Mike Basich's "Forever Gone"

Words: Ben Shanks Kindlon | Photos courtesy of Mike Basich

After a fire destroyed his home and photos and other memorabilia from his time as a professional snowboarder, Mike Basich was forced to relearn to enjoy the present or stay stuck in the past. His latest creations speak to the impermanence of existence. “Self-portraits have been a beautiful thing,” he says, “but I wanted to give a new life, a new meaning. Something that had a lot to do with not holding on… How do I make something that’s in the past but doesn’t last forever so we can still enjoy the moment?”

In Forever Gone, Mike combines his love for woodworking and photography to coax out an artistic phoenix from the ashes of his archives. The film shows an intimate behind-the-scenes look at his entire process of recreating iconic photographs into prints using materials evocative of the fire that consumed the originals. We see Mike crushing charred wood to create a charcoal based ink and utilizing a tree trunk to make handmade paper and wood blocks. Carving meticulously into their surfaces, he makes new renditions of old classics, only to burn them down, too.

Mike says, “Learning that nothing lasts forever, my greatest hope is to have no regrets.”

Video: Kyle Schwartz

Music: Cocorosie

Mike Basich's "Forever Gone"

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