overview

Invisible Harvests is a short stop motion & timelapse film that is currently in production. It’s an experimental poetry film, exploring a variety of themes related to fermented foods: the need for probiotics in our diets in the age of overprescribed antibiotics; the connections between small farming, soil quality, and bacteria and how biodynamic farming can influence the quality of probiotics in our food; the revival of this older-than-time cross-cultural method of food preservation; the transformation of food in form and function (alchemy!); and the use of free space, free bacteria, and simple, cheap ingredients (salt and water) in an accessible, DIY process.

I’m interested in the beauty of small things. Small farming practices and invisible bacteria are not things we need to be afraid of or avoid. Our bodies are made up of trillions of bacterial cells, and we need bacteria to survive — soil bacteria = life. In making my own fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, sour pickles, brined asparagus, etc), sourdough breads, and kombucha, I’ve noticed that the process of fermentation is actually quite beautiful. As foods ferment in brine or in an anaerobic environment, the lactobacillus bacteria become active and bubbly, and the foods begin to dance, while their colours blend and bleed together into the brine. Timelapse photography allows us to see this process clearly. Through the use of macro lenses and delicately lit studio set-ups, the film will try to show the beauty in the invisible, or in things that are difficult to otherwise see.

This project is produced with generous support from the Canada Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council.