Forest Waves
2023-2024
Multichannel color film, shown on three screens with tonal music and ambient sound, 25 min.
In his newest work, Forest Waves, Epstein skillfully juxtaposes gentle sonic rhythms with formal visual compositions to lead the viewer through seasonal shifts in the Berkshires forests of western Massachusetts, the woods of his childhood. The movements of the forest, often barely perceptible, never stop; trees sway slightly, leaves fall, a porcupine darts into view. This complex biosystem, left to itself, will endure for millennia. Into this rich environment of flora and fauna, Epstein has introduced a sound element. Tonal musicians Mike Tamburo and Samer Ghadry were brought to the location and filmed playing their original compositions in the woods. On site, the music seemed to emerge from the forest rather than impose itself upon it. Projected as film onto three screens with a rich soundtrack, Forest Waves engulfs the audience, raising existential questions about the brevity of human life and the fragility of the forest facing environmental catastrophe.
Forest Waves — American Nature, Gallerie d’Italia museum in Torino, Italy, 2024-2025