Land-Art – Mike Salisbury

The Healing Trail

This 350-meter land art installation along the Speed River Trail in Guelph weaves reclaimed wood into a winding path, culminating in the Pool of Grief. The circular space symbolizes nature’s quiet power to absorb sorrow, renewing itself through unbroken cycles of decay and rebirth.
Year – 2024
Materials – branches, logs and sticks
Location – Speed River Trail, Guelph
Coordinates – 43.503203, -80.255008

Contour Park Kickstarter Campaign

A bold statement against environmental exploitation, Contour Park responds to greenbelt conservation, emphasizing the urgent need for moraine preservation and environmental advocacy. Its innovative use of fieldstones to trace the land’s morphology not only conserves groundwater but also sets a precedent, using art to protect the landscape.
Year – 2023
Materials – reclaimed limestone, earthworks
Location – Guelph ON

Festival Trees

In the heart of winter, “Festival Trees” blooms—a vision born from my Shanghai apprenticeship. This sculpture, with trees swathed in red hemp, transforms the landscape into a magical scene. It’s a nod to Asian horticultural traditions, turning the stark cold into a canvas of good luck and bright tomorrows.
Year – 2003
Materials – red nylon rope
Location – University of Guelph, ON

Remember Me Memorial

Guelph’s planned downtown memorial stands as a beacon of hope and remembrance, celebrating the lives lost to opioids. The limestone circle, embraced by expanding prairie grasses representing each member of our community taken, inspires a collective commitment to overcoming this crisis, uniting friends, families, and the community in support and memory.
Year – 2021
Materials – limestone, earthworks, Big Bluestem grasses
Location – Guelph ON

Bateau Island Stone Circle

Nestled in a remote wilderness, this piled stone circle merges with the untamed landscape, a silent homage to nature’s raw beauty. It stands as a meditative space, inviting solitary reflection amidst the elements, a bridge between the earthly and the sublime, untouched by time’s relentless march. Private commission.
Year – 2022
Materials – Beach boulders
Location – Parry Sound ON

Rubber Circle

Located in Erin, Ontario, an intriguing arrangement of recycled truck tires creates a circular pattern. The orientation of each tire shifts subtly, offering a dynamic exploration of space and form. This seemingly straightforward design opens up a multitude of engagement opportunities, blending art with play.
Year – 2017
Materials – reclaimed tires, sand, cedar log
Location – Erin ON
Coordinates – 43.770892, -80.060719
Credit – Wood Carver: Jim Menken

Central Labyrinth

Seeking to foster a physical, emotional and spiritual sense of interconnectedness with the environment the hillside of this exclusive girl’s school integrates the circle and spiral into a meandering but purposeful journey to the center of this playscape. The labyrinth is encircled by four large posts marking the cardinal directions using the rising and setting of the sun as reference points. The eight smaller posts divide the circle into a large analog clock face.
Year – 2016
Materials – earth, wood, grass
Location – Toronto ON

Spiral Mountain (rock)

This playable landscape perfectly balancing stone and wood elements in a taijitu pattern. A stone tower reflects colonial fortifications in the area, while a timber climbing frame pays homage to the region’s First Nations’ architectural traditions.
Year – 2019
Materials – stone, earth, cedar logs
Location – Queenston Heights ON

Spiral Mountain (wood)

This playable landscape perfectly balancing stone and wood elements in a taijitu pattern. A stone tower reflects colonial fortifications in the area, while a timber climbing frame pays homage to the region’s First Nations’ architectural traditions.
Year – 2019
Materials – stone, earth, cedar logs
Location – Queenston Heights ON

The Hero’s Journey

Through the act of play, we transcend mere existence, engaging with the world in a manner that imbues us with autonomy. The metaphorical landscape of the Hero’s Journey—a realm of sand, stone, it’s a call to adventure, echoing our inner song across the spiritual landscape.
Year – 2018
Artist Call – Jardins De Metis International Garden Festival

En Plein Air

Once, all classrooms were under the sky, where learning was synonymous with the natural world. Reviving this ancient tradition, students now engage with the environment firsthand—exploring, discussing, and creating—rekindling an intimate understanding of their ecological heritage.
Year – 2012
Materials – limestone, earthworks, plant material
Location – Toronto ON

Cube Town

Imagine a whimsical world where Jane Jacobs meets Piet Mondrian! With playhouses that mix and match in dazzling colors and designs, every day is an adventure. Peek through a window—or hey, why not hop out?—and join the fun in moving houses around, making teamwork the game of the day!
Year – 2018
Materials – shipping pallets, acrylic paint
Location – Toronto ON

Yellow Line

Step into a whimsical world where the ground dances with abstract art and interactive sculptures. A grass maze comes alive as a pattern of bright yellow traffic delineators, and unguided play unfolds into countless opportunities for fantasy and imagination.
Year – 2016
Materials – asphalt paint, traffic delineators, grasses
Location – Guelph ON