Island (2016)

Deanne Achong , Faith Moosang

Britannia Heritage Shipyard 5180 Westwater Drive

Area: Steveston
Location: Seine Net Loft

Materials: Videos

Program: Civic
Ownership: Civic
Sponsored By: Oval Precinct Public Art Program

Description of Work

River Road River (video, sound, 2 minutes and 52 seconds) and River Road Land (video, sound, 1 minute and 51 seconds) were shot on the northern edge of Lulu Island on the Fraser River.

Artist Statement

Deanne Achong and Faith Moosang took a boat trip around Lulu Island, Richmond and filmed the island from the vantage point of the Fraser River. From the footage captured they created a video loop that echoes the journey they took. Large-scale industry and gorgeous vistas exist side by side on the periphery of Lulu Island. The edge of the island reveals its specific and still unfolding history - from wilderness through agriculture to resource extraction.

The sound track uses a blend of an 1888 wax cylinder recording of George Frideric Handel’s “Israel in Egypt,” as well as a 1934 version conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. The Handel wax cylinder is one of the earliest recorded sounds in audio history. The recording is a tenuous representation of the Oratorio that is not obviously music – slipping into sounds resembling drums, trains, machinery and even wildlife.

Island, the third component of the Lulu Suite artwork project, was commissioned by the City of Richmond’s Public Art Program. The artists would like to dedicate this installation to their cameraman (and sailor) Rob Simpson, who passed away suddenly in 2015. For more information, visit: www.lulusuite.ca