I am developing a new concept for a dance film that will feature modern urban locations as well as the iconic Alberta Badlands. In collaboration with Edmonton-based photographer Tyler Baker, I am also creating series of visual stories documenting the process.

Cities of Sand is an exploration and reflection on how sand permeates everyday human existence, from the movement of sand as a measure of the passing of time, to the sand’s entrapment into the building blocks that have shaped our urban lifestyle.

In this work I want to contrast the highly structured built environment afforded by cities which leverage sand in the form of concrete, asphalt, and even glass, to the eroded sand structures constructed by nature over millions of years, as portrayed by the Alberta Badlands. To explore this relationship, I teamed up wtih photographer Tyler Baker (Edmonton) to highlight the contrast of the badlands with old abandoned concrete structures in Drumheller, Alberta. Together, we want to bring focus to the architectural aspect of the different shapes and angles as they converge into the dance movement. I am also experimenting with new media and image processing techniques to weave the photos into a dynamic eroding and evolving experience which will culminate into an art installation.

Cities of Sand aims to bring this reflection to individuals. As stated by flamenco artist and artistic advisor to the Flamenco de La Isla Society, Amity Skala (Victoria, BC): “[Cities of Sand] is particularly relevant right now, as so many people are faced with the shifting sands of their own reality. Life structures that we thought were permanent have proven to be mutable. This work has great relevance at this time in history when so many people are experiencing a personal entrapment as they shelter at home”.

Study for Cities of Sand
Photography by Tyler Baker (www.tylerbakerphoto.com)
Drumheller area, Alberta, Canada  |   September, 2020