Elicia Epstein is a documentary student from Massachusetts, graduating from Pomona College this spring. She has an ambitious personal and creative goal - to hike along the route of the proposed Northern Pass electrical transmission line in New Hampshire and to create a series of short webisodes along the way. She’s no stranger to the woods, having worked at the AMC huts. We are captivated by her dream and are working with her to make it a reality.
Land Management and Local Impact
by Elicia Epstein
As the proposal stands now, Northeast Utilities seeks to erect 1,500 new electrical transmission towers through more than 185 miles of New Hampshire, which includes some of the state’s most environmentally sensitive land. News coverage of the proposed transmission line has primarily used a policy-oriented and economic framework, discussing route technicalities and chief stakeholders in the project.
As an artist, documentarian and avid outdoorswoman, I believe this issue deserves to be looked at under a different light. I want to explore the land as it stands for the communities who live on and around it (human and otherwise), and explore the environmental, visual and cultural impact this transmission line would have on the region. As someone with experience covering environmental stories and issues, I am aware that projects like these can have complex implications for local communities, and I am just as interested in exploring the benefits of this project as I am the negative repercussions.
My vision for this project is to hike the 185-mile transmission route, spending time with different households, individuals, organizations and communities along the way. Using rural and industrial landscapes, and portraits of homes, properties and people, I will weave together a collection of material that reflects the complexity of the affected communities along the route and the relationship of people to their land. I envision working with audio and digital photography, as well as making a series of short webisodes with video portraits and stories.
I am a storyteller and humanist at my core. I believe that the stories of individuals, their families and communities make the most compelling material to intervene in and interrogate the world around us. The stories around the Northern Pass are too important to go untold.
Elicia Epstein is a documentary student from Massachusetts, graduating from Pomona College this spring. She has an ambitious personal and creative goal - to hike along the route of the proposed Northern Pass electrical transmission line in New Hampshire and to create a series of short webisodes along the way. She’s no stranger to the woods, having worked at the AMC huts. We are captivated by her dream and are working with her to make it a reality.
Land Management and Local Impact
by Elicia Epstein
As the proposal stands now, Northeast Utilities seeks to erect 1,500 new electrical transmission towers through more than 185 miles of New Hampshire, which includes some of the state’s most environmentally sensitive land. News coverage of the proposed transmission line has primarily used a policy-oriented and economic framework, discussing route technicalities and chief stakeholders in the project.
As an artist, documentarian and avid outdoorswoman, I believe this issue deserves to be looked at under a different light. I want to explore the land as it stands for the communities who live on and around it (human and otherwise), and explore the environmental, visual and cultural impact this transmission line would have on the region. As someone with experience covering environmental stories and issues, I am aware that projects like these can have complex implications for local communities, and I am just as interested in exploring the benefits of this project as I am the negative repercussions.
My vision for this project is to hike the 185-mile transmission route, spending time with different households, individuals, organizations and communities along the way. Using rural and industrial landscapes, and portraits of homes, properties and people, I will weave together a collection of material that reflects the complexity of the affected communities along the route and the relationship of people to their land. I envision working with audio and digital photography, as well as making a series of short webisodes with video portraits and stories.
I am a storyteller and humanist at my core. I believe that the stories of individuals, their families and communities make the most compelling material to intervene in and interrogate the world around us. The stories around the Northern Pass are too important to go untold.