neighboring|towns is an immersive four-channel video and sound installation about borders, restriction of movement, and family/community life. Its subject is Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec, two rural towns that are divided by the US/Canadian border. This small community has recently become better known, because immigrants affected by the US travel ban are reuniting with family members at its library. The library, uniquely situated in both the US and Canada, is one of the few places on the continent where those living in the US with visas that do not allow return-entry, can reunite with family members who are not allowed to enter the US, because they are citizens of countries on the US travel ban list.
Within neighboring|towns, an Iranian man whose family has traveled across the globe to reunite at the library describes their reunion. Music at the annual Vermont Sacred Harp Shape Note Sing, hosted by Derby Line’s bi-national singing group, provides a view into the local close-knit American/Canadian community. Other screens show the library’s quiet interior with a black line on its floor delineating the border; the Tomifobia River, which surges across the border; and two skiers, one in Derby Line, Vermont and one in Stanstead, Quebec, who eventually meet outside the library at the border, which is marked only by a single stone pilaster. The four videos are projected onto a maze of walls.
Until 9/11 these two neighboring border towns operated mainly as one cohesive community with homes, streets, and yards built right up to and often spanning the border. The border now slices what was once one community into two, reducing ease of movement. During interviews with community members, although many expressed great empathy for those having reunions, it was clear that there is minimal, if any, interaction between the local community (which is 96% Caucasian) and those who have flown in from around the world to reunite in this small rural community. In this work, precaution has been taken to protect the anonymity of the reuniting families.
neighboring|towns is by Vermont artists, Heather Theresa Clark and Pauline Jennings, with sound composition by Sean Clute, cinematography by Elizabeth Rossano, and choreography created and performed by Pauline Jennings in collaboration with Joshua Lacourse.
neighboring|towns is made possible through the generous support of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant and BenQ.
Trailer
Film Stills
All images by Elizabeth Rossano
(Film still) The entrance hallway in the library. The library, uniquely situated in both the US and Canada, has a black line on the floor, which delineates the border.
(Film still) A skier traveling through Stanstead, Quebec, one of the two border towns, to meet a fellow skier at the border.
(Film still) The children’s room in the library. The library, uniquely situated in both the US and Canada, has a black line on the floor, which delineates the border.
(Film still) Music at the annual Vermont Sacred Harp Shape Note Sing, hosted by Derby Line’s bi-national singing group, provides a view into the local close-knit American/Canadian community.
(Film Still) Tomifobia River in Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec
(Film still) A skier traveling through Derby Line, Vermont, one of the two border towns, to meet a fellow skier at the border.
Installation Views
Images taken at the Hamiltonian Gallery, by Elizabeth Rossano
(Two screens in the exhibition) (left) Music at the annual Vermont Sacred Harp Shape Note Sing, hosted by Derby Line’s bi-national singing group, provides a view into the local close-knit American/Canadian community. (right) Tomifobia River in Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont
(Two screens in the exhibition) (left) The children’s room in the library. The library, uniquely situated in both the US and Canada, has a black line on the floor, which delineates the border. (right) A skier traveling through Stanstead, Quebec, one of the two border towns, to meet a fellow skier at the border.
(Two screens in the exhibition) (left) Close up of members of the local close-knit American/Canadian community, shown here at the annual Vermont Sacred Harp Shape Note Sing. (right) Stanstead, Quebec
(Two screens in the exhibition) (left) The library reading room. (right) Two skiers, one in Derby Line, Vermont and one in Stanstead, Quebec, meet at the border, which is marked only by a single stone pilaster. The library is visible in the background.