Film

An exploration of humanity's shifting relationship to the natural world. The film moves between images of wolves and Irish wolfhounds and historically important locations across Ireland and Germany, including the site where the last wild Irish wolf was killed in 1786. Abstract night shots of rural landscapes alternate with close observations of wolves in a nature reserve. A dull mountain landscape filmed at dawn frames minimal concrete forms. These supports and fragments belong to a former Cold War missile base. The remains show how fear can reshape a landscape and leave traces that outlast their purpose, tied to the wider theatre of war and the reach of Western Cold War paranoia. The film moves through quiet contrasts. A close-up of a slug is followed by an ominous dark landscape. Noisy cars pass along a black, rain-soaked road, then give way to the stillness of the night sky above Mount Leinster. From these romantic scenes the work shifts to intimate footage of wolves and wolfhounds, dogs bred to kill wolves. The camera offers access to the animals while holding the viewer at a distance, raising questions about our roles as observer, protector and ultimately consumer. The music and sound design alternate between ambient sounds and a minimal score made in collaboration with Irish composer Brian Crosby. The opening voiceover by Irish actor Cillian Murphy sets the tone and draws on historical texts from the period when wolves in Ireland were commodified. The systematic extermination of Irish wolves becomes a way into broader questions of ecology, consumption and extinction.