(Woodstock, NY) – The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild is pleased to present Homing Instinct, written & directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher on view September 27 – October 1, 2023, 10am – 6pm in conjunction with the Woodstock Film Festival at the Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, 36 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY. Homing Instinct is 26 minutes playing on a continuous loop every half hour. A reception for the artist will be held on Friday, September 29, 4 – 6pm.

An immersive cinematic installation, Homing Instinct is based on the story by Dani McClain published in the anthology, Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements. The exhibition is supported by a Silver Sun Foundation residency.

Homing Instinct evokes a world of shifting layers, juxtaposing neorealism with the vast metaphysical sweep of nature. The audience is invited into a poetic and powerful aesthetic experience to imagine an interconnectedness as a species of nature in our changing world.

The story is set in the near future in a desperate moment of rising sea level. Two friends face a federal executive order to evacuate New York City and relocate within 30 days. The metaphorical question arises, “Are you a fish or a bird?” Raven, a psychologist studying the roots of extremism, and Paloma, a marine biologist at the Coney Island Aquarium, encounter a time traveler in different ways. Existential questions around government authority and the individual are explored using the language of dance to reimagine our relationship with nature.The starring roles are played by Barrett Doss (Station 19, Grey’s Anatomy) and Kineta Kunutu (The Blacklist, Citadel), alongside a cast of accomplished talent. A steel sculpture, “Queen Coils,” by the artist’s brother, sculptor/welder Jay Bradley Pilcher, is featured in Homing Instinct, as a thematic symbol of the creative spirit of human change and nature. “Queen Coils” will be on display in the exhibition.