Golden Calf

Central to the world’s economy, fossil fuels support most economic activities from transport, agriculture to industry, and provides electricity and everyday household items. This animation is part of a large multimedia installation titled Golden Calf investigating the complex intersection between society’s deep dependency on fuel and its environmental impact. While suggesting an analogy between the worship of a deity versus a natural resource, Golden Calf uses allegory and symbolism to narrate astory of fossil fuels. This piece has the capacity to address topics around human-induced climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals no. 13 (Climate action).

  • Allyson Lorraine Glenn
    Director
    Above the Deluge (2021); In the Fray (2021)
  • Allyson Lorraine Glenn
    Writer
    Above the Deluge (2021); In the Fray (2021)
  • Allyson Lorraine Glenn
    Producer
    Above the Deluge (2021); In the Fray (2021)
  • Allyson Glenn
    Animators
    Above the Deluge (2021); In the Fray (2021)
  • David Sanscartier
    Animators
  • Kaleb Whittingstall
    Animators
  • Alexis Fraser
    Animators
  • Laurenne Trottier
    Animators
  • Lucy Zhou
    Animators
    Above the Deluge (2021); In the Fray (2021)
  • Sandra Marteleur
    Musician
  • Epidemic Sound
    Open Source (Music)
  • Storyblocks
    Open Source (Videos for Rotoscoping)
  • Allyson Lorraine Glenn
    Video Editor
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    April 23, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    N/A
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Allyson Lorraine Glenn

Fascinated by ideas around allegory, myth, symbolism, and man's relationship to the environment, Allyson Glenn’s artwork explores fictional worlds in which we construct and the real ones we experience. Allyson holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) from the University of Alberta and a Master in Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Calgary. She teaches full-time as an Associate Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

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Director Statement

Golden Calf first shown as a multi-media installation at the 2022 Nuit Blanche Saskatoon, for a one-night at this art festival in Saskatoon, Canada. Silent, the two-channel animations projected on the exterior walls of a bike store and a shipping container. The installation included a sculpture (created by David Sanscartier, Fine Arts student, University of Saskatchewan). The twelve-foot sculpture, made from recycled metal, included an oil barrel covered in gold leaf (which appears in the animation). Meant to both inform and interfere with the projections, the structure cast a still shadow on the scene. Inspired by William Kentridge’s evolving landscape narratives and Krzysztof Wodiczkox’s Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection, the installation suggests an analogy between the worship of a deity versus a natural resource.

Now presented as a singular animation (without the sculpture), aspects of the original installation including the split screen format remained while music was added. The music was selected from composer/musician Sandra Marteleur (open source courteously Epidemic Sound) because its circling and repeating sequences complimented the content of the animation.