pit//ch la/ke

A hand moves a stick in hot pitch, lifting it to show its viscosity, how it pours back into itself, into the ground. Carved deep into the landscape, its sporadic pools, reeds swaying to the rythm of the breeze, a dark coarse surface yielding to the elements — heat, gust and heavy rains. Pitch Lake in southwest Trinidad holds the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world. Mined commercially for road surfacing, it is an inexhaustible supply due to a natural upwelling beneath the surface. Indigenous folklore tells of its creation as punishment by the Great Spirit, for the death of a sacred hummingbird. Astrobiologists have studied it as a potential analogue to ecosystems of other planets. A raw, weathered voice emanates from an antiquated recording, its rough, earthy feel reminiscent of the landscape. “Pit//ch la/ke” is a short experimental video exploring acoustic ecology in relation to culture defined along historical, ecological and spiritual axes.

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Aspect ratio: 16:9
Digital file type: .mov
Recording format: HD
Sound: Yes
Colour/ B&W: Colour
Language: English
Subtitles: No
Close Captioning: No

CREDITS
Cast: unknown
Camera & audio: J. Ramlochan
Visual & sound editor: J. Ramlochan
Production Locations: La Brea, Trinidad / Toronto, Canada

EXHIBITION HISTORY
No current exhibition history.