CV118 - Paul Walde, Requiem for a Glacier— Reilley Bishop-Stall
Ciel variable 118 - Exhibiting Photography (Fall 2021)
Exhibitions (Single Article, Digital Version)
Paul Walde, Requiem pour un glacier | Requiem for a Glacier
By Reilley Bishop-Stall
Initially an oratorio performed in situ, then a video installation, Requiem for a Glacier originated in a natural site in British Columbia threatened by a planned (and abandoned) ski resort project. As climate change continues to warm the planet, Paul Walde’s work, evocative of both mourning and struggle, remains relevant, even years after it was first performed. In images, it enhances “temporal and visual effects that mirror the dramatic urgency of the oratorio,” writes Reilley Bishop-Stall. However, the artwork as a whole is questionable in the eyes of the Ktunaxa nation. “The projection of such a ... lamentation as a Latin Requiem onto sacred Ktunaxa territory raises ... issues that cannot be avoided. That being said, Walde’s rooting of the score in both ancient Euro-Christian traditions and contemporary Canadian politics is potentially productive for evaluating the divergent interests.”
Details
Language : French and English
Digital Version : PDF, 415 Kb
Bibliographical Reference
Reilley Bishop-Stall, « Paul Walde, Requiem pour un glacier », Ciel variable, no 118, Montréal, 2021, p. 89-90.