Murmur

Murmur was was made shortly after Biswas had completed two Fellowships at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the first in 1990 and the second in 1992. During this period, Biswas developed a deep relationship with the Canadian landscape, producing a number of super-8 films, photographs and video works, some of which were exhibited widely in Canada and in the UK. Murmur was shot largely from a helicopter in the mountains near Banff. A double screen projection, it is a poetic and evocative work that cites a journey across an epic landscape. Using the sound of the heart to drive the viewer across this space, this work brings together a series of short vignettes in which we experience a series of non-linear and non- narrative moments. A paddle that cuts in and out of the surface water of a placid lake, a woman whose feet are washed in a basin, a hand being acupunctured, and different flora collected from across the western regions of Canada all become part of a sensorial experience in this beguiling and visually powerful work.Murmur was commissioned by the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, and The Western Front, Vancouver.