Landscapes of the Imagination by Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett (2025). Commissioned by the City of Airdrie for Inspire (the new Airdrie Public Library & Multi-Use Facility). Facilitated by STEPS Public Art. Airdrie, Alberta, Canada.
Landscapes of the Imagination is a swirling cloud of stories floating up into the atrium of Inspire, the new Airdrie Public Library. Drawing from folklore, fantasy, and fiction, miniature scenes rise inside 50 acrylic and brass domes, modelled after the favourite books and stories of people in the community.
The stories were collected through interviewing readers at the library and surveying readers online. Each participant was asked to describe a scene from their favourite book or story, embellishing their descriptions with the greatest possible detail. These scenes were re-imagined, digitally sculpted, 3D printed, carefully constructed, and ornamented with modelling foliage, chain, and crystals.
Scenes was transformed into monochromatic worlds, rendered in “blank page white.” People and characters were removed, making space for visitors to imagine themselves within each fictional floating environment.
Each bubble is connected with fine brass chain in a synaptic web of stories. The use of brass references an antique aesthetic, midcentury modern or older – a nod to the romantic timelessness of the great classics.
Within the domes, some books are recognizable, others are not. The settings from fairytales appear alongside those from contemporary romantasy novels; a Mississippi paddler wheelers from the world of Mark Twain sails beside an allegorical lotus pond originally conjured by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa; Charlotte weaves her web near the canopied bed where unthinkable acts befell a hapless handmaid.
Regardless of their origins, these environments were modelled from details extracted from of each reader’s mind as they lovingly described their favourite tale.
Only one book was modelled in the style of the original illustrations. I Am Métis (above) was written by local author Karen Hourie Ellefson and illustrated by Leah Dorion. This freshly-published book was submitted by the author as her own favourite book, and the model draws from Leah’s illustrations (with permission) to help capture the feeling of this biographical children’s tale.
The lowest bubble of the installation – the origin of all other books – holds a miniature model of the library itself, complete with the exterior artwork From Earth To Sky, a sculptural tipi by artists Adrian Stimson & Pierre Poussin (recreated with their blessing).
In the coming months, library patrons will be able to check-out opera binoculars and a guidebook with their Library Card to look more closely at the artwork, and match the scenes inside the bubbles with the stories they reference.
Intended as a love letter to the joys of reading at a time when books are increasingly endangered by overzealous politicking, apathy, and reduced readership, Landscapes of the Imagination is an unabashedly whimsical testament to the power of our collective imagination.
To create this artwork, over 150 people were interviewed or surveyed about their favourite books and stories. Here are some of the things they said:
“When I was growing up, my father was the person who would read to me, but The Secret Garden is something I associate with my Mom. She started reading it to me, and then she went back to work, so she recorded the rest for me. I could play it any time and be near her… it continues to speak to me, and I continue to garden because of it.”
~ about “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
“We read together with people in the community around a bonfire. There was no TV, no social media, so it was a social story. Everyone would think about the story all day, and an Elder of the community would read it out loud at night.”
~ about “Snake,” a West African Folktale
“My son fought hard to live. While he read many books during his convalescence, this one spoke to his soul once he came through the other side of his battle. It gave him a vision of hope – something to keep fighting for whenever he had to because he wanted to find his freedom.”
~ about “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac
“I love this story because it affirms why libraries are important in communities. It is a shocking look into the dangers of manipulating truth and facts. […] Intellectual freedom is the pillar, the shared sacred value of libraries. The right to access, share and express ideas without restriction is fundamental in society. Without it, well…. read the book!”
~ about “1984” by George Orwell
“It was required reading in my first year Sociology class. I went as a Geology/Geography Major, I wanted to study rocks, and then I read that book and I realized I wanted to study human beings in groups, and why they behave the way they do. It made me realize how little power women have, […] that the world for women is a very precarious place, that the reason there were feminists is because we need to have feminists to move forward, and we’re all going to have to keep working or we’re going to lose everything.”
~ about “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
“This is the book that first made me understand imagination.”
~ about “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
Landscapes of the Imagination: Credits
Artists & Designers: Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett
Commissioned by: City of Airdrie
Managed by: STEPS Public Art
Public Engagement Collaborators: Airdrie Public Library, City of Airdrie
Engineering: Anchor Engineering
3D Modelling: Wayne Garrett
3D Printing Fabrication: Carvel Creative
Brass Spinning: Sieg’s Manufacturing
Brass Painting: Carvel Creative
Acrylic Manufacturing: Laird Plastics (California Plastics)
Assembly: Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett
Studio: NVRLND
Installation: Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett
Hang-Point Installation: CANA
Lighting: GGA-Architecture
Inspire Architecture: GGA-Architecture
Inspire Project Managers: Colliers
Documentation: Mike Tan Photo, Caitlind r.c. Brown
Conservation Consultation: Sophia Zweifel
3D Modelling Consultation: Logan Bidulka, Hayden Pattullo
Special Thanks: our monthly AMULF Meeting team, Collin from STEPS, Clay, Michael, Gisele, Claudia, Tim, the crew from Airdrie Public Library (especially Deb, Wyatt, Victoria, and Jamieson), CANA (Radu, Joel, and Brennan), Sophia, our friends at Carvel Creative (Logan, Adam, and Suzanne), Savleen & Kirsty, the GGA team for the perfect lights, NVRLND & Cory, Sean from Cooper Rental, Shauna, Clare, all the readers who shared their favourite books & stories, and our parents, who taught us the joys of reading, alone & together.
This artwork is dedicated to the Airdrie Public Library.
© Caitlind Brown & Wayne Garrett. All rights reserved.
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Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett 