LAURIE WEIR
The Fork in the Road art installation has returned to Elizabethtown-Kitley Township.
Artist Chris Banflavi, and Bill Gibbons, who has commissioned three forks for the juncture near his property, have erected the 12-foot steel utensil with reinforced re-bar, cement and boulder base, attached to a steel I-beam to deter any further thievery. This one weighs well over 800 pounds.
Twice over the past several years, the Fork in the Road has been removed. While police reports were filed, no leads were ever discovered.
The whimsical art piece sits at the fork of Leacock Road and Kitley Line 8, marking a path to Gibbons’ walking trail and art gallery – the AOG Gallery, which is a private contemporary art collection.
Gibbons said the piece was erected on May 31 and would be painted in a few days.
“It is in place with lots of bracing to hold it up,” Gibbons said. “Mixing concrete this afternoon … should be freestanding and painted in a few days.”
As of June 3, the piece is looming large at the fork in the road, but has yet to be painted.
In a recent interview, Mayor Brant Burrow said they were looking forward to having the art piece reinstalled at the fork.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing the landmark utensil back in its rightful home, and to having it once again fork out a little inspiration and humour to all who pass by it.”
The original stainless-steel fork was installed in 2019, and it wasn’t long before someone removed it. Banfalvi (Dark Genesis Corporation) crafts distinctive artworks from recycled metals, showcasing many of them at his home just south of Frankville. These pieces range in price from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Each creation is entirely unique, incorporating a diverse array of scrap metal and additional elements such as crystals. The fork piece was estimated at $3,600.
Gibbons covered the cost of the first piece, the township paid for the second one, and Gibbons will foot the bill on this third installation.
Gibbons’ AOG Gallery is open by appointment: email aoggallery47@gmail.com or visit aoggallery.ca for more information.
