2003-2005
Three channel video projection with sound
Installed dimensions variable
In our information rich, technologically saturated contemporary lives, we are under the illusion that no part of the planet is inaccessible to us. The action in this video work addresses the idea that our concept of the “fringe” or edge is in flux, and in conflict with our physical selves. Shot in several locations across Alaska, it consists of three distinct video segments involving themes of time and decay, first and third worlds (as implied by a frontier), sociological vs. psychological, corruption/consumption and revelation. Each of the three parts of the project depict sets of dual realities: 1) the physical movement of a human body to the edge of a continent and the interior journey resulting from deprivation, lack of contact, and deterioration; 2) the imposition of socio-cultural values upon a religious or spiritually based action; and 3) exploiting the predictability of nature to yield unpredictable visual results. These forces are played out in the melting snowfields of a shrinking world, defined by the outside as a “disappearing frontier.” The distinct segments address real events under artificial conditions (the walking sequence), fictional actions to describe an actual condition (the possession sequence), and real events to depict a specific reality (the feeding sequence.)
