Just out of Canberra on the Kings Highway to the coast, especially on the part between Queanbeyan and Bungendore, there are lots of teddies and other soft toys nailed and tied to trees. Often they are quite high up, and some of them have been there for some years. Its easy to drive along and not see most of them, unless you are particularly on the lookout. I’ve heard there are some down near Moruya, too.
It’s curious, and although there a few theories around, no-one really seems to know why they are put there or who puts them there.
I find them interesting and quite thought provoking, and I would like someday to photograph more of them. Overall I find them rather sad and poignant, as teddies should be loved and cuddled, not tortured and abandoned to the elements. Do the nastier teddies on the market deserve this, or should I remember that for the most part kids can imbue even a mere cloth or stone with character and lovableness? Is there a war going on in teddy land? Are these teddies free in spirit even if their bodies are nailed to one place? I also like that it is unexplained, and that the number is growing gradually, an silent unordered social activity. And I am interested in the weathering patterns and process on the teddies, and how it changes their character.
More in my photoset at Flickr. LaRuth also has a couple more.
