Field Notes: Processing the Idea of Nature in Los Angeles

Field Notes is a series of eleven short films that study the place and meaning of nature in the greater Los Angeles area. Kate employs the concepts of biological field notes and artist sketches – tools used by people in different fields to study, analyze, and process the world – and extend those to film. Shot entirely on Super 8 and then processed by hand, this work is on one level a series about nature, but it is also an exploration of disconnectedness, appearance, control, compartmentalization, and self in L.A. It proposes a more nuanced understanding of nature, one that celebrates wonder, connection, discussion, and cooperation.

This series was completed for a month-long artist residency at Echo Park Film Center in Los Angeles, CA, USA.