USA: Art exhibit in New York draws inspiration from a documentary about a man who builds a 'Grizzly Bear proof' suit of armor

Tucked away in an industrial section of Long Island City, New York, an art Galley called the 'Flux Factory' is launching an unusual art exhibit. 'Grizzly Proof' draws together works from over 20 artist inspired the film 'Project Grizzly', a documentary about an eccentric Canadian who builds a bear proof suit after reportedly being attacked by a Grizzly bear. The 1996 documentary by the Toronto based filmmaker Peter Lynch is a profile of metal worker Troy Hurtubise, who survived a Grizzly bear attack in 1984 and then spends years building and testing a bear attack proof suit of armour. Lynch's film has become a sort of cult classic, drawing the praise of filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and even getting spoofed on the hit TV show 'The Simpsons'. Lynch explained why he thinks Troy Hurtubise and his quest for the ultimate bear armour is such a compelling story. "It's a pretty crazy dream but it's a beautiful dream and even though it's slightly skewed and very eccentric in this typical classic Canadian way, I think there is something beautiful in the way he's created this make shift thing, this body armour to encounter the wilderness, to encounter nature and I think there is something universal in that," said Lynch. Jean Barberis, the curator of the Flex Factory said he became interested in the film 'Project Grizzly' after buying a small drawing of a robot fighting a bear at a thrift store in Montreal. The store worker explained it's origin to him, and he sought out the documentary. "I was really fascinated with the subject. I was really fascinated with the documentary and I showed to lots of friends of mine, lots of artists and everybody was really interested in the movie and something really resonated with them, and at some point we realized that we had something on our hands so we decided to put on the show," said Barberis. Barberis got in touch with Lynch via contacts through friends and the rest fell into place. The show features 17 works of art, ranging from sculpture, to drawing, to mixed media. Lynch said he was 'overwhelmed' that his documentary has managed to strike a cord with so many people, especially outside of Canada. "Project Grizzly, it's one of those things where it's got nine lives, first it gets discovered by a famous filmmaker like Tarantino and then it gets spoofed on 'The Simpsons' and then all of a sudden some artists in Queens, New York are doing a tribute to your film and it's very surreal, it's very moving as well," said Lynch. Lynch himself even created a work for the show, a sound installation piece that recreates the sound of a bear rummaging around outside a tent at night.

ITN Source | March 16, 2007

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