The Echo of the Unknown by Janet Briggs is the current feature at UWAG. According to Briggs, her installation stems from her personal memories of the effects that Alzheimer’s had on her family members and research from geologists and neurologists.
Written on Wax, a two-channel video, starts with a voiceover speaker over photos of horses and riders. It then cuts to woman shown hooked up to a machine on one screen and various clips on the other, backed with electronic music.
The next installation, Breathing Without Air, is a single channel video following an old man though a mineral trade show with scenes of an abandoned building and a paddler shot both above and below water. While there is cello music in the background, it also uses sounds from the natural setting.
At the centre of the exhibit is Can’t Find My Way Home, a four-channel video. It follows a woman wearing a gas mask, a helmet and safety gear going through a mineral cave. Each screen shows a different perspective, which is juxtaposed with an old man looking at minerals and scenes of a neurologist running tests inside a lab.
Each video touches on the themes of identity and memory with evocative soundtracks.
Echo of the Unknown will be at UWAG in East Campus Hall until Dec. 17.
