Standby Snow: Chronicles of a Heatwave, Chapter II, 2021
premier

Standby Snow: Chronicles of a Heatwave, Chapter II, an outdoor place-based project, premiered at West Creek Ranch in Emigrant, Montana in August 2021. The work brought together video, architecture, music, and live performance to activate this rich and complex location, which is rife with historical narratives and environmental lessons in the Yellowstone region. Central to the themes was the reversing of settler ethics that continue to damage our Indigenous communities and our region’s environment. The work sought to restore cultural histories and to imagine ways to reverse the devastation caused by drought and fire.

Standby Snow was created by Shane Doyle (Apsáalooke), musician, writer, and Indigenous scholar; Ben Lloyd, architect, designer, and media artist; Shakira Glenn (Apsáalooke), singer; Laine Rettmer, video artist and director; Mary Ellen Strom, writer, performance and video artist; Rachel Tang, researcher, and art historian.

Link to excerpts:
Opening monologue
https://vimeo.com/668295228/31e152de58

Closing video towers
https://vimeo.com/668299052/8140fd503f