Hello, Whale (2023) 13 minutes
Hello, Whale follows my encounter with three distinct whales. Using found images and documentation from my daily life, the film forms a concentric narrative about 18th-century whale oil extraction, sex work, and the complex alienation of those who choose to leave land behind.
Whales have hip bones that do not serve a biological purpose, indicating that they once dwelled on land. They are mammals that decided to leave land behind. I pin a wish for myself on this image of the whale whose experience I can never really know. Then I ask, what is the difference between out-casting yourself and leaving land behind? How do you come above deck and sing your own spotting cry? A sound that isn't an urge to capture or possess but an invitation (“hello”) to enter into an unknown place.
back
Hello, Whale follows my encounter with three distinct whales. Using found images and documentation from my daily life, the film forms a concentric narrative about 18th-century whale oil extraction, sex work, and the complex alienation of those who choose to leave land behind.
Whales have hip bones that do not serve a biological purpose, indicating that they once dwelled on land. They are mammals that decided to leave land behind. I pin a wish for myself on this image of the whale whose experience I can never really know. Then I ask, what is the difference between out-casting yourself and leaving land behind? How do you come above deck and sing your own spotting cry? A sound that isn't an urge to capture or possess but an invitation (“hello”) to enter into an unknown place.
back