2018

Circular HD Video and Stereo Audio

A visual tone poem inspired by the beautiful, but potentially tragic, mating ritual of the American Bald Eagle. The two soar up to high altitudes, lock talons, and spiral towards the earth. If they release in time and complete the courtship ritual, they become a bonded pair for life. If they don’t release in time, both will crash into the ground and die. This act creates a tension between succeeding with their mate and maintaining their own survival. The score for the video comes from the infamous song True Love Waits by Radiohead. The song was written 21 years before it was recorded and released. It began as a hopeful love ballad at the beginning of lead singer Them Yorke’s relationship with the woman who would later become his wife and the mother of his two children. The song was finally recorded and released in 2016 as a melancholy ballad after their divorce and her subsequent death six months later from terminal cancer. Two tracks of the melody begin in sync and slowly fall further and further into asynchrony as the video progresses. This piece is inspired by the notion of tragedy, love, and the inevitable pain of loss.

Stefani Byrd’s art practice utilizes video, new media, and interactive technologies to create psychologically charged immersive media environments. Her work has been exhibited at the CICA Museum (South Korea), the Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego (San Diego), and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (Atlanta). She holds a Masters Degree in Visual Art from the University of California San Diego. Byrd is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas.