In the Winter and Spring of 2016, 80 people wandered throughout the 83-acre Lake Laurel Outdoor Environmental Research Lab in Milledgevile, Georgia.
The resulting 50-minute film, “bioreverie,” is an insider’s glimpse of their metaphysical encounters, artistic and philosophical epiphanies, and candid contemplations. It also yields a stirring window on the reality of just how precious is a protected small lake and piece of surrounding turf in Central Georgia. And, by obvious implication, recognizes that every inch of this planet of life should impress upon us all the profound needs of human humility, the sense of ecological citizenry, and the realization of the urgent call upon the duties and responsibilities such citizenry entails, particularly in this generation.
The film was created by an entire class of documentary film students, under the tutelage of their film school mentor, GCSU Faculty Member, Ms. Angela Criscoe, at Georgia College and State University, in collaboration with Dr. Michael Charles Tobias, President of Dancing Star Foundation. The work-in-progress was screened for EarthDay, 2016 at GCSU.
The finished “bioreverie” has just been released on GCSU’s Youtube site, and is herewith presented, uncut, in its entirety.
Writes Michael Tobias, “We often compare and contrast many of the great biological locations, and charismatic megafauna and flora across the Earth with the myriad of wonders in our own backyards. Too often, such comparisons gloss over, miss, or entirely obfuscate the quientessential realities of the biological miniature, and with it the remarkable proliferation that is at the heart of the so-called zoological gaze, as well as the Other Minds paradigm. So it is rare, indeed, to experience a 50-minute film, created by university students intent upon expressing their thoughts and feelings about nature; a film that actually takes the time to explore that backyard, particularly through the eyes, the hearts and minds of so many dozens of involved participants. The film, ‘bioreverie,’ should remind us all of the miraculous truths and insights inherent to participatory environmentalism, conservation team-work, eco-restoration, the importance of protected areas, and the joys and significance of simply walking in the woods and appreciating this gift of life we have been granted. ‘bioreverie’ modestly celebrates that gift, revealing a generous diversity of perspectives, feelings and compassion, by students, professors and other members of the public, alike. And it underscores the critical importance of environmental education in an era that has come to recognize a serious crisis throughout much of the world’s urban landscapes, namely, ‘Nature-Deficit Disorder.’”
Watch the film at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt8pNH2Iq1c&feature=youtu.be
