Tom Hansell in collaboration with participants from workshops sponsored by the Watauga Riverkeeper and the New River Conservancy, still from the Trash Trout Motion Picture Show film, 2022, 16mm motion picture film and plastic refuse. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Join BRAHM for an original film by artist Tom Hansell with musician Trevor McKenzie and dancer Julie Shephard-Powell providing the soundtrack in anticipation of the upcoming exhibition Trash Trout Picture Show, which will be on view in the Alexander Community Gallery December 8, 2022 – February, 4, 2023.
Filmmaker and visual artist Tom Hansell, in collaboration with local river protectors, has spent the last two years salvaging river trash and creating works of art from the refuse collected. His work with The Watauga Riverkeeper, an essential protector of the Watauga River Watershed, began with the collection of plastic bags and other detritus from a passive stormwater debris collector nicknamed the Trash Trout and culminated in a series of participatory workshops: more than fifty local residents taped trash from the river to 16mm film strips. Similarly, Hansell worked with the New River Conservancy on river cleanups, then turned reclaimed plastic bags into sculptures.
About the artist
Tom Hansell, photo courtesy of the artist.
Tom Hansell is a filmmaker, author and artist who creates work that explores relationships between energy, community, and nature. His documentaries have screened at the Museum of Modern Art and been included in the Southern Circuit tour of independent filmmakers. Hansell’s experimental films have screened at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and Indie Grits. Hansell began his career at Appalshop, a media arts center in Kentucky, and currently teaches at Appalachian State University.
Artist statement:
I make media and sculpture rooted in my mountain environment. My projects connect the specific challenges faced by rural Appalachian mountain communities with the universal challenge all humans face as we strive to live in harmony with nature and each other.
My body of work includes a series of documentary films highlighting the fight for environmental and economic justice in the Appalachian coalfields. To address energy policy issues, I have created a series of solar powered video installations that generate their own electricity by pedal power and solar power. My current project explores human interactions with the New River, an ancient river whose unique path winds its way north through Virginia and West Virginia to join the Ohio and then the Mississippi before dispersing into the Gulf of Mexico. The headwaters ecosystems in my community are crucial to protecting water quality, as pollution here affects life many miles downstream.
My artistic practice grows organically from these rural places. Out of necessity, I have developed collaborative techniques to address political and cultural divisions in my community. I hope that my work can bring people together to celebrate common bonds, to discuss differences, and to control the development of our cultures and communities.
– Tom Hansell, 2021
PLEASE NOTE: Limited seating available. An 80% refund will be issued if the participant cancels three weeks prior to the event. For cancellations made less than three weeks prior to the event, BRAHM will issue a refund IF the museum is able to fill the vacated spot.
MOVIES AT THE MUSEUM
Movies at the Museum features films by North Carolina filmmakers and films about the arts, history, and culture of the Appalachian region. The films feature a guest speaker and are followed by a discussion with opportunities to ask questions and reflect on the films' highlights.