temporal assemblages

temporal assemblages is an ecological video poem exploring human presence and absence in ‘natural’ and ‘developed’ sites. A meditation on impermanence and the transience of place, the title is inspired by assemblage art where ‘found’ elements are reconstituted into a new artwork. Here the filmmaker samples her archive of media produced over several decades of practice, from analogue photography, Super-8mm and 16mm film recordings, early video formats, and sound, mixing obsolete technologies with digital recordings. Fragments of performance poetry mingle with scientific nomenclature in onscreen text, citing ecological histories and the material constituents of the film’s scenes. Nominated for Best Experimental Film, 2022 Female Eye Film Festival.

Director’s Statement:

The camera is for me a phenomenological tool, a means of deepening moments of witnessing. Although the performers in the film are directed, the locations serve as a canvass for improvisation and the landscape is an equal player in the drama of the scene.

Text and images: Edie Steiner
Music: Malcolm Lewis
Edit consultation: Ian Pearson
Sound mix: Chris BIrkett