Artist statement:
The world is burning. In British Columbia, we know this to be true. It has happened here, and it will continue to happen here. As a tree planter, I have seen the results first hand. I have been contracted to replant forests that were burnt to nothing. Barren, sandy expanses lined with the skeletons of trees. These landscapes are haunting. It feels like you are being watched. In my piece, I invite you into the charred aftermath of a forest fire.
Fire is a part of the natural process, and throughout time people have worked in partnership with the land and fire. What is unnatural now is the impact humans are having, and the conditions we have created, that are perpetuating these devastating wildfires. The earth is resilient, and over time these places will regenerate. Plants will grow; life will return. In the face of climate change, we cannot promise this to be true for the human race.
Inspired by the burnt forests in Williams Lake, BC. This piece is in collaboration with other artists and their artworks.
Artist Bio:
Makaila is a filmmaker, poet, and multi-disciplinary artist residing in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. She graduated from the University of Victoria in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies and Geography (double major). As a critical human geographer, she is interested in anti-racist, anti-colonial, queer, activist, and feminist themes. She views art and geography to be inherently linked and uses both of these fields to influence her work.