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As international concern about global warming heats up, assistant professor Cade Bursell brings the topic back to a local level through her new environmentally conscious film, "Heron Pond: Boardwalk View."
Bursell's film was chosen from more than 450 submissions and will be shown at the 9th annual Planet in Focus International Environmental Film and Video Festival in Toronto on Oct. 22 to 26.
"Heron Pond: Boardwalk View" is an experimental film from Bursell, an assistant professor in the cinema and photography. The film deals with the environment and the interaction of humans with their surroundings. Bursell accomplishes this by looking specifically at Heron Pond, located within the Cache River State Natural Area in southern Illinois.
Bursell has produced many films and other works that feature sound and video. She said the content of the particular project influences which medium she uses to express it. For "Herron Pond: Boardwalk View," she said it was clear the project needed to be a film.
"I felt this particular piece needed to be filmed as to allow the viewer into the beauty of the pond. I came to SIU around six years ago, and whenever I move to a new place, I like to hike and walk around the surroundings. I was surprised by the beauty of southern Illinois and Heron Pond was one of the first areas I visited here," Bursell said.
She said Heron Pond is an extraordinary place. It is recognized as a wetland of international importance because of its biological diversity. It is home to more than 180 endangered plants and animals.
Bursell's goal with the film was to explore the relationship between man and nature. She said a particular experience with the Herron Pond involved a young boy who became increasingly afraid of the area because he feared if he fell in, it would mean certain death.
"For every individual, the environment will impact them differently, and although the little boy's experience was extreme, it represents one of the many emotions felt," she said.
The process she undertakes to produce the film is nothing like the conventional sense of filmmaking, Bursell said. She said most of the film was handmade through a process in her sink that allows her to manipulate the film in ways not possible through other means.
"Heron Pond ..." has taken Cade more than a year to create, namely because she wanted to highlight every season.
"I was interested not only in the pond and peoples interaction, but how the dynamic changed with the seasons - the place even sounds different from season to season," she said.
Although Bursell's piece focuses on a southern Illinois pond, her recognition is nation-wide. "Heron Pond: Boardwalk View" will show in Toronto and at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. She has also shown this particular film at two universities and a museum in Arizona.
In addition to the national and international screenings, she was awarded a national endowment of the arts, which will allow her to work without disruption for a month at the Squeaky Wheel in Buffalo, N.Y.
Squeaky Wheel Director Dorothea Braemer said, "There were applicants for this award from over six countries, and we narrowed it down to Cade. We're excited to have her join us."
Braemer said the residency allows the artists to work with a greater range of tools and give them the chance to interact with the thriving art community in Buffalo.
"The community is very helpful in the art process ... and from my experience, there are no pretentious people which you may find in the city (New York)," she said.
With "Heron Pond ..." Bursell has crafted a piece that highlights a southern Illinois landmark but speaks to everyone.
"I'm concerned with where the environment is headed, and using my craft, I can address the problem and hopefully bring awareness," Bursell said.
Chris McGregor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or at chrism@siu.edu.
