Days numbered for herd of former coin-op mechanical horses near Millarville

Art display rides off into sunset A unique art installation near Millarville will soon come down. Bill Macfarlane has more.

The seven horses of Helios, a temporary, functioning art installation outside the Leighton Art Centre near Millarville, will soon be put out to pasture ahead of winter’s arrival.

Calgary artist Lisa Brawn created the piece after purchasing a number of coin-operated horse rides that had been fixtures outside of grocery stores and hardware stores in the 1970s and 1980s.

“They were in really, really rough shape, and she sandblasted off their halters and their saddles and things like that,” explained Stephanie Doll, the Leighton Art Centre’s manager of exhibitions.

The seven horses were equipped with motion sensors and powered by solar panels. “When you walk up to them the whole herd starts running.”

Helios was installed a short distance from the art centre and opened to the public in early October.

“There’s been so much interest in them since we had them up,” said Doll, “probably more than any other exhibit that we’ve had.” The installation attracted roughly 400 visitors in its first weekend.

“I think they’re pretty beautiful,” said Erin Dumenko during her Thursday visit. “I was really surprised that you had to walk a little ways from the art centre to be able to see them but once you come out here you can see why. They really make sort of a herd of horses that are going through the scenery.”

For Dumenko, Helios was a trip down memory lane.

“There was a hardware store in Prince George, B.C. that we used to go to that had one of these that we used to go on.”

Doll is not surprised by the warm reception Helios has garnered.

“People have some sort of nostalgia for the horses,” said Doll. “People who aren’t necessarily art fans, or contemporary art fans, get really excited.”

Helios time at the Leighton Art Centre was a learning experience for all involved. Weather, including thick fog, plagued the mechanics and the solar panels faced north and west.

November 13 will be the final day of Helios at the art centre as Brawn is expected to take the horses away on Sunday before the grounds become too wet and soggy for a truck. The Leighton Art Centre will host Christmas in the Country 2016, an annual art sale, on November 12 and 13.

While the horses run near Millarville will soon reach its end, Doll expects Helios will resurface in the future elsewhere.

For additional information on Helios and the Leighton Art Centre, click here.

With files from CTV's Bill Macfarlane