"Black Swan"
Motion Media Animation
Artist Statement
This video consists of footage from social media and television broadcasts documenting the 2016 forest fires in Gatlinburg, TN, a tourism town with scenic smoky mountain views and a kitsch southern charm. In November 2016, flames tore through this cabin-dotted landscape, leaving behind destruction and despair. The fires, one of the largest Tennessee has seen, claimed homes, businesses, and 14 lives. Against this backdrop of loss and upheaval, this piece serves as a poignant reminder of the grief that accompanies leaving behind the familiar, as well as the power of Christian faith.
The piece draws inspiration from the symbolism of the black swan, which has become an analogy for when a surprising twist of fate upends our core beliefs, but can be easily rationalized after the fact. In this work, it serves as a metaphor for an unexpected tragedy with dire consequences, reorienting perceptions of the past and altering the course of locals' lives.