Video and Multimedia

What is Left Here

A small, personal reflection on the decline of the oil and gas industry and the associated culture shift in Calgary and the rest of southern Alberta where I grew up. The local economy and job market have long been focused almost to the exclusion of anything else on one single industry, and so followed the culture of the city. We don't know how to live in a world where the next oil boom hasn't come yet and global environmental policy is trying to make that permanent. But now we are. I was raised here, I remember shining skyscrapers and watching the pumpjacks move back and forth in rows along either side of Highway 2. They stand still, now, like monuments with peeling paint to the giant that once was. The task that has been set to my generation is to pick through the rubble, in the hopes of building something a little more stable and a little more hopeful out of what is left here.

Earworm [2022]

Julia Borden

Studio Photography + Animation

'Earworm' reflects on the influence that music and music consumption has on identity and sense of self. Music is inherent to auditory communication in humans, developing alongside speech and in much the same way. What media we consume, what we are a 'fan' of, is a large part of identity and that is especially evident when it comes to music. Music is consumed as emotional catharsis, for better or for worse. It motivates us, it moves us, and it helps us understand and process our own feelings. With that, though, comes a sense of something perhaps a bit less secure. What am I feeling, without the soundtrack in my headphones? Am I happy, without a joyful song to accompany it? What is sadness, without mournful music?

Someplace Beautiful [2022]

Julia Borden

Installation with video

'Someplace Beautiful' is a video installation designed for and originally presented in the Closet Gallery in Calgary, Alberta. In dark times, art can often serve to bring joy or at least a brief respite to the people who view it. Someplace Beautiful was created in the spirit of peace, healing and hope in a time when little of any of those things seemed to be easily found. A small room, floor spread with blankets and pillows, inviting the viewer to sit down for a moment and rest. The walls are covered in the projection of a waterfall in early spring, the air full of the sound of running water, gentle music, and the faint smell of evergreen trees. There is a growing body of scientific research into the health and psychological benefits of beauty in our surroundings, and the good that we do ourselves by spending time in nature, but that does precious little good when life won't give you the time to drive hours out of the city. I think that now more than ever we need to take care of ourselves and seek out the things that make life easier to handle, and so I invite you to pause for a moment in this space, relax and find some peace. Let go of your worries for a moment, and breathe.

Bourée

Uploaded more because I'm fond of it than because it's a particularly amazing showing of my own skills. Here is a video of my dad Trevor playing a piece by Bach on his classical guitar that I put together to practice editing music footage, from back before I had a computer that could render transitions in DaVinci Resolve without crashing. The most interesting part of this piece, I think, is that his playing was consistent enough that I was able to make do with one camera, and create the appearance of a multicam setup by piecing together seven separate takes with different camera angles.