Continental Drift

Synopsis

a single-channel video installation that explores the concept of geological time and how it is recorded within the earth’s surface. Using 16mm footage of multiple locations in the Alberta Badlands, documents its unique rock formations, which are in a constant state of change. Over millions of years, the Alberta Badlands have been a sea, a tropical forest and a massive ice field. Each of these eras is inscribed as layers of stone. Glaciers carved out the landscape, exposing coal and the remains of dinosaurs. The Alberta Badlands are located on the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika Nation, Kainai Nation-Blood Tribe, and Piikani Nation), Stoney-Nakoda Nation, and Tsuut’ina Nation. The area has been the site of immense resource extraction. Coal mining was a prominent industry in the 1930s and 40s. The area is eroding at a rapid rate and exists as a reminder of the impermanence of landscapes and natural resources.