The visually blessed mountain town of Telluride in Colorado has accommodated story book characters since its foundation as a mining town in the late 19th century. Nestling at 9,500 feet up in the San Juan mountains, I think the thin air impinges on the ability of anyone to be even remotely normal. We are a quarter of the way through the 21st century, but Telluride remains a frontier town at the end of the line.
Those that have found Telluride and chosen to make it their home, celebrate life, as well they should; there are very few places I know on the planet that offer such a good way of life. It is a resort full of happy extroverts who embrace the culture of Carpe diem.
Telluride Golf Club is the third highest in elevation in America (out of 16,000 courses) and almost every hole has an outrageous backdrop. I thought that the 18th hole, with the cliff hugging airport in the distance, would be an ideal platform to tell a story of a Wild West community that knows how to enjoy life.
I have become increasingly drawn to participation art and greatly admire the work of French photographer JR. The quest for authenticity is core to art and participation art is almost always authentic. Involving many people in a staged image does lean on logistics a little, but the key is to emotionally invest in the community of whom you are asking so much.
It is about “winning the crowd” and I could not have done this without the support and advocacy of locals in town. I want to thank Gold Mountain Gallery and Telluride Ski & Golf Club for their enthusiasm for this project and then, of course, the 100 locals who turned up at 6.30 am in period clothing at 9,500 feet up a mountain.
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