In this interview, I speak to Kayleigh Pike, the artist behind The Enchanted Map of the Glen Stewart Ravine She discusses the challenges of map-making, the importance of community during the COVID pandemic, and fairy-hunting with children in the Glen Stewart Ravine.
Tell me about yourself: your background, studies, interests and hobbies. What are you currently working on in your professional/student life right now?
My name is Kayleigh and I’m going into my fourth year at Ryerson University in the Creative Industries program. My focuses of study are Acting & Dance, and Media Business. Outside of school, I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors and spend my summers in Northern Ontario, working at a summer camp and leading canoe trips through nearby national parks.
As the pandemic continues, I’m spending a lot of time crafting and experimenting in the kitchen. I’ve recently learned the art of amigurumi, and have been crocheting figurines for both my human and feline friends. My favorite recipes right now are breakfast foods, and like many folks my age I love avocados! I am also looking forward to making some yummy soups like ramen and pho as the weather begins to change.
However, my favourite project this summer was this beautiful map of Glen Stewart Ravine! Though I can navigate a map with a compass, I have little experience with making them. It was a new and enlightening experience learning to document a familiar place on paper. Though it wasn’t easy, making this map definitely gave me a new perspective on my usual hikes and I’m hoping it will do the same for others!
Talk me through the project you submitted for The Alternative Maps Project. What was the initial inspiration for this project? Does the neighbourhood/area that you explore in your work have personal significance for you, and if so, could you explain? Could you talk about your creative processes and why you chose the kind of artistic medium you did?
I have been exploring the Glen Stewart Ravine ever since I was young. Some of my earliest memories are walking the paths with my father, stumbling across fallen logs and climbing trees. In some ways, the ravine is what deepened my passion for the outdoors and still to this day I am always happier to be wandering alone through the woods than at any busy park or playground.
I got to explore the ravine in a new way this summer. Having spent the past year living in the bustle of downtown Toronto, I was thrust back into the quiet neighborhood I grew up in for quarantine during a big low in my mental health. Normally, I am extremely busy with school, work, and performing, but just like so many of us in the city, I suddenly had nothing to focus on and nothing to look forward to. The ravine was my escape from my very small and very full family home, and during those first few months I walked the paths at least once each day.
By June, I was fascinated with how well I knew the woods and I wanted to put my knowledge to use. I was surprised to realize that there are published maps of the main walking path, but no record of any of the trails I usually took. On my daily walks I started sketching my favorite spots and the different pathways I had discovered during the spring.
In August, I was given the opportunity to look after a small group of 5 and 6 year old girls. Having spent so many months in isolation, my world was suddenly filled with endless energy, laughter, and a whole lot of glitter. In the hopes of avoiding large groups and public play structures, the ravine served as a place for the kids to play and explore. I was overjoyed to share the spaces I loved with these young minds, and it didn’t take long for many tales of folklore about the fairies living in the ravine to arise. I was pleasantly surprised to find the girls begging me to go back to the ravine day after day, and my map took a turn from just being a record of the paths I walked to a projection of the stories that I would tell on our trips.
I am blessed to have had an artist/friend, Eliza Zatterberg (@whodrewzatt on Instagram), help with the illustration for the map. I am always inspired by her drawings of nature and I am in love with her interpretation of my sketches! Finally this beautiful map reflects how I see the ravine in my imagination.
What did you notice about the city of Toronto during the COVID closures in the Spring? What changes to public space did you observe? Which of these changes, for you, were positive? Which were negative?
I spent a lot of time walking during the first few months of COVID. Through the ravine, through my neighborhood, down to the waterfront, essentially anywhere I could go. While there were a lot of difficult aspects of city life, I actually found that my community was thriving during all of the closures around us. I hardly walked by anyone in my neighborhood without them smiling and saying hello, something I wasn’t expecting at all. Though people kept their distance, it was a common occurrence to strike up a conversation with a random stranger in the ravine and point out a good spot for reading if one of us saw that the other was carrying a book. I’m hoping that this map can help to spark some of those kind interactions that helped maintain a sense of compassion during this uncertain time.
What issues around the city of Toronto did the COVID crisis highlight for you? What were some of the struggles you had with the changing circumstances of the Spring?
One of the biggest challenges I have noticed during the pandemic has been difficulty travelling within the city. No longer feeling comfortable on the TTC, I began riding my bike and noticed that while the city is growing to make bikes more accessible, many streets are far too dangerous to bike comfortably. While this was limiting to me, I was very lucky to have so many green spaces within walking distance. I would encourage others struggling with this limitation to take a creative approach to viewing their surroundings, as they may find surprising spots closer than they think! This of course, remains an issue when there is a set destination in mind, particularly for young people like me who do not have access to private vehicles.
What should a post-COVID Toronto look like? What is the future of cities around the world at this time of crisis, brought about by not only the COVID pandemic, but also the climate crisis?
It’s interesting to me to think of a post-COVID city, as it sometimes feels like this pandemic is never-ending! I hold a very optimistic view that COVID itself, while challenging, is helping us grow and change as a community while living in the city. People are being challenged to think outside of the box when it comes to their pastimes and daily excursions. In my limited experience with public spaces, I have already seen some great initiatives such as the Toronto Public Labyrinths hidden throughout the city, and I’m hoping that these interesting projects continue as more and more public spaces open up again.
Through crisis, people are coming together and finding out where their priorities lie. It is so lovely to see so many outdoor spaces and patios popping up along the city streets where those who wish to can meet up safely. With regards to the climate crisis, my hope is that our focus only continues to shift towards taking care of the outdoor spaces we have come to appreciate, and developing creative solutions in response to newfound challenges.
What is the role of artists and creative thinkers in reimagining Toronto at this time?
The COVID crisis has challenged me to think creatively about the time I am spending in public spaces, especially when I have young children with me. This has really been an opportunity to find new ways to explore the lesser known spaces in my neighborhood. Instead of using the tools provided to me by the city such as play structures, gazebos, and splash pads, I utilized my own tools to make a unique experience for both myself and the kids. Our trips to the swingset at the park became treasure hunts around the neighborhood, and we brought chalk with us everywhere to draw our own mazes and hopscotch on a particularly nice stretch of sidewalk. Because we were making our own fun, a big part of our excursions required examining our environment in order to find opportunities around us. I definitely saw myself viewing the same spaces I normally visited through a childlike lens of creativity and imagination. I genuinely enjoyed myself during this time, and I think we have a lot to learn from the younger members of society around us.
Do you feel as if you have a genuine stake in the city of Toronto as a young person/student/artist? What would you change in the city to make you feel more engaged in the future of Toronto?
While I feel empowered, as opposed to limited by my age, it is often difficult to be taken seriously in a professional climate full of so many artists wanting to be seen. Especially during these past few months, opportunities have been limited and therefore have been given to those with much more experience and knowledge than someone still pursuing post-secondary education. I feel lucky to have a family who supports me through my decision to pursue a career in the arts and to live in a city with such a vibrant industry for artists, though I don’t necessarily feel that I personally have a genuine stake in Toronto’s arts landscape.