The title Errantry, which suggests an act of navigating and acknowledging multiplicities of cultural influences, is inspired by a key term used by Édouard Glissant in Poetics of Relation. Combining a two-channel video, atmospheric sound, and voiceover, Errantry evokes the act of wandering between subjectivities, localities, imaginaries, and real and fictionalized worlds. In a single take, the first channel of the video depicts two men in a fishing canoe pulling at a taut rope; their labored, repetitive flow suggests tension within the water. The second channel consists of a nonlinear montage that centers on a fisherman character and the coastal landscape he wanders. As the film unfolds, the harmful effects of human intervention in the landscape and at sea become apparent.

During my time in Treasure Beach, I made a daily practice of either writing, taking photographs, shooting video, recording atmospheric sounds or radio programming, or having conversations with people I met. I recorded many good stories, but the conversations I had with Tommy were the most compelling. As a fisherman, he has spent much of his life at sea, beginning at age twelve. He was interested in my work as an artist, as he had recently started painting. We spent a lot of time “reasoning” over coffee, talking about current events, weather patterns, and his interconnected network of local and global fishermen. He also talked about issues that are impacting his livelihood.

The complete overview of Simon Benjamin’s featured work can be found in the Kingston Biennial 2022: Pressure Catalogue, which is available for sale in the NGJ Gift Shop.