This is what Tim Van Horn is meant to do.
The 46-year-old photographer is on a self-described modern day pilgrimage exploring and capturing with his camera for the last seven years a sense of the Canadian identity, blasting out some “goodness” on a “creative tour of duty” in a race against time in his one-of-a-kind masterpiece of a motor home – he calls it “Big Maple” – wreathed in an assemblage of thousands of images of Canadians from all walks of life in a red-and-white mosaic of the Canadian flag.
So far, Van Horn has taken some 41,000 portraits as part of his Canadian Mosaic Project. The Red Deer, Alta. native has crossed the country five times since he started on his journey in 2008. He's taken photos on street corners in every province and territory.
He wants to capture the image of 54,000 different Canadians (about 0.150 per cent of the population in honour of the country's upcoming 150th anniversary) before 2017, when he plans to unveil the new “Canada Bus” and roll it across the land again on a 365-day “To Canada With Love” campaign – described as a multi-media “pavilion on wheels” in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday, in which he hopes to reach some two to three million people.
The 54,000 portraits will cover the entire surface of the bus, while 13 ribbons (one for each province and territory) of inspirational text will weave and blend with the photos.
Van Horn was in 100 Mile House on Aug. 25, on his way to Smithers for the weekend with plans to head eastward for the Prairies after that in September. Sitting inside Big Maple in the parking lot outside the 100 Mile House Free Press, emitting positive vibes and speaking with enthusiasm, his old black dog Turbo nearby, Van Horn shared part of his ongoing story and what he hopes to achieve with it. There have been challenges on the road to be sure and the journey has been long. He's after hearts and minds and backed by the generosity of the people he meets. He's doing something historic and he feels blessed.
“The intent isn't monetary. The intent is humanitarian. It's this spiritual journey to understand the tempo and personality of the country, and then present something that's reflective of what I've learned.
“It's the largest portrait created in Canadian history. We've never had a massive documentation of the people. It's always the landscape that gets highlighted when people head out to photograph Canada. So, it's a first.”
Above all, it seems Van Horn is out to inspire – every person he meets, perhaps an entire nation.
“My message with all these portraits is: this is where you fit in. These are the people you live with. Embrace your life. Find your purpose. Run with it. Life is short.”
People can learn more about the Canadian Mosaic Project on Facebook, Twitter or by visiting www.canadianmosaic.ca.
“The moral of my story is look what one guy did. You can do the same.”