Point of No Return
Janet Biggs, 2013
Single-channel, high definition video, 16:9 format
Time: 10:16
Edition of 5, plus 2 APs
Video excerpt (Original is high definition):
Janet Biggs’ video, Point of No Return focuses on individuals in the face of cultural loss or change. To many, cultural extinction is a part of human evolution. Whether through assimilation, globalization, technological advancement, or battle, cultures expand and disappear.
Filmed in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, Biggs documents the rigors of survival for man and beast. Point of No Return examines the loss of a sense of self and way of life in one of the world’s most isolating and harsh location, known as the “Desert of Death”.
Biggs traveled into the Taklamakan desert with eight camels and
their Uyghur handlers. She filmed the caravan as it journeyed past ancient
sites, some in ruins, others buried under the desert. Set against backgrounds
never-ending oceans of dunes and fevered market activity in the ancient (but
disappearing) city of Kashgar, Point of No Return reveals the grit, endurance,
and desire for a way of life at risk of vanishing into the sands by choices
self-made or externally imposed.
Click for larger images:
Video Stills
Contact artist or gallery for higher-resolution images.