BIFF OFFSCREEN: Unity Island

Thursday, October 10 through Thursday, October 17 (*Closed Sunday through Tuesday) @ Turning Bridge Tavern.

Special presentation with the artist on Wednesday, October 16 at 5PM sharp! Doors Open at 4PM.

Unity Island, 16mm film to digital video, 2023, 13:30 minute loop w/ stereo sound

Unity Island looks at a 1/4 square mile stretch of land situated between Niagara River and Black Rock Canal at the border of Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, Ontario. A railroad crosses the island from Canada to the U.S., passing by a park visited by picnickers, bicyclists, and fishermen. Freight trains cross the canal lock via a swing bridge which rotates open for boats and the occasional cargo ship. A hill rises on the former site of an incineration plant and garbage dump. From there you can get a 360° view of the island, the city, the river, and the highway. I go for walks there with our dog.

Shot on 16mm film, this three-screen installation is a personal exploration of a site over time in an attempt to reveal its beauty, its moments, and its contradictions.

Unity Island is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

*Please Note that the Turning Bridge Tavern is Closed Sunday, October 13

---

About the Artist:

Carl Lee is a media artist based in Buffalo, NY. Since the 1990s he has been making films, videos, and installations that look at the built environment and personal space to explore perception, nostalgia, and the spatialization of time. Carl’s work has been programmed and exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2020, Carl was awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Digital/Electronic Arts and in 2023 he received a NYSC/NYFA Support for Artist Grant in support of his latest three-channel installation, Unity Island. Carl’s first in-depth exposure to film production came as an undergraduate at Harvard University where he received his BA in Visual and Environmental Studies. In 2000, he received his MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University in Philadelphia. Visit Carl's website to learn more.

Stills from Unity Island courtesy of the artist.