CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Documentary            Canada       1994           English      0:52:18                                                                  

Rebecca Garrett is a Canadian independent video and multimedia artist. From 1989-1992 she was Visiting Artist in Residence at the the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.Continental Drift began as a personal investigation of issues raised by the circumstance of moving between two geographical locations for an extended period of time.

This tape documents the world of imaginary thoughts and perceptions that shape and inform our notions of who we are, and who others are. Garrett travelled to a number of different locations in Canada and asked a random sampling of questions “What do you imagine it is like in Zimbabwe?”. She then travelled to roughly parallel locations in Zimbabwe and asked people there “What do you imagine it is like in Canada?”. The locations are diverse, ranging from safari parks and tourist sites, to low income housing projects, shopping malls and human rights organisations.

The result is an intriguing and at times disturbing look at issues of culture and identity, and similarities and differences, and how people in Canada and Zimbabwe imagine other people and places.

BIO