In September 2000, in collaboration with Hildegard Westerkamp, soundscape composer, I completed a 400-slide, five-projector soundtracked installation entitled "At the Edge of Wilderness". The exhibit was produced by the Western Front and exhibited at the Ironworks, 235 Alexander Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada. This installation explored the interaction of nature with the remains of some of British Columbia's most intriguing ghost towns. Considering British Columbia's relatively brief history, our ghost towns represent the ruins of our "ancient" past. I intended to capture their essence before nature reclaims them forever.

The installation was set up in a dark enclosed room of 24 by 17 feet. Five projectors displayed slides at different speed. By showing these images this way, I wanted to recreate the movement while entering and discovering the sites. There was abundance of details in the chaotic arrangement of these abandoned buildings and objects. They all came in different shapes, textures and colourful set-ups. Both Hildegard's spiral repetition of sounds and my 400 slides selected from over one thousand photos complemented each other and allowed the viewers an experience of time.

Because the projectors had timings of different length, it would take several days for any combination of five images to be displayed again.

The images were projected on different surfaces in order to create various sensations and filter effects. The gauze created a ghostlike/eerie feeling; the blue cotton with its cold look recalled the reality that garbage is lying around; the lace emphasized the texture and 3D impression of the scenes; the white polyester brought softness in a more subtle way than the gauze; the last surface, the room's yellow wall, emulated the type of lighting in which the photos were taken.

When I visited these abandoned sites, it seemed that people had left these places in a hurry, like they would when a natural catastrophe such as a volcanic eruption occurs. These relics portray despair and desolation revealing the core of human beings and the experiences they went through. They transport us to the centre, to the essential matter in life: survival, which demands acceptance and humility.