“where there are seeds of light” (2024)
Total run time: 4:35
Cellphone footage, found footage, music by Marisa Anderson

This film is a visual poetic essay in response to working with incarcerated students of Seed & Bloom at the Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM) in Santa Fe. The majority of the footage is shot on my cellphone with various lenses at two locations in the same ecoregion that PNM is located: Holy Ghost Campground in Santa Fe National Forest and also GoPro footage from the weekly drive into PNM.

An ecoregion is characterized by comparable climate, geology, and soil types. These environmental factors influence the types of flora and fauna that can thrive in an ecosystem. Even if two locations are geographically distant from each other, being part of the same ecoregion suggests they will likely host similar species. The title motif “seeds of light” was inspired by one of the Seed & Bloom students with whom I’ve been working. He is an artist who also designed the first cover for the annual art zine we publish together as a group. Download a free copy here.