Sechelt’s Trail Bay shopping centre is set to be transformed later this month into an immersive art experience lasting four days.
Roberts Creek-based projection artist Mieke Jay is leading a group of creators who are contributing large-scale, wraparound illuminations accompanied by an original soundtrack — akin to walkthrough enlargements of Vincent van Gogh paintings exhibited in North American cities (including Vancouver in 2021).
“I proposed it to a bunch of different landlords to see what would stick,” said Jay. The Sechelt Downtown Business Association put her in touch with the Trail Bay Centre, which had a space available during the May long weekend. Its title — Journey BEYOND — reflects Jay’s vision for a multi-sensory experience never before realized on such a large scale on the Sunshine Coast.
“It’s a really neat way to showcase art outside of the traditional art gallery format,” said Jay, “and just to create an attraction as well. It’s something that you might go to as an activity that’s a little more active than just walking through an art gallery.”
Some cities in the United States now host permanent facilities dedicated to presenting full-room visuals, like the Meow Wolf chain. Jay envisions a year-round facility on the Coast that could highlight local artists using large-scale projections.
For Journey BEYOND, Jay enlisted visuals from local artists Megan Mansbridge, Keely Halward, Dean Hunt, and Steve Christian. She also reached out through her network of Vancouver performers, involving street photographer Sharai Mustatia (known by her artist name “princess shredder”), video artist Tim Hill and digital creator Alyssa Haas.
Mansbridge’s work takes inspiration from the rainforest (“reminiscent of Emily Carr,” observed Jay); Halward and Christian create whimsical landscapes. In spite of such ecological influences, the amalgamation of the projected artworks (curated and animated by Jay) is chiefly surrealist. Even street photographer Mustatia, who shoots on traditional film, uses in-camera techniques that distort time and place.
For the show, Jay also incorporated classical Impressionist works by Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot.
“The idea is just to kind of create something unusual for the Coast,” Jay said. “It allows people to be right inside the artwork and interact with artists in a slightly different way.”
The soundtrack is an ambient DJ set recorded by Michael Red, a former Sunshine Coast resident who has shaped underground electronic music culture in Western Canada. In 2024, Red contributed haunting tracks to an impressionist “cinematic diary” by director Peter Mettler titled While the Green Grass Grows.
Jay explained that the immersive art experience is suitable for families, provided that children don’t tamper with the delicate electronics used to create the imagery. The combination of sound and projection is pre-assembled into an hour-long sequence — ticket-holders will be permitted to remain for repeat viewings if desired, or remain for only a few minutes. “[The projections] change at a pace that’s not as quick as scrolling Instagram,” Jay added, “but hopefully at a pace that will keep people interested without making it feel rushed.”
Inspiration is the point of the hard work involved in erecting large-scale screens and staging a series of preparatory test screenings.
“There’s so much division in society right now and one of the things that I feel brings us back together are these creative experiences,” said Jay. “Because it’s a creative experience, we can all relate in some way.”
The immersive art experience will open on Friday, May 16 (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.), Saturday, May 17 from noon to 8 p.m., Sunday, May 18 (noon to 7 p.m.) and Monday, May 19 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Tickets ($10 for adults/$5 concession) are available online at www.showpass.com/beyond/ or at the door. Entry will be via the mall entrance adjacent to the Saffron Restaurant.
