Information
CV
Work
Super8 Digital Transfer, Granular Synthesis
Runtime: Perpetual Loop
In Mi’kmaq culture, reality is comprised of 6 worlds, all deeply woven into the sacred ecology of our people. They are the world beneath the water, the world beneath the earth, the world we walk, the world above the Earth, the world above the sky, and the ghost world. Papkutparut is the guardian of the ghost world, protecting the realm from intruders and caring for the skite’kmuj or ghost of our loved ones once they leave their physical body after death. A known shape shifter, fierce warrior, and lover of waltes, papkutparut’s mythos personifies the natural lifecycle process of decay. Our infinite mortal return to place, becoming the land once more through decay and transmutation and spiritual metamorphasis.
Several years ago, after the passing of my late uncle, I inherited a small blue tupperware container with several Super8 rolls inside. Of the previously unseen family home movies, one roll stood out amongst the rest. Unique in form and containment, bubbling with vinegar syndrome and stuck together like a hockey puck, this roll demanded to be seen. Upon digitzation, I was immediately captivated by the collage of color and texure found in its erosion. My mind quickly found parallels to the land, cracks and veins across the image plane like aerial imaging of estuaries and rivers, exploding reds and vibrant greens like a LandSAT false color image.
Composed entirely of this anomalous super8 roll, Papkutparut is a cathartic expression of our infintie return to the land. Mirrored on its axis both in time and composition, the film presents the infinite forms of the ghost world protectors shape shifting face, presenting a portal hrough his mindseye into the ghost world. Scored through granular synthesis of field recordings, the infinite loop immerses us in a caustic sonic field of atomized waveforms.
Stills Gallery