Until I realized I'm still here
Until I realized I’m still here
Video
2020
Until I realized I’m still here is a composite of photos and short videos taken on walks in spring 2020 in amiskwaciwâskahikan, or so-called Edmonton, and features the birdsong of the white-throated sparrow. The Pandemic walks series builds on Wedderspoon's practice of collecting found objects spotted on the ground, with a shift away from physical touch and toward snapping photographs of found objects with her phone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, walks have taken on a new meaning. With increased anxiety around social contact, limited access to usual communal spaces, and intimate familiarity with private living spaces, getting outdoors for a walk has become a pillar of mental health for many. Wedderspoon’s findings indicate a shift in our discard habits including more disposable masks and gloves, and an increased tension between the interests of public health, corporate profitability, and the capacity of ecological systems to sustain life. By keeping a personal archive of these encounters, Wedderspoon highlights the potential of individual attention as a seed for collective mobilization.