PENDULUM

Lumen prints and 16mm film to 4K video (13 min, sound), 2024
Pendulum examines local plant life and constructed nature preserves, blending still and moving images to represent time's fluidity and its effect on botanical evolution. Through 16mm film and lumen prints created using flowers and vegetation foraged near Todmorden Mills in Toronto, Pendulum questions notions of native and non-native plant species, chronicling their adaptation to rising CO2 levels and severe weather. The project envisions the future evolution of roadside weeds such as asters and goldenrods, now thriving on a former dump site turned wildflower preserve at Todmorden Mills.

Artist Statement
Pendulum delves into the intricate rhythms and temporality of plant life at Todmorden Mills, amidst the challenges posed by rising CO2 levels and meteorological shifts due to climate change. Through 16mm film and lumen prints transferred to vinyl, my project explores how plants adapt to these conditions, envisioning their future evolution. By blending dynamic and still imagery, Pendulum symbolizes the fluidity of time and its impact on botanical evolution in Todmorden Mill’s Wildflower Preserve.

The images I feature in Pendulum freeze moments within the perpetual flux of plant life around Todmorden Mills. Lumen prints created using native and non-native plants from the preserve, capture the intricate imprints of leaves and petals, echoing the process of photosynthesis. These analog processes mirror the energy exchange inherent in plant life.

Additionally, Pendulum reveals the enduring effects of climate change through the textured, grainy quality of its film images. Sections of footage flicker and fade, dissolving into washes of colour, symbolizing the plants' vulnerability to environmental forces. Light leaks and distorted images further emphasize this fragility, underscoring the area's historical transformation from a forested landscape to an industrial site and later a dumping ground for urban waste.

Before colonization, Todmorden Mills teemed with wildlife amid vast forests. However, European settlement led to industrialization, resulting in ecological degradation. The establishment of the Wildflower Preserve in the 1990s aimed to restore native habitats and species, thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers. Pendulum seeks to document these historical and environmental shifts through its imagery, capturing the dynamic interplay between human intervention and nature's resilience in the area.