Last November, I had the opportunity to spend nine days aboard the MV Calumet and get a glimpse at the fascinating world of shipping on the Great Lakes. While the boat hauled stone and coal between quarries and coal terminals in Ohio, Canada, Michigan and Wisconsin, I recorded over 40 hours of sounds and interviews and snapped hundreds of photos. Back on shore, I'm sifting through this material to create a radio and multimedia documentary project. The end product I envision incorporates sound, still images, stop motion photography and text.
It takes time to go through so much material, so in the meantime I want to share the process. The posts on this site are all rough ideas, half-digested. I am trained in telling stories with sound, so photography and multimedia art is new territory for me. I would love to hear your feedback! Click on the Questions/Comments tab and tell me what you think, or shoot an email to allison.swaim at gmail.com.
Thank you Tom Burke, Grand River Navigation Company, and everyone on board the Calumet for making this project possible!
