Gilker Park entrance look for the B & K road on your left, Googlemaps calls it Largo Road. There is a white sign for Sunshine Coast Equestrian there, and a plastic flower altar. Drive up the B&K/Largo Road you will see parking lots at the powerlines. Continue driving uphill. You will see the road branch. Do not take the left fork. Instead keep going slightly right up the hill. Turn in at the first pull over on the right, with a sign saying “Mt. Elphinstone Provincial Park Boundary” and a weird white eagle sign high on a tree. Park here. Cross over the road from the parking area and head up the old rutted logging road. It is about a 15 minute walk sticking to the right. You will pass the entrance to the Health Trail on the left which you should definitely do another time. Keep going. Where the forests are open, and diverse, and have ferns and moss and undergrowth you are passing through natural forests. Keep going. Where the forests are dense and uniform with no undergrowth you are passing through tree farms. Keep going. The farmed forest pops you out into the cut. There are trees here, but they’re much smaller. You’ll know the difference. This is the Year 7 forest,( it was clearcut 7 years ago). It was the Twist and Shout Forest. You will see a few mother trees left that are mature, taller trees. As you approach them you will see a big sign on the right side of the road that says ‘Cedar Window’. There is a piece of pink flagging tape. Turn on that trail and you will find the piece within about 20 paces. If you continue up the road you’ll find yourself in another dense forest — you’ve gone too far.
Artist Bio
Cody Chancellor was born 1969 in Australia to artist parents. His Father is a commercial artist and advertiser while his mother creates in the field of fine art sculpture including bronze, ceramic, textile, and wax. When Cody was three he moved to California to live in a very remote, natural setting which cultivated his imagination. Following in his parents footsteps he spent most of his spare time drawing and painting. He attended junior college in Santa Cruz attaining a liberal arts diploma with an emphasis in painting and drawing. He continued his pursuit of education at San Francisco State University receiving BFA degrees in both painting and in product design. Following his schooling he applied himself to the computer gaming industry working digitally. Soon he was art directing teams of 16 people on large projects for Lucas Arts and Activision to name a few. After many years of the work-a-day world he stepped off into the great unknown to explore his own creative visions. Paintings and sculpture issued forth like never before, he was in the zone! Soon he began to wander the globe, feeding his curiosity and spreading inspiration. Twenty years ago he landed on the Sunshine Coast and has called it home ever since. Being a permanent resident of Canada has opened many doors for Cody and his art is still flowing strongly. His deep connection to the natural environment and community are driving this new art installation, Cedar Window. A hope that by bringing awareness to the trees and our current clear-cut practices while keeping an eye on long term vision will be engaging enough for people to feel empathy and react with independent and organized actions to turn this around. Its never to late to make a difference. Hope lives on!