Arremonops rufivirgatus is a science fiction project that explores the ambiguous human histories surrounding the discovery of the bird known as the Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus), as part of the westward expansion in the “wilderness” beyond the Mississippi river. The project investigates the etymology of the name, and the biographical history of eponymic master of the species. The events surrounding the categorization of this plain bird are mere blips in history, yet they remain instrumental footnotes in trying to draw attention to the interconnectedness between a colonizers’ worldview and scientific history.
The film engages the eponymous tendencies of exploration, and colonialism, and the hidden histories that are part of the contemporary echoes for the endangered species, Arremonops rufivirgatus.
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