rivered

"Riveted, Structures, Lands” explores loss and memory through interviews, live action shots and stop motion animations. These piece together the scope and remains of my great-grandfather’s civil engineering work as well as the creative endeavors of my great-grandmother. The oral history of my great-grandfather’s work for Union Pacific Railroad is told by my grandmother, who suffers from dementia, and struggles at times with recollection. Many of my great- grandfather’s engineering works still stand, though they are not marked with his name. His blueprints provide additional clues to understanding this lifelong work. Only through the date stamps on the exterior of the bridge and his own signature on the blueprints can I verify that he did have a part in their design. Through hunting down the Union Pacific structures that remain, I piece together the fragments of my grandmother’s memories about the extent of my great- grandfather’s work in the Western United States. By animating the blueprints and quilt pieces I begin my own approach to understanding the few cherished artifacts they passed down to the next generation.