| Origin of Ripples – Yukon Chapter is a filmic study of the serene poetics of ecology. The video is comprised of footage shot on five different devices (action camera, spy camera, DSLR camera, cellphone camera, black-and-white Super 8 film) near Dawson City, Yukon, the center of the Klondike Gold Rush from 1896 to 1899. Through the use of overlays Tong traces the permutation of ripples throughout an eclectic range of places and things: the Klondike River and the colorful arctic graylings that leap from its surface, the bodies of moving caterpillars and the enormous layers of tailings left behind by gold-mining dredges, to name a few. The work investigates how ripples, abstract patterns of effect and trace, interconnect the unique natural environment of northern Canada, the madness of the gold rush, and the astounding profusion of dredge tailings and ponds. Through close observation and corporeal experiences and with the poise of a natural scientist and the vision of an artist, Tong’s work examines the polymorphic nature of beings, both living and non-living. |
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