In the early hours of Monday 12th April 2021 I was woken by loud banging on my window. ‘Fire! Fire! Immediately evacuate this building.’ Minutes later I found myself standing on the road just with my most essential belongings preparing for a long night. I had my camera so I made the decision to document  this historical moment all through the night and into the next morning.

I edited this 7 min installation reel for several purposes, as an artistic historical document, for those who did not witness the fires in the night and as a backdrop for trauma integration within our community.

Following the fires I proposed to share it as a video installation to be played in the Universal Hall to offer the opportunity to all the members to witness the fires through this video in order to help come to terms with the traumatising events. With several others we offered simultaneously to hold the intensity in circles of sacred song and sharing circles to grieve and to heal.

At the time this proposal didn’t land. Neither did it in the following years. Decisionmakers felt the concern of re-traumatisation was too strong.

Years have passed now and many community members still have not seen what happened on that night of the fires.

I trust that the readers of this post are resourced enough now to watch this historic document safely without harm, and to connect with its benevolent intentions.

 

 

I am very grateful for Eugene Friesen’s gift to use his powerful cello music as the background tone. It’s the perfect fit.