Monument Creek Wildfire (cut block number R14738)
Digital Video, 4:46, sound by Nick Kuepfer, 2026

This video was shot over the course of one year, from the final days of the Monument Creek wildfire (sn̓ʕay̓ckstx territory, BC) to the following winter. The simple documentation was part of fieldwork at the wildfire and follows the site’s seasonal change and early regrowth. The warm colour overlays reference the red fire retardant that is used in forest fire fighting, as well as the first synthetic dyes – mauve, magenta and alizarin – which were accidentally produced during the industrial revolution as byproducts of coal-tar chemical experimentation. These colours link the wildfire back to the dye baths in Europe during the industrial revolution, when bright chemicals first began seeping into waterways and skies were first hazy with carbon smog. The video's sound, created by artist Nick Kuepfer, imagines sounds heard by the landscape since industrial forestry. For the video link, please contact the artist.

This project was generously supported by Canada Council for the Arts.