An Assemblage of Bones

In TSJ’s 29.5’s “An Assemblage of Bones,” writer Mariah Ernst follows 21-year-old Jaleesa Vincent’s transition from Sunshine Coast lifeguard to Byron Bay-based professional freesurfer. Aside from drawing unique lines on alt-crafts, Jaleesa’s extraneous endeavors include rock and roll, tap dancing (sometimes those first two simultaneously), painting, and skeletal articulation.

This short film focuses on that latter hobby. Vincent narrates her process of collecting road kill, using beetles to clean its bones, and then putting its skeleton back together again.

Shot on 16mm and edited by Ellis Ericson (@ellisericson). Music by Jaleesa Vincent.