Brian Mantrop — Sliding into Creative Chaos
by Sally Hansen
Science reinvents itself, and so did Brian Mantrop. Studying geophysics at Queen’s University in the late 60s, Mantrop abandoned his view of a predictable Newtonian universe and set out on a life journey that continues today. He embraced the counterculture of the era and took a year off to travel in search of the freedoms celebrated by the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. His attempt to return to structured studies only convinced him that he had found his true calling… “an endless search for exotic lands where true Utopia might exist.”
Somewhere along the way his youthful dream became a reality, and for over 30 years Mantrop has used his camera to focus his emotions as he expresses his fascination with life. In 1995 he published a successful book “about love, consciousness and exploring life”. The title is Talking to the Other World — A Journey of the Spirit. In it, his text and his fine art photographs portray his lifelong pursuit for connection to the universal energy of light and love. This pursuit has yielded fascinating images of people and places from his travels around the world — China, India, Sri Lanka, Morocco, England, Ireland, Wales, Tibet, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Canada, and USA. Brian Mantrop has no intention of slowing down. The world is his palette. The universe is his inspiration.
At Home in the Enchanted Forest
The emergence of psychedelic art in the 60s mirrored the counterculture’s pursuit of freedom to explore one’s potential and invent one’s self, freed from rigidly defined roles and rules. A visit to the home Brian shares with fellow life traveler Kathy Cashman is an eye-opening, mind-expanding redefinition of what a “home” can be. Named “The Enchanted Forest”, their home south of Westport epitomizes the same lack of boundaries that characterizes his photographs. Not only is it “off grid” and largely self-sustainable, it is organic beyond anything I have ever seen. To whet your imagination, think of something out of a lushly illustrated text of “Hansel and Gretel”, but on steroids and with a strong infusion of Asian art.
Brian is unabashedly proud of the fact that he has never worked more than six months a year, but when you look around the Enchanted Forest, it is obvious that his definition of work excludes things like carpentry, floor tiling, gardening and every type of decorative art imaginable. Their circular home literally pulses with energy and the celebration of life. The large central living area is filled with musical instruments, and is a frequent gathering place for impromptu jams. Brian’s artistic talents are in evidence everywhere — every wall, floor, table top, counter, post, nook and cranny is decorated. Even outdoors inlaid stones pattern the walkways and patios, and mosaics adorn benches and archways. The non plus ultra is the whimsical carving of a human figure topping a forty-foot tree trunk. No, Brian didn’t do it. It was a gift from a friend who worked for the hydro company. There is also a piece by Lanark County wood sculptor Dave Card.
The Mothers of Invention
In January 2000, a ruinous fire destroyed their previous house, four months after they had let their home insurance lapse. Brian refers to the traumatic event as a “hotlatch” — when something is taken away, it is given back again. Within a month caring neighbours, friends and clients had donated enough money for them to start rebuilding, and with enormous community support the couple moved into their perpetual work of domestic art within a year.
In keeping with Mantrop’s indomitable spirit and insatiable curiosity, he transmuted the calamitous fire into a muse of invention when he discovered fungus growing in the 34-foot tree trunks, salvaged from the fire, that support his new edifice. On a creative whim, he sprinkled fungal tree spores on the emulsion side of some of his slides, cultured them for 90 days, and embarked on a new journey of organic experimentation to continue his exploration of the unknown. Sometimes the results are very psychedelic. They are always fascinating.
For Brian, the random nature of the quantum physics involved in culturing slides adds the dimension of spontaneous chaos that makes his current photography so personally exciting and rewarding. With a 30-year repository of fine photographs to choose from, he selects images that allow him to best express “the dynamic beauty and magic of the universe.” The inherent randomness of the fungal culturing is perfectly congruent with his view of the universe, his trust in the unknown, and his commitment to a life journey of spiritual exploration and creativity.
No Bad Trips
According to Mantrop, “the most critical thing as an artist is not being inhibited by wondering whether people will like your art.” His travels are an essential component of his spiritual journey. He seeks out places where he does not speak the language to more fully open himself to the energy vibrations and spirituality of the people and the place. The Enchanted Garden is similarly designed to develop organically, nurturing new ideas and emotions. He has even liberated his photographs from frames, mats and glass. He offers his unique photographic art as superb quality giclée images available in many sizes, printed on canvas or in limited editions on rag paper.
At wikipedia.org, “A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one’s mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters.” You can’t go wrong liberating your mind by surfing through Brian Mantrop’s creatively exuberant images on his website. He and partner Kathy Cashman (designer clothing) are regular participants in the annual Westport Area Fall Colours Studio Tour, but I wouldn’t wait that long. I highly recommend a trip to The Enchanted Forest next spring when Mantrop’s unfettered imagination is again on display in the organic gallery he has created south of Westport. Call him at 484–2151, or contact him by email. And keep his Trading Card!