Artist Statement: ”I always looked at the vast landscapes of the American West from a clinical distance — as featureless metaphors, really. Then I moved to Pittsburgh, where the sky closes in on you across narrow ridges and valleys, and broad landscapes are harder to find. Smaller bursts of nature became a part of my life — micro doses of browns and greens.”

”My interest in the Pittsburgh bioregion began when my husband and I bought a house across the street from Churchill Valley Greenway. This 150-acre site was a private golf course for nearly a century. The golf course, like many others across the country, closed. The space was allowed to revert back to nature. Then in 2021, the Allegheny Land Trust bought the greenway, permanently protecting it for the public and allowing it to remain untouched and undeveloped.”

”I walk in the greenway every day. This has changed my relationship with landscapes and the ecosystems within landscapes. I pay more attention to the natural world, noticing intricate details and new forms. The greenway gives me a chance to see landscapes as places — places I live among, full of tiny details, small enough to comprehend, but rich enough to get lost in.”

”Through a series of videos and the physical installation of the UnSmoke space, I have recreated a version of my greenway for you. Depending on when you enter the space and how long you stay, you will notice different things. I hope you enjoy spending a day in the greenway as much as I do.”
– Sarah Moore

About the Artist: Sarah Katherine Moore is a video artist, born and raised in South Dakota. She received her BFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA in Studio Arts from the University of Montana. Sarah is interested in landscapes and memories — how they form, morph, and can disappear. Her photography and video works have been shown across the country and internationally — particularly in spaces she can transform into immersive video installations. Sarah currently lives across from a 150-acre greenway with her husband and two dogs in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Film & Media Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh where she teaches film production classes.
http://www.sarahkatherinemoore.com/

Event is free and open to all