The New Jersey Pinelands
The Pine Barrens of New Jersey, once seen as uninhabitable, has been called home by many. Believed to be unprofitable, it gave birth to iron and cranberry industries. Perceived inhospitable, it sheltered people seeking refuge. Faced with eradication, it flourished. The Pines are a living contradiction, thousands of acres of remote forest within the nation's most densely populated state; rare plants and animals often found feet from busy roadways.
Its unique glacial geology, Lenape Indian and American history, rare wildlife, fire ecology, and a culture filled with mystery and folklore such as the Jersey Devil, makes the Pine Barrens one of the most interesting places in America.
The New Jersey Pinelands is the largest tract of undeveloped land between Maine and Florida and home to wild orchids and 43 threatened or endangered animals. In 1978 the 1.1 million-acre Pinelands were designated as the nation’s first national reserve. The Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer beneath the forest contains 17 trillion gallons of some of the purest water in the United States.
The future of this unique place is uncertain.
David Scott Kessler, Director/Producer
David Scott Kessler is a multi-media artist and filmmaker. He grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA. His works in video, installation, computer animation, and sculpture explore the symbiotic yet destructive relationship between humans and nature. Kessler's documentaries focus on magical and surreal moments in everyday life and the oneiric nature of place. Kessler studied visual art at Parsons School of Design, University of the Arts, and Montclair State University. He has screened work internationally in galleries and museums including the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia and Rooftop Film Festival. David currently runs the production company, Studioscopic and is the founder and curator of the landscape-based site-specific art and music event, Middle of Nowhere. He has won fellowships from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Flaherty Film Seminar.
The Ruins Of Friendship Orchestra - full bios HERE
Named for the historic Pine Barrens town of Friendship where the band first practiced together as a group, The Ruins of Friendship Orchestra is a collective of electronic and traditional instrumentalists. The band has been composing the score to The Pine Barrens since 2012 concurrently with the film's evolving editions. Ruins perform this score live at screenings of the film.
In the Press
A Pine Barrens Documentary Nears the Finish Line
By Bill Sprouse
There’s a scene in David Scott Kessler’s film about the Pine Barrens where Steven Carty, a basket-weaver from Mount Holly, reflects on the nature of Piney identity. Steven’s a Bozarth, which makes him Piney royalty, and he’s Lenape Indian (“the first Pineys”) on his mother’s side, but he has an open mind on the question of what makes a Piney a Piney—if you say you’re a Piney, you are one. But he does have one pet peeve.
“If you ask me, claiming to be a ‘redneck’ does not make one a Piney,” he says.
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