The Blast Hole Pond River in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, is featured in this video-poem by Marlene Creates and Elizabeth Zetlin. The river flows through the property where Creates lives and has been the subject of much of her work since 2002.

The video-poem follows the Earth’s water cycle — from the rain to the land to the pond to the river to the sea to the clouds to the rain again — after a record-breaking 100-millimetre rainstorm. Along the way, we see, hear, and almost smell the torrent. But we also learn some of the artist’s thoughts as she looks at the river, some of which are memories of things other people have said.

The video conveys the ability of human consciousness to be in two places at once: both perceiving the exterior world that’s right in front of us and generating a medley of interior thoughts. Creates’s voice is heard reading the poem, which evokes details of the water’s course. Alternating with the ongoing flow, her reflections and memories appear as text over still images. In this way the video-poem reflects the interplay between pure perception and linguistic modes of consciousness.

A concluding montage of images and spoken words excerpted from the video-poem makes a gesture towards the relationship between language and landscape. Visually, the point of view changes: the camera swirls, slows, and speeds up. The human voice — starting with meaning and ending with murmur — replaces the sound of the river.

Marlene Creates, 2011